St. Bernardus Prior 8

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Watou, Belgium

Pours a slightly reddish cola brown, with a frothy head that doesn’t stick around long at all. It’s also heavier on the sediment than others from the same brewery. Aroma is very sweet, with banana, dark fruits and malts dominating, but it’s more robust than the Pater 6. Yeasts and fruits come through in the flavor, with a bit of alcohol burn on top of the sweet malts. The carbonation is a bit high, too. Nice, but not even close to its big brother - the Abt. 12.

Bottle from Westpark Richmond. Pours a chocolate brown with a big frothy head that disappears quickly. Lacing is minimal, but there. Big roasted malt aroma with a hint of spice. Straight grainy malty taste with a hint of banana. Pleasant, but nothing special.

A nice reddish beer with a stunningly lasting head. Aroma of figs, plums and subtle, sexy hops. Tha flavour is quite full, with loads of fruit, malt and some odd roquefort-like fatness. Quite fine! Disclaimer: tasted along with a 2003 Amarone.

Pours a murky, deep brown with two fingers of frothy, beige head that leaves behind patchy lace. The nose is of rum-raisin, brown sugar and ripe plums finishing with a light, malty booziness. Medium-bodied and creamy with a spicy, flinty finish that dries the front third of your tongue. Raisin bread dough, spicy yeasty, brown sugar, plums and light alcohol. Well balanced and quite drinkable for a beer of this complexity, but it lacks the overall refinement and mouthfeel of its "big brother", Abt 12.

Pours dark, transparent amber with beige head that’s moderately long lived. Nice lacing. Smells strongly sweetly with dried fruits dominating and some roasts and plum hiding in the background. Taste is a nice balance between roasted malts and hops, with the sweet fruit dominating others specifics. The balance is fantastic and the taste is probably better than the overwhelming 12, but it wasn’t the same complex/fulfilling for me.

Smells like a spicey plum. Nice dark dirty brown color. The plum scent tastes more like a spicey licorice stick or rasin with a little bitterness. ABV is very well hidden, good beer.

750 mL bottle poured into a Chimay chalice. Pours very dark brown with a tint of red. Head is small beige and lasts pretty well. Aroma is very sweet and fruity, raisins and plums mainly. The taste is also very sweet, like it smells. Nicely balanced. The alcohol taste is not very strong, but it comes through enough to give a nice, dry finish. Good, drinkable beer.

Pours a clear cream soda brown with a small tan head. Aroma is sweet dates and cherries as well as caramel. Flavor issweet and malty initially then more fruity. Long sweet finish. Light to medium body.