St. Bernardus Prior 8

On tap. Beautiful chestnut brown pour and pleasing aroma. The flavor is chocolate covered raspberries, with emerging hints of caramel and toffee. There is also a vanilla or vanilla-blossom lacing which adds excellent dimension to the brew. An excellent beer. I go back and forth as to whether I like this one of the Abt 12 better - they’re both phenomenal.

Pours a dark burgundy to maroonish brown with a good bit of a haze and a big offwhite head, slowly settling, leaving very nice lacing. The nose is big and sweet. Rich full malt. Sweet dark fruit, raisins, figs, and prunes come to mind. A little bit of lemon, a little creamy. Definitely some berry. Creamy, rich and rather viscous. Full and smooth on the tongue. The flavors are very vinous. Big ass grape. Big sweet malt. This almost reminds me of some renditions of scotch ales. Not the type of scotch ale rendition I generally enjoy, but this is really very much better. Creamy big sweet malt. Even a bit of diacetyl, which is strange for a Belgian, but it seems appropriate here. Very fruity, big grape, berry, and dark fruit. Some light toast. A little acid in the surprisingly dry slightly buttery finish. The lingering slight tartness of a Belgian in the aftertaste is accompanied by toast. I enjoy this, and for 7.50 a bottle, the price is right.

Bottle. Reddish/brown colored with a haze. Dense tanned two finger head. Yeasty and semi-dry malt aroma with some earthy hop scents and cellar notes. Predominant malt taste; gently sweet and roasty. Lots of fruitiness (raisins, plums and berries) in the background. Mild bittering hops. Medium to full body. Nice, quite dry and hopbitter finish.

At this point in the tasting, I was quite inebriated. However, with how much taste was there, I was impressed. I need to try this one again for sure. **ADDING** So I tried it again...my rating actually went up. The aroma is very heavy and complex. Deep flavours of caramel and molasses. Somehow though, the character still remained light. This may be my favourite of the St. Bernardus series.

300ml bottle.
Pours a murky, hazy chestnut brown with tiny flecks of yeast hanging in stasis throughout the liquid. Big, tightly packed poofy white head forms on pour, gradually settling down but leaving a pretty thick ring around the edge of the glass. That rim leaves clods of Brussels lace all over the sides of the glass as the liquid moves down with each gulp. Aroma is very bready/yeasty with strong, weird hints of multivitamins. Flavor is rich, nutty, yeasty, earthy & malty-sweet with some notes of dark berries and hazelnut. Truly fascinating stuff. Palate is thick with a nutty aftertaste. Interesting.

Dark murkey brown thick fluffy tan head. Nice lacing moves into a nose full of sweet dark fruit, and a nut/plant I cant pick out. Sweet, but still balanced, a real treat to drink. I think I’m finally getting these monks!

Pours a dark brown with a foamy off-white head. Excellent lacing. Beautiful. Aroma is of raisins, malty richness. Chocolatey taste, mild. Very heavy coffee notes, great taste, yet slightly sour. Fruity, with slight alcohol warming. Nice palate. Had to re-rate: As it warms, it becomes a different beer. I can now taste so much more cream, and fruit it’s amazing. Much better as it warms in your glass over an hour or so.

750mL bottle. When I untwisted the cage just enough, the cork exploded out of the bottle.. glancing off my forehead into the abyss.. since I’m in a hotel room, I really couldn’t care less. The brew poured a moderately deep reddish-brown with a tall, rocky cap of creamy beige head. The aroma picked up dried berries and vinous notes with a pinch of dust and some roasty caramel.. only complaint is that the dust got a little in the way at times... really good, though. The flavor was even better.. toasty caramel, molasses, and vinous fruits form a formidable flavor core with brilliant accents of dusty, peppery spices from the heavy yeast presence and some alcohol warmth. A hair greater than medium-bodied, and almost syrupy across the middle.. great contrast of dusty and spicy notes at the edges. This was some really good stuff!