St. Bernardus Prior 8

Bottle. Pours a dark amber with slight reddish hue. Big frothy head. Very yeasty aroma, very fresh. Generously carbonated, very malty, bready. This beer felt very smooth on the palate. Honey, cherry, carmel. Abrupt finish. This is a great standard for a Belgian Strong Ale.

Pours a generous head and active carbonation. The aroma is both fruity and yeasty, and is made up of cherries, plums, bread, honey, and currant. The flavors are quite nice, most of the fruit is evident, as is a bit of toffee and chocolate. A nice feel in the mouth and a moderate finish.

Bottle. Light brown with red tint. Large dense foamy head with hang time and thick lacing. Bready malty aroma, a bit grassy, pleasant, fresh. Still waiting for the head to subside. Heavy body, very malty sweet caramel. Alcohol is very apparent in flavor and warmth. Very nice belgian.

Another goody from my Tokyo trip earlier this month. Brown with ruby hues, a foamy but short lived beige head, leaves plenty of lacing. Loads of sweet rich malt, caramel, cardamom, prunes & alcohol, a busy nose. Sweet with plenty of rich fruit dessert flavors, familiar Belgian yeast and a dry tannin bittersweet finish with a warm alcohol follow. This reminds me why Belgians Strongs are one of my favorite styles!

Bottle. Borwn sugar color. 1 micro-bbble foam. Banana, lightly yeasty, tart aroma. Less bite than expected on the tongue. Smooth, dry finish. Honey, nutty. Very nice. I’ll have another.

BB 10/2010 Deep brown beer with a creamy tan head. Sweet fruity aroma, cherry, plums, mint, and a soft sweet spiciness. Clove, cardamon, raisins and dark toasted wheat spiciness all make an appearance. Very fruity and spicy on the palate as well, but it manages to remain quite light as well. Flavour of plums, clove, cinnamon and cardamon. Rich sweet toastiness and a touch of wheat/rye character. Sweet plums/raisins and a minty finish. Lingering yeasty breadiness. A rich and elegant brew.

11.2 oz bottle sampled at "Better Know a Style: Belgian Strong Ale" Blind Tasting 07. Rasin colored with a fizzy off-white head. Moderately malty aroma, dark bread, cookie, molasses, chocolate, dough, raisin, plum, cherry, toffee, and vanila. Light sweet aroma, bakers chocoalte, raisin, plum, cherry spice, cardamon, nutmeg, corriander, balanced really well. Light body, with creamy texture and soft carbonation. Lightly bitter finish. This one is damn tasty and my second place for the night.

This beer was disappointing. It started out nice. The pour was a great pour, the color was a darkish brown. The head was nice, but not too powerful. The flavor was lacking. I am considering this to be just as good as the Pater 6. As the beer warms the flavors beginning to open up, but they never fully mature as I was hoping they would. I taste a slightly bitter caramel flavor, but as I stated it doesn’t even reach its maximum potential as the Abt 12 does. The Abt 12 opens up on your tongue and leaves a flavor that one can taste. This is subordinate the the Abt 12, but should still be complimented for its taste. Accolades to St. Bernard Brouwerij.