St. Bernardus Prior 8

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

Lighter than I would have thought by looking at it. These Belgians continue to surprise with their balance and elegance. The Prior 8 is no exception. Good malt character. Long and easy. Wonderful mouthfeel and a great finish.

St. Bernardus Prior 8 is a dim, cloudy, leathery brown ale with a big, fluffy, light beige head that leaves tenacious lacing. It has a grainy, bready aroma with notes of raisin and prune. It smells just a touch sweet. It’s medium, maybe medium-light, bodied, smooth and fluffy and quite bubbly with a clean finish. There are dark and dried fruit flavors; notes of apple, plum, cherry and raisin bread. It’s not very sweet-- almost savory, with no noticeable bitterness. It’s warming at the finish and has a clean aftertaste. Very tasty.

On tap at Redbones. Into St. Bernardus trappist glass. Serious alcohol aroma and dark, ripe raisins, so GOOD. Flavor is about the same with some cloves but doesn’t overwhelm the other flavors. Really nice lacing coating the glass all the way down. Best dubbel I’ve had in awhile.

bottle, nice but unstable white head, dark orange/brown colour. Smell: dried plums, raisins, fruity and alcohol. Taste: easy to drink and very well balanced, raisins, dried plums, alcohol, yeasty, a bit bitter, sweet, warm feeling. A very good strong ale!

Bottle. Very good Belgian. Dark brown pour with decent carbonation. Flavor isn’t over powering, aromas match flavors.

Deep Golden Brown/Yellow in colour. Nice aroma, alcoholic smell - quite sweet (almost like a port). Taste is sweet at first with a bitter finish, not long lasting. Hints of raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon? Enjoyed this beer and will have again.

Tap at The Trappist. Having it not from a bottle was probably my first mistake. Though the aroma was a nice, robust malt, yeast, brown sugar, artificial grape flavor, the actual flavor was thin, almost grating, and shallow. Rather like the Westy 8 I had in bottle - just not very smooth, and rapidly finishing.

33 cl bottle. Dark brown and hazy beer. Rich head is blond, dense and very creamy. Sweet maltiness and spicy Bernadus yeast dominate the aroma. Toffy, candi sugar, winegums, peppery yeast and a hint of strawberries. Candi sugar, some alcohol and mild but herbal hoppiness in the finish. Big flavor is malty and quite sweet. Caramell, candi and mildly toasted and even chocolatey maltines. Finishes drier but it still has caramelly and alcoholic sweetness. The palate is powerful yet very drinkable. Medium body, alcoholic backbone and velvety texture. Once again, a brilliant beer from St. Bernardus.