It’s not often that we review a beer or whisk(e)y on more than one occasion, but since people kept mentioning how much they love the Trappistes Rochefort 8 wherever I turned on the interwebz (the blogs, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) a couple weeks ago, I thought it was about time that I finally gave this beer a try. The fact that Limpd recently reviewed the Trappistes Rochefort 6 and the Trappistes Rochefort 10 also influenced my decision to finally try one of these legendary Belgian beers.
Since Limpd has already reviewed the Trappistes Rochefort 8, I will skip our usual “here’s what the brewery has to say about this beer” section, and simply point you in his direction for a bit more information about this Belgian beer (courtesy of Merchant du Vin, their USA importer).
Let’s get on with my review…
- Appearance: Murky reddish brown color. As far as the pour goes, I wasn’t expecting this beer to be so “Pop Pop Fizz Fizz!” when I started filling my glass. There was at least two inches of foam during the initial pour which almost overflowed out of my glass. It took a about a minute or two to finally settle down to a thin layer of tan foam that clinged to the insides of the glass.
- Aroma: Sweet roasted malts dominate the nose of this beer, i.e. dried dates, fig jam, raisins, and molasses. You can also smell the alcohol.
- Taste: A surprisingly bubbly mouthfeel. For whatever reason, I was expecting this to be thick and chewy, but instead, I’m finding this beer to be quite refreshing. All of the aromas in the nose have carried through to the palate. This beer is loaded with sweet malts from start to finish. The flavors are rich and layered with all of that dried fruit goodness. There is also a buttery caramel going on here. And last but not least, this beer won’t let you forget that it has an ABV of 9.2%. The booziness is definitely there, but I’m not finding it to be overbearing (soothing is the word for this one). It’s more of a, “Whoa! Slow down buddy. This ain’t no Miller Lite!” kind of booziness.
- ABV: 9.2%
In Limpd’s review, he stated that the Trappistes Rochefort 8 might be the best beer he’s ever had. Without question, this is an excellent beer. Strong, rich, and very flavorful, the Trappistes Rochefort 8 is a beer that would treat me well on a cold winter night. It has a potency and depth of flavor that I definitely enjoyed. While it may not be the best beer that I have ever had, I am happy to report that it has definitely made my “Keep an eye out for that beer!” list.
