Trappistes Rochefort 10
Brasserie de Rochefort

330 mL bottle poured into a chalice. Bottled 2/16/2011.

Appearance - Murky brown body that has the slightest red tint to it. You can't see much through it, though. A surprising khaki head on top that seems to die down and come back to life every time I move the beer. The lacing is substantial and also fascinating to watch. The swirling patterns are like Rorschach tests.

Smell - Yeasty aromas that manifest themselves as bananas. Lots of dark fruits of every variety. Amazingly complex and delightful aroma, perhaps a bit overpowered by booze.

Taste - It just doesn't get any better than this. The flavors that come across are just amazing. Raisins, plums, figs, and an estery banana flavor to bundle them all together. Again, the booze is prevalent, but it's nice. There's even a slight bitterness at the end and I don't know where it comes from.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied and warming. The alcohol burn is present, but still appropriate. It's a little bit dry in the finish.

Overall - This tastes like some age would make it unbelievably good. Toning down the alcohol would put this at world class in every category. Of all the beers readily available year round at the stores near me, this is the best.

 

From the bottle directly: full body, not overly sweet but moderately rich. Drank it before an Old Rasputin, and it was a solid 15% better.

Smooth and dark, can’t say enough about how much I like it.

Props to Tavern Lafayette in Fayetteville Arkansas for stocking it after the owners visited the abby.

 

 

 

 

 

This is without a doubt, the best ale/beer I've ever had in my 48 years of life -30 years

 

 

I liked this beer.. shoot, I loved this beer, I did this as a tasting between St. Bernardus Abt 12, and St. Sixtus Wesvleteran 12, and Chimay red. I liked this one the least, but it wasn't a slight. It was the best beer night of my entire life. But, that being said, I thought this one was just a little bit floral tasting almost, it just wasn't my ideal cup of tea. That being said, I would drink this over most beers that exist.

 

Dark, almost black with a luscious tan head that has phenomenal retention. Oh my god does this smell good. Fresh baked toasted raisin bread. The flavor follows the aroma with some dates, figs, and dark cherries thrown in. Thick mouthfeel with a lot of fizzy carbonation. This one lives up to the hype and I'll have another when I have the chance.

 

 

Drinking out of a stemless Teku.
Pours a clear dark mahogany with a thin tan head.
Smells of dark caramel, traces of molasses.
Nice mouth feel.
Malt forward. Nice taste of sweet molasses.

 

Nice dark brown color with lovely tan head. Aroma of bread and dark fruit. Taste is more of the same, bread and dark fruits. Mild carbonation in the mouthfeel. Hides the abv quite well. A classic.