Trappistes Rochefort 10 - Brasserie de Rochefort

TCHopCraver

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to my brother for this kind Birthday gift!

Rochefort 10 appears slightly different out of the bottle than I was expecting. It is kind of a muddy river water dark brown, with deep mahogany and almost greenish hues when held close to light. The head is uniformly dense and dark beige, with tightly packed little bubbles scattered throughout. This head rose to about a finger and a half from a medium pour into my 23 oz. snifter. I cannot see through the body of the beast. Lacing left on the glass is dense and full of arches.

My first thought about the smell (other than a bit of confusion), was that it reminds me of my grandmother's mince meat pie. After a Google search of the ingredients of said pie, this made perfect sense. Certainly, I can smell fig, raisin, plum, and dark cherry, and these dark fruit aromas are supported by spicy smells of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. There is also a little bit of a peppery quality to the aroma, as well as toasty notes. Mainly I am impressed how these fruit and spice qualities meld seamlessly with a phenolic odor. It really is a very pointed and cogent smell that needs to be picked apart a bit to find individual characteristics. A fairly heavy alcoholic heat is also an important quality found in the smell, but it is not overpowering at all and adds to the quality of the bouquet. As the beer warms, the fruit and spice flavors emerge and the phenolic character takes a secondary position. Caramelized and brown sugar smells also come out as the beer comes closer to room temperature. Wow, this is a complex and heavy (think Marty McFly) combination of malt and Belgian yeast.

The flavor immediately break forth onto my palate with an earthy, yeasty, peppery flavor combination that transitions more toward dark fruits and sweet spices as it spends more time in my mouth. This reminds me a lot of a fine liquor... almost like the best rum ever made, but without the stinging alcoholic heat- only a lovely, warming contribution from the alcohol. Notes of caramelized brown sugar are a huge component of the taste and really play well off of the dark fruit flavors. The phenolic quality that I ascertain from the smell is fairly hidden in the flavor, and its place as a role player pushes the overall taste over the top. The finish is really quite sweet and brings the dark fruits, namely fig and raisin, to the forefront. However, more sips reveal that the finish is really a combination of the sweet dark fruits and spices and the reappearance of the the earthy, peppery yeast influence. This taste is extremely nuanced and has more components than I can possibly describe, so I will stop this long-winded rant now.

The mouthfeel is a journey through the nuance of this beer. It starts with a very forward earthy/spicy/semi-sweetness on the tip of my tongue, then disperses like an ocean wave over the rest of my palate as the thick sweetness of the malts kick in. The finish is slightly drying, yet the overpowering sweetness of the middle of the sip mingles with the earthy and peppery characteristics to provide an aftertaste that lingers until the next sip.

This is one amazing beer. The care and craftsmanship that must have gone into this recipe over time boggles my mind. There are so many subtleties that complement one another in a symbiotic manner. All that said, yes, I want this again, but it is not something that I could or would want to drink regularly. I think my brain would explode if I did. Lovely beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 20:55:01 | More by TCHopCraver

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4.36/5  rDev -3.8%
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Poured a 330 mL bottle into a snifter.

A: Pours a cloudy dark brown with a head that disappears quickly.

S: Strong hints of plums and figs, and some yeastiness.

T: Initial hit of dark fruits and gives way to strong malt flavor and lingering spices. The alcohol content is incredibly well-hidden as well.

M: Medium carbonation that leaves a smooth and creamy finish. Easy to keep drinking.

O: I admittedly have had few quads relative to some other styles, but this is currently my favorite example of the style. Definitely happy that it is widely available.

Serving type: bottle

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