Trappistes Rochefort 10 - Brasserie de Rochefort

Bucciamarcia

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

The head is almost non-existent and completly disappears after few seconds. The color is dark with some dark red and brown reflections. Very cloudy.

The smell is sweet, and so is the taste. Fruits (maybe grape and berries) and sugar mostly.

Full bodied and well carbonated, the alcohol is well hidden considering it's a 11% beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 04:07:21 | More by Bucciamarcia

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.38/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a deep murky mahogany with about a half finger of light khaki colored head. The foam settles in a decent amount of time, leaving a light frothy layer across the top of the beer. There is some serious lacing as it drinks.

S: I get raisins, banana, grape skin, and soggy bread. It's not the best smelling beer, but it's pretty typical for the style.

T: It starts off sweet with big raisin and brown sugar notes. The soaked bread, banana, and even clove flavors, comes on in the middle. As the beer transitions the sweetness remains as some alcohol notes begin to shine through. Having said that though, it's very well hidden. I would not imagine that this is an 11+% beer, if I didn't know what it was, or that it was a quad.

M: Full bodied beer. It's sweet and coating to start, bready and yeasty in the middle, and sweet and slightly boozy in the finish. This beer coats the palate but slides off nicely.

O: Very good beer. I'd drink this again. Quads typically aren't my favorite style, but this beer is really pleasant. It's a sipper though, for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 23:00:58 | More by trxxpaxxs

imscotty

Massachusetts

4.56/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I am reviewing a bottle I have aged for over one year (2011). 'Best by' date is 18/05/2016. Hope to come back sometime when I can compare fresh and aged side-by-side.

A: Pours a rich brown with some red color, somewhat translucent. Very slight head that died off quickly. Little lacing. Very well carbonated that settled quickly.

S: Sweet, malt, some caramel, raison, dark fruit

T: Taste rich malt, but surprisingly, the taste is not as sweet as the nose. That is a good thing. Lots of spice, raison, and dark fruit. The alcohol is amazingly well hidden. I can tell it is there but it all balances very nicely. Great taste with some complexity and spice that lingers nicely in the mouth. The flavors and balance seemed to be shifting as the beer warmed up so please sip this one slowly and enjoy the full range of flavors this Belgian offers.

M: Surprisingly light mouth feel, perhaps because it is so well carbonated. It still coats the mouth nicely and lingers without being sticky or sweet.

O: A great beer that is worth the price. I have one 2011 left, I plan on buying a few more bottles to age a few more years and then try a vertical so I can determine exactly what aging does to this beer. This first beer is definitely a hit.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 01:39:01 | More by imscotty

HopLuva

Massachusetts

4.94/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

What a wonderful suprise this beer was. Pours dark brown with plenty of delicious sediment with not much of a head. Carbonation is plentiful. At first smell i get plums or even raisins with some spice to it. The taste confirms it. Wow it was amazing. A light feel was surprising to me but welcomed. One the best beers Ive ever had. Well worth the price.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 16:31:38 | More by HopLuva

snaotheus

Washington

4.63/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

11.2oz bottle poured into a St Bernardus glass

Pours dark brown, slightly cloudy (I turned the bottom upside down, so without agitation, I probably got as much sediment as I'm going to get), medium-to-small light tan head. Lots of fine fast active carbonation. Smell is the expected dark fruity with a surprising spicy note.

Taste is great. I understand why this is so highly rated. I get a little of the dates, and a tiny hint of cherry sweetness, and some plums with overripe plum tartness, more of that mystery spice from the aroma, yeast/breadiness, plain alcohol if you pay enough attention...This is still fairly cold, so the already bright flavors might further brighten as it warms.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly light and airy. Overall, this definitely beats out St Bernardus ABT 12, which I love. I think the primary factor is that this isn't as sweet, which lets other flavors come out more.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 21:51:33 | More by snaotheus

sevenarts

New York

4.63/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A: Nice cloudy ruddy brown, tan head, very good retention and some lacing.

S: Sweet and sugary notes mingle with some interesting spicy accents, a yeasty base, and some dark fruity flavors. Really rich and layered, but not overpowering.

T/M: Goes down dangerously easy for such a strong beer. Smooth and sweet and tasty, with dark fruits up front, some sugary sweetness, a strong yeast flavor underneath, and towards the end a touch of bitterness on the back of the palette.

O: Just an amazing Belgian that lives up to its reputation. It's so drinkable and tasty that it's easy to gulp it down forgetting about that hefty ABV. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 23:01:29 | More by sevenarts

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

11.2oz bottle poured into a wide mouthed snifter, yeast left in the bottle. Best before date of 11/7/17.

A: Pours a deep brown with hues of chestnut and garnet. The off-white head is huge, rocky, and comprised of fine bubbles. Retention is superb, lacing sticks to the glass in thick, uneven patches.

S: Peppery spice is apparent on the nose first. Definite black pepper and a good dose of herbal spice. Bread crust, bread pudding, molasses, chocolate covered caramel chews, bakers chocolate, just a slight hint of charcoal and smoke. Darkfruit aromas of plum, black currant, and concord grape.

T: Chocolate cake, rich caramel, molasses, slight coffee-like roast impression. Touch of smoke. Christmas pudding. Darkfruit flavors of plum, black currant, and concord grape. Subtle pepper and spice notes support nicely. Alcohol is dangerously well-hidden. Fleeting earthy, tea-like hop impression. Drying finish of plum, bakers chocolate, and peppery spice.

M: Big and thick in body. Chewy and syrupy. Carbonation is surprisingly low for the style, but it does enough. Very creamy. Only a slight warming sensation from the alcohol.

O: This is one brawny quad. It's definitely on the sweet side for the style, and it has more body behind it than many of the other Belgian quads I've had. It seems like a sort of brawn rather than brains trade-off. It isn't as nuanced and complex as some of the best quads, yet it's more drinkable despite its size. The alcohol is masked so well that it never occurred to me that this beer is 11.3% abv. That is until I stood up and had to catch my balance. Rochefort 10 is always in the discussion when the 'World's Best Quad' title is debated. It is very good, but now that I've had the time to sit down and cast a more critical eye over it, I don't quite think it's there. It falls just a hair short of its competitors.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 22:41:48 | More by ryan1788a5

TheCondor

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Picked this up for Championship Sunday in the NFL. Gotta have cool shit to drink while I'm watching good football you know. Side poured with standard vigor from the bottle into a Chimay snifter.

Appearance - Pours a deep mahogany color with a finger of off white head with decent retention, some lacing but not much. Packaging is interesting, since it came all the way from Belgium before it hit my lips!

Smell - Dark fruits (figs, raisins), dates, certainly some booze! The boozy character comes out as it warms more. Caramel also makes an appearance

Taste - The dark fruits are again in full effect at the beginning of the drink. Strong malty backbone is present with breads in the middle and towards the finish. Some sweetness, again the caramel are also players on the palate. Complex, but a little underwhelming.

Mouthfeel - Finishes smooth, with a sweet kick and a definite alcohol burn. The booze is hard to run from here.

Overall - This is a good beer, and certainly an experience given it is one of the Beers of Fame, from Belgium, and expensive, but honestly, I think there are plenty of better Quads. Don't get me wrong, it is excellent and highly recommended, but I'd take Three Philosophers over it anyday, especially for the price. But check it out when you get a chance.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 04:24:21 | More by TheCondor

jroberts8811

Missouri

4.94/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Short head - less than 1 finger, quickly dissipated; no lacing. Large effervescent bubbles initially. Murky brownish plum color. Notes of clove, biscuit, Yeast, banana. Notes carried through the taste with long finish. Full mouthfeel, some effervescence continued, pronounced on the tip of the tongue.

Great beer, classic quad along with St. Bernardus abt 12

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 03:08:53 | More by jroberts8811

tut2528

Illinois

4.29/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

poured into a Westy 12 glass

A: pours dark molasses brown, with very carbonated head that is just below that of cola.( fizzy head that dissipates rather quickly).

S: the smell is quite light to my suprise. big bready yeasts, grain, some sweet brown sugar, light hints of dark fruits, very light sweet molasses. pretty underhwhelming.

T: more brown sugar, molasses, touches of dark fruit and even some acidic tangerine, and an ever slight slight touch of banana bread. i do pick up a slight chocolate and bubble gum that helps pull this together. alcohol is present but is definitely lighter than what was expected. i also pick up on a spice but its hard to pinpoint exactly what it is.

M: on the lighter side of medium, with big carbonation. but it coats the mouth with a terrific sweetness that distracts you from the big 11.3%. there is an alcohol heat, but it honestly fits perfectly with this brew

O: solid beer all the way. the belgian yeast is simply awesome and the complexity is off the charts. with each and every sip, a new aspect is introduced to the palate.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 00:31:01 | More by tut2528

pkalix

California

4.51/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

from the samichlaus to this. right on!
a soft, easy pour turned into a billowing, huge head which creeped ever near the rim of the mug. super tight, creamy head, though! beautiful, dark murky (to claim an adjective from the last reviewer) and i also get where he identified a little 'purple'.
2nd pour resulted in the same over-foaming and beautiful lacing. hoping to get the entire 11oz bottle in by the 3rd pour.
smell is of dark fruits and malt and the taste is the same.
overall, it's a great brew. especially for the abv. i prefer the 6 and the 8 over this one but i love the whole line up regardless. quite a wallop in two 11 oz beers tonight.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 01:52:08 | More by pkalix

BierJager89

California

4.9/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

So here's the thing. First of all, from what I've heard, this beer is not as consistent as St. Bernardus, and it tastes significantly better when aged (I am currently aging a bottle till Christmas 2013 or 2014, and will edit this review upon strengthening my notes). Also my notes got cut off in transfer to evernote, so I don't have any written recollection of the mouthfeel. It is, however, just behind St. Bernardus on my list, just outside the top ten (of over 600).

A: A cross between ruby red, purple and murky brown with a brown head. It looks like your typical quad, which is seldom a good thing, but it is a damn good beer, and should not be downgraded for looking as it should. In a word. Murky.

S: Alcohol, grape and banana. Better notes to come.

T: Grape, malt and a slight taste of alcohol. Ok I am CERTAIN there is more going on here. I will definitely update my notes on this one. Perhaps I'll buy another bottle or two, age one and drink the other right away to assuage my shitty note guilt.

M: ....Uhhhh... full bodied and smoothish? I don't have any notes on the mouthfeel. Sorry.

O: TASTE IT! It's excellent, among my top 15 out of more than 600 beers, and the second best quad I've ever had. But do age a bottle four a couple years.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 19:12:19 | More by BierJager89

Zach136

Georgia

4.71/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Beers of Fame Blind Taste Test

A - Darkest of the four quads. Virtually opaque with red tints. Decent head retention with a paler head than the other three.

S - Mostly caramel and dates in the nose.

T -Very, very complex and hard to pick out. A lot of dark dry fruits and brown sugar.

M - Lots of unfermented sugar, very thick and chewy.

O - The winner by a nose, a very great brew and relatively affordable. Would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 02:59:09 | More by Zach136

Steamer

Missouri

4.83/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Beautiful deep plum color with a full beige head that dissipates to thin film. Very nice lacing. Smells of raisin, apricots, and a generally sweet fruity aroma. The taste is amazing, plums, grapes, complex but so smooth, just a little alcohol burn on the end, just right. Medium carbonation and body is perfect for this style, a sticky finish. Among the elite this style. Great.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 03:14:08 | More by Steamer

RichD

Rhode Island

4.44/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle into tulip. There's is some kind of date on the bottle but I have no clue what the hell it means.

A: Poured a deep brown. Looks like liquid chocolate even though it does not smell like it. about 2 fingers of really light tan. As of right now when I'm reviewing this, there is about a finger and a half of head.

S: Upon my first sniff, I caught a very strong smell. Some dark fruits such as figs and raisins. Caramel and malts are also prevalent in the nose. There is also a slight scent of alcohol.

T: Some fruits start this out with some caramel coming through immediately after. A strong malty backbone with a bready flavor finishes along with a slight alcohol burn. Burnt sugar makes up the sweetness that is quite consistent with throughout this brew. The aforementioned alcohol burn is nothing that takes away from the flavor of this beer. Definitely some good stuff here.

M: Medium to heavy bodied. The bready malts linger on the palate and make this a bit chewy. As I previously mentioned, the alcohol is slight but enjoyable. And the chewiness makes me yearn for another sip. Well done.

Overall: I have had 1 or 2 quads and my life and this brew exemplifies what a quad is. The alcohol is pretty well hidden for a brew with 11% ABV. The complex flavors are fantastic and you can tell that these Belgians put a lot of time into their brews. This makes me want to try a Westy and see how they compare. I'm not sure if I'd buy another one of these at 7-8 bucks a bottle, but I will say that it's definitely worth it. Great job Brasserie de Rochefort in Rochefort, Belgium!

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 02:40:30 | More by RichD

mcintire78

Massachusetts

3.91/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

a: Amber brown to brown with a significant head that dissipates gradually. Little carbonation.

s: A smell of sweet fruit, possibly cherries or plums.

t: A bit dry up front, with a sweet fruit and malty taste.

m: Rich with little noticeable carbonation. Very little alcohol warming. Not syrupy at all.

o: For being 11.3% alcohol, this beer is pretty drinkable. It tastes rich without being thick. A good beer, but for me, not in the same league as Westvleteren.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 21:52:25 | More by mcintire78

djaeon

California

4.36/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

330 ml bottle poured into a tulip.

Pours a dark ruby brown. Decent head with average retention and lacing. Rich aromas, fig, leather. Similar flavors, fig, raisin, walnut, slightly cloying, but not overly sweet. Cloying is usually an unpleasant sensation, but it's not here. I may not be using the correct descriptor for this, but that's the closest I can come up with. Smooth mouthfeel. Pleasant aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 00:19:15 | More by djaeon

acelin

Kansas

4.71/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

After all the hype over Westy 12, I decided to try some. Whoops. I live in a state where they did not distribute their American brick. Am I going to pay hundreds for a brick on ebay? No. No way. What to do? I want a great belgian quad. The best. Well, what is close? Matter of fact, what is now just as good on the top beer list? Rochefort 10.

I must say, indeed, it does serve its ranking. Great nutty brown/amber color, with a huge off white head that lingers forever, leaving massive lacing. Huge clumps of yeast left in the bottle, despite an intentional swirl ( hey, I love yeast!).

The nose is filled with a wide variety of soft aromas. Brown sugar, dark fig, plum, caramel covered apple, molasses, burnt sugar, and lots of bready yeast. Caramel malt.

The taste follows, and oh boy, is it beautiful. Beautiful bready fig malt, lots of plums, dark sugar, dark fruit, slight apple and pear, low alcohol warmness, some spicyness from the yeast and the alcohol, but highly drinkable.

Mouthfeel is carbonated, creamy, smooth. Incredibly thick. I can't believe this is almost 12%.

World class, to say the least.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 05:39:22 | More by acelin

john477

5/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Best you'll taste. No skunky smell, no bitter taste, full bodied, no bad aftertaste, nearly sweet hopsy swish. Any change to this recipe would be a decrement.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 00:36:09 | More by john477

JosefSabl

Czech Republic

4.9/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance 4 - Beautiful dark brown colour with orange sparks. Very cloudy. Superthick ever-lasting light brown head, with darker spots of sediment (I should've stirred the bottle a bit before opening). Cute, even bubbles. Average lacing. Medium to low carbonation, but hard to see through the hazy colour.

Smell 5 - Very strong, heavy and pleasant smell overall. I smell dates, overripe fruit and caramel, some soothing spices and lot more of what I can't identify. Also some roasted malt.

Taste 5 - Quite multi dimensional with sweet fruit, coffee and malt. Heavy, bitter, dry tail. But also some alcohol aftertaste, which is quite understandable and not at all unpleasant. I am overwhelmed by all the flavours in this beer, wish I could describe all the goodness better. Letting it warm and rest a little releases quite a different pallete of flavors.

Moutfeel 4.5 - Pretty heavy of course, but sizzling and somehow quite crispy, refreshing and surprisingly drinkable.

Overall 5 - The most expensive, the most interesting and also probably the best beer I’ve ever had... in a way. I wouldn't drink this every day and surely more than one at a time is sort of a waste. I would call it a dessert beer for special occasions.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 20:49:17 | More by JosefSabl

brewsclues

Pennsylvania

4.69/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Had 1-5-13 at Cafe Bruges (Carlisle, PA)

Wanted to revisit this one ever since we had it on Trappist Bier Night in May of '12. After sampling about 10 beers before we got to Rochefort, I got the sense that my palette had already been practically destroyed by the time we got to this delicious brew.

Love the look and smell of this beer: dark mahogany brown, with plenty of rich, dark fruits in the nose. Figs, raisins, and a little caramel mixed in with a hint of dark chocolate. Mouthfeel is out of this world: rich, creamy feel but the finish is actually drier than you might expect.

Paired this with a lamb burger, and I'm pleased I did. This is a "Telling Stories By a Brick Fireplace in the Dead of Winter with a Hearty Meat Dish" sorta beer. Distinct flavors score points here - blindfolded, I could pick this one out of a lineup. Also, insanely drinkable for 11%. A must-have, must-have-again Trappist.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 22:50:10 | More by brewsclues

Rainier

California

2.13/5  rDev -53%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2.5

I'm pretty sure I got a really bad batch of this beer. The appearance looked great IMO. It looked pretty dark, had about a 2 finger head. However, the taste and mouthfeel was waaay off for me. It literally tasted like vomit and I could taste the alcohol. I hope the bottle I had was a bad batch. It had a lot of sediments in it as well.

Used a duvel tulip glass to drink this.
Bought from Bevmo. It was pretty pricey too...

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 05:44:07 | More by Rainier

DocJitsu

California

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark root beer color with a rich, sudsy tan colored head. Tacky foam clings stubbornly to the edges like glue.Competing tartness and sweetness on the nose. The tartness has a cider quality while the sweetness is quite chocolatey. I note some caramel apple in the aroma as well. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel that gradually dries just before finish. I pick up a lot of alcohol warmth. Apple, chocolate, caramel, and a bit of brown sugar in the flavor. Just a little overly tart around the edges of the tongue, which throws it out of balance just by that much. The alcohol flavor bitters the finish in an unappealing way. Pretty good, but no Westvleteren.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 20:53:40 | More by DocJitsu

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4.65/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

330 mL bottle poured into a chalice at room temperature.

L – Ruby brown color with a 2-finger rocky tan head that fades into about a half-finger of creamy, frothy bubbles that lasts throughout. Obviously great retention but again only a bit of lacing.

S – Here comes the dark fruit parade – plums, currants, raisins, figs, and black cherries. All the fruitiness is backed by a nice caramel malt and molasses presence along with peppery, grainy yeast and a bit of alcohol.

T – A little bit of alcohol heat is noticeable up front but after that fades (or maybe after I begin to get used to it) the beer sweetens out very nicely with caramel malt, molasses, brown sugar, plum, raisin, and currant flavors. A nice amount of black pepper and clove spice appears at the finish along with a bit of a grainy component. I can’t quite put my finger on this taste, but it’s been apparent at the yeasty finish of each of the Rochefort beers.

F – Medium-to-full-bodied with perfect carbonation for the style (just enough without being tickling), a creamy and smooth yet an occasionally and pleasantly biting mouthfeel, and a sweet, spicy, and dry finish. There is a nice throat-and-palate-warming sensation from the alcohol, but for a beer this ABV, the alcohol is nearly unnoticeable.

O – This is an extraordinary beer. This is one of my first experiences with quads, but I’d like to see what Westy has on this one. It has all the elements I was hoping for in a strong dark Belgian beer and has a fantastic mouthfeel to go along with it. It’s unbelievable how 11.3% ABV is almost nowhere to be found. This finally rounds out my Rochefort journey. I need to get my hands on the other Trappist beers. Beers from the newest brewery of this kind are up next.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 04:04:49 | More by BlackBelt5112203

aldencat

4.93/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle poured into a glass

Beautiful pour, hazed, dark brown with a lacy head. Has a rich molasses or sorghum flavor with hints of chocolate, dark fruit (maybe prunes). Pretty bubbly, not much of a lingering after taste.

Its about 20 degrees(F) out and I couldn't think of a better beer after a rich winter stew.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 23:53:19 | More by aldencat