Abbaye Des Rocs [Brasserie Des Rocs Brune] - Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.

shertzogovina

New York

3.7/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A 11.2 Oz bottle.
I've seen some DeRocs beers gushing out before, but mine was just fine, poured deep brown with a turbid appearance. Lots of sediment left out in the bottle and only some ended up in my glass.

Aroma is very fruity and pleasant - Honey, dates, prunes and toffee.
No hop aroma.

Taste is very malty with hops spicyness and fruity aftertaste.
Warming alcohol fills the mouth but overall does not play a major role.

Nice mouthfeel - Medium to full body, perfect carbonation (when the glass was full you could see tiny bubbles floating up in rows, and larger bubbles linger in the bottom).

A good dark belgian ale. even better when it gets warmer.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2006 20:35:50 | More by shertzogovina

Otesanek

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz'er poured at 55° into a snifter. Drunk on 12.14.08, best by 2010 7 01. Music: Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein EP, brutal.

Exploded out of the bottle upon opening, extremely carbonated. Interesting burnt umber, pretty murky with lots of yeast floaties even after a careful pour. Light lace around the glass, a pretty constant 1/2" off-white head. Nice fresh clean aroma, reminds me of their grand cru, must be the house yeast. Notes of amber candi syrup and dusty orange pith, brown crusty bread. The aroma is faint, reminds me a little of chimay red. Flavor has a great juicy acidity, an interesting hint of cocoa powder, spicy cinnamon stick, pale caramel. The acidity gives the impression of sweet-tart oranges, and some vague stone-fruits. Head has receded to a cloud cover of suds. I'm not finding any of the 9% in there, and the only hops I'm finding are on the back of the palate as a subtle orange rind and green peppercorn bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium/heavy, goes down smooth and easy, lightly coating, balanced out by the now toned down carbonation, the acidity really helps it feel crisp on the finish.

outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2009 22:25:34 | More by Otesanek

paleoplant

New York

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

serving type: Bottle with cap no cork

appearance: beautiful golden, amber color

smell: wonderful smell; malty with hints of fruit. I can't differentiate but those drinking with me claim hints of banana.

taste: very good taste, but could be stronger maybe more bitter. It has a wonderful flavor but just needs a little more punch.

mouthfeel: feels wonderful in the mouth; just the right carbonation.

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2007 00:39:04 | More by paleoplant

Doppel07

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Deep amber body and fading beige head. Fantastic, indulgent smell of dark fruits, cherries, and spice. Flavor includes hints of raisins, leather, and burnt caramel. This is an ultra-smooth and heavenly concoction. My alltime favorite beer at this point.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2004 02:53:41 | More by Doppel07

ChicoraBoy

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Sweet nose. Malty and froth bitter, orange oil, wheat beer esters, some straw. Copper-amber clear with cream colored lasting, lacing, foamy head. Medium watery body and medium carbonation, well-balanced. Mild sweet start. Big malts punctuated by alcohol, a little fig, and a bit of barley or wheat grain. Nice hops flavor toward a medium bitter, dry finish. Light bitter and sweet nutty after. Nice beer for under 2€.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2004 12:53:31 | More by ChicoraBoy

importguy

British Columbia (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Deep amber colour that pours with a small head and a little lace. Smells sweet with almost a honey feel.

First drink I was instantly hit with the spicey flavour with a touch of sweatness. My first thoughts are cinamon and then caramel. Leaves with a nice smooth finish creamy malty flavour. In my limited beer experience this is the best beer I have tasted. All the flavour complimented and enhanced this beer to be a most enjoayble drinking experience.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2003 09:50:31 | More by importguy

GoNowhere

Arkansas

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- Dark brown with lots of stuff floating around in it. Decent head.

Smell- Brown sugar. Sweet. Mellow. It makes me calm.

Taste- All sweet malts. Dark fruits. Easy to crush.

Mouthfeel- Surprisingly light but well rounded. Too easy to kill.

One of my favorite night caps but all too easy to get totally destroyed with.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 19:04:52 | More by GoNowhere

ConchobarNessa

New York

4.25/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- Classic belgian bruin. Dark clear-brown, you can see through it but you can see this is going to be heavy. Tony off-white bubbles with a generous head that slinks away pretty fast.

Smell- Lots happening here, spicy, sweet, burnt sugar and dates.

Taste- Awesome taste, the malt is dominating this beer. A little alcohol burn, just the perfect amount to tell you you're alive.

Mouthfeel- Very liquid that is lifted up by the carbonation. Not quite as heavy as some I've had.

Overall- Sweet beer, try it, its an awesome belgian bruin.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 23:28:24 | More by ConchobarNessa

winegourmet76

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had to try this as I have never seen so many dead yeast cells in a single bottle-it was pretty nasty looking to be honest.

Appearance-caramel colored snow globe but great lacing. Not sure how old it is but carbonation is still very good. Bottle had a best before date of 10-12

On the nose, just a trace of the great malt and candi sugar. I could tell it was going to be good.

Taste- great caramel malt flavors, maybe a touch of toffee. Great depth and balance. A great example of a BSD. One of the best Belgian I have had lately. Very balanced maltiness.

Drinkability-this is an outstanding brew with complexity, the perfect amount of sweetness and yet not over the top. Coming from someone with a highly trained wine palate, I can tell you that this is one of those great Belgian brews that will win over those people that say they like wine but don't care for beer. I highly recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 19:43:22 | More by winegourmet76

NJbeerman

New Jersey

4.68/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is my first time in maybe 5 years grabbing this one - I will be back for more.

Appearance - fantastic. I am serving it in a snifter. It is a nice deep amber brown color with a beautiful creamy head. The head disappated pretty quick but I am serving it very cold - did not feel like waiting.

Smell - a surprisingly yeasty yet carmelized malt smell - very nice. I am expecting a nice subtle sweetness.

Taste - DAMN - this is a good beer. The Carmel stays in the flavor and there is a little bit of sweetness but it pairs very well with the alcohol warming effect. There is a slight bite but I expect that is mostly the alcohol - not a bad thing at all in fact it pairs very well for a great taste and feel.

Mouthfeel - a little bit sharper then I would like but as I said before it pairs well. I think giving this another year or two and it would be perfect.

Drinkability - not a problem - this one goes down a bit too smooth for such a high octane beer.

A very nice beer for just a drink or two but also a great food beer - I will be pairing it with a sausage meat sauce and pasta.

Enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2005 21:57:09 | More by NJbeerman

essie

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Westmalle Chalice. It has a pretty, clear dark amber color with an off-white head that disappears quickly. Smells like caramel and fruit. The taste is also fruity with some caramel, but then transitions into more of a malty, chocolatey taste. A very interesting and complex belgian dark!

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2008 18:42:59 | More by essie

Robertgc

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

appearance. Kinda like a brown snow globe. Lots of yeasty goodness floating around in there. My bottle said best before 2009. I will challenge that! Smell is very nice. "Oak" comes to mind, then after a taste, a sweetness and a full bouquet of spices. Malty and sweet first, then a slight alcohol warmth. My tastes fall more towards the sweet, so this beer definately works for me. Very highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 23:53:51 | More by Robertgc

TheBurgundian

France

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer had a big reputation behind it, and I started my "Americans in Lille, France" beer tasting by 'Roc'ing it. This beer came in the 75cl bottle.

A: Great head, almost too much after popping the cork. Body a little light compared to other styles, like coffee that was brewed with too much water. Yeast collection point continues to develop at the bottom.

S: molasses, oak, hints of some gingersnap cookies sprinkled throughout (think cinnamon and spice)

T: This beer is a gingersnap cookie baked with oak chips, sprinkled with christmas spices. The problem I find with this beer is almost a watered-down quality. Great flavor diluted with a little too much water. The yeast is great though!

M: see 'taste'

D: the 9% shows throughout, and this beer needs to be drunk slowly with some good friends and great food (my next one will be with some cheesecake)

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2010 20:55:38 | More by TheBurgundian

imullica

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Serving from a bottle into a pint glass.
Appears reddish brown with so much sediment it's like extra-pulpy oj.
Smell is a bit funky.
Taste is absolutely delicious; funky, smooth, relaxing with a slight alcoholic aftertaste to round it out.
Mouthfeel is smooth with a slight carbonation.
It is dangerously drinkable for it's abv. Drinker beware! This is some seriously good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 01:38:38 | More by imullica

abru17

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The beer was wonderful. I found to very drinkable. I picked up on some tartness that was very nice. There were some flavors of dried fruits and molasses. The beer poured a nice dark brown. The aroma was yeasty and fruity. The beer finished very smooth and I will def buy more

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2007 21:21:15 | More by abru17

Starless

Texas

4.08/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a Maudite glass. Not sure quite how old it is, but it says best before 2011, and I know it had been in the store for a while. Been refrigerated though, so despite the green bottle hopefully it's aged gracefully. Picked it up on sale for $4 as they stocked more then they could sell, hard to beat that deal.

It pours a very dark, reddish brown, almost an exceptionally deep garnet. Clear, but with oodles of little globules of yeast floating around. A rich off white head immediately billows up, and then just as immediately vanishes completely. Odd. Just a trace of lacing around the edges, though with a constant spring of bubbles in the center. Almost like champagne.

The smell is deep and rich, and very sweet. Brown sugar and maple malts left me a little worried that it might end up tasting just like a big glass of maple syrup. A bit of cherry lingering in the aroma as well. A bit of overripe dark fruit, and just a faint hint of sourness, almost a wild ale sort of sourness.

The taste, though, blows the smell away, especially as the beer warms to proper drinking temperature. The cherry scent hinted at in the scent explodes in the taste.

Cherry, cherry, cherry. Definitely the first and foremost flavor. It's very sweet, but the slight sourness in the aroma translates to a faint tartness in the taste that balances out the sweetness exceptionally.

Early tastes were rich with that slightly tart cherry, as well as a little green apple. A few more tastes, and I'm getting a lot of brown sugar, and some yeasty spiciness.

As the beer continued to warm the cherry flavor intensifies but also opens up, and changes a little. Almost a bourbon soaked sort of cherry, with a hint of oakiness. Eventually becoming almost a chocolate or dark chocolate covered cherry as the predominant flavor.

Very tasty!

As for the mouthfeel, it was a little surprising at first. The carbonation was very bubbly, almost effervescent. Much like the little ring of bubbles in the center reminded me of champagne, so too did the mouthfeel early on. Very bubbly, and very dry.

As the beer warmed, the mouthfeel grew a bit more full, and creamy.

Overall an excellent beer, one of my favorite Brown Ales, I think.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 03:13:26 | More by Starless