Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru Belgian Special Brown - Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.

Douglas14

California

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours reddish brown color with absolutely no transparency whatsoever. It has a nice fluffy head that leaves little lace but stays intact almost the whole way down. Smells of oak and caramel mainly with a few spices as well. The taste far more complex than the smell: intense caramel, yeast, earth and candied sugar are the main flavors that I am picking up. Slight citrus notes appear as well. What impresses me most about this beer is the incredible smoothness of it. This beer's texture is buttery, at the least.

Overall, awesome beer.

p.s. When I opened this beer, foam came rushing out and it didn't look like it was stopping anytime soon. After about a minute or so of waiting with no sign of the foam stopping, I went ahead and poured it...and the foam stopped.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2008 05:22:32 | More by Douglas14

jimctin

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

05-15-2013 18:02:18 | More by jimctin

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.14/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured in to tulip. Best before 13/12/2014.

A - Deep brown; almost completely opaque. One finger of light brown head.

S - Yeast esters, spice, brown sugar, clove and raisin.

T - Dark fruit, raisin, dates, spice, brown sugar, Belgian yeast and a slight chocolate flavour. very complex.

M - Medium body; creamy. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:48:09 | More by TheSevenDuffs

MoistPope

California

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%

04-28-2013 05:46:28 | More by MoistPope

AugustusRex

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

04-12-2013 14:06:46 | More by AugustusRex

jmkoscie

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

04-11-2013 04:20:00 | More by jmkoscie

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.19/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Deep brown colour, cap of eggshell white head with a bit of lace. Smell is of overripe dark fruits backed with spices and dark breads, rich malt bill and a bit of cocoa, lots of plum and raisin, mildly yeasty. Taste is initially rich and malty followed by dark fruits, pretty big spice profile as well, coriander and a bit on anise, some yeast, cocoa powder, plum and raisin bread aftertaste. Medium but soft feeling carbonation, chewy medium body. Quite a nice dark belgian beer, ABV goes largely unnoticed, would certainly entertain this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 14:46:17 | More by peensteen

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

4.14/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottle reads best before: 13/12/2014.

(4.0) A: Ruby red with a fingers worth of micro-bubbly foam head. Commendable retention and patchy lacing.

(4.0) S: Raisins, figs, cherries, brown sugar, chocolate, spices (including nutmeg), and plums. Rich and hearty aroma that is spot-on for the style.

(4.25) T: Dark and dried fruits with a touch of sour citrus zest that compliments the taste nicely. Roasted malt in the form of dry cocoa coupled with bitter floral notes. Incredibly easy drinking with the alcohol well hidden.

(4.25) M: Medium bodied with a moderate carbonation. Quite light bodied considering the ABV with enough slickness. A slight gritty-chewy texture.

(4.0) D: This is kind of like a lighter bodied dubbel with a touch of sour, and I find it tasty and dangerously easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 01:41:39 | More by Digimaika2

drewone

California

4/5  rDev -5.2%

04-07-2013 15:48:37 | More by drewone

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.36/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

33cl bottle, presumably fairly fresh.

A: Clear, dark plum-brown body beneath two fingers of frothy tan head. Retention is decent but unremarkable, with light lace. Good, not great.

S: Bright, fresh, and complex. Candied dark fruits are dominant, with raisin and dried cherry standing out on top of specialty malt and some spiciness. Excellent.

T: Follows the nose precisely - complex interplay of malt and yeast, yielding smoothly sweet notes of dried fruit, glazed fruitcake, and faint chocolate. Some light, spicy alcohol on the alcohol is warming but not the least bit overbearing. Delicious.

M: Even after a bunch of swirling it's distinctly overcarbonated, but the bubbles are delicate enough to avoid being prickly. Ok, but not as smooth as I'd like.

O: This is my second beer from this brewery, and both have been incredibly flavorful but markedly too bubbly. I love the frothiness in a BSPA like Duvel, but in a BSDA I'd rather get to enjoy the substance of the rich malts. Minor carbonation nitpick aside, I love this beer.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 00:28:26 | More by woosterbill

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.11/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drinking Brasserie des Rocs it's a good idea to be near a sink. Certainly away from electronics. This may be the first of the many bottles I've had from this brewery that didn't reenact a scene from Yellowtone National Park. Nonetheless, the coagulated yeast that has forever been an unsightly pimple on the face of ADR beers continues to plague them. The little sediment clumps provide a visual texture that makes the glass look as though it's fitted in brown leather.

The bouquet is sweet and spicy, with notes of brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and sticky dark fruits all enveloped by milk chocolate and marshmallow overtones. It's like some kind of gourmet Rocky-Road ice cream in beer form! There's also notes of molasses, licorice and sugar-plum that are boosted by a subtle but perceptible alcohol strength. Wonderful stuff!

The taste threw me for a bit of a loop. Gone are most of the many sweet, spicy flavours of the aroma. There's nowhere near the intricacy or variety that was anticipated. At first I thought it too cold - allowing it to breath and warm is certainly beneficial - but it seems to simply be lacking the flagship rich maltiness of this brewery's other offerings.

The flavour is brief, hurried and reserved, as if I were an old high-school mate it ran into on the street and didn't have the time nor desire to get reacquainted. Notes of dark toffee, dried fruits, rye bread and subtle baking spices fail to make much of a lasting impression. I find it flat, figuratively speaking (literally, the carbonation should actually be toned down).

'Grand Cru' is a wine term borrowed in the beer community to refer generally to an offering the brewery feels is particularly great or special. Despite this offering sporting that moniker, I personally think the Brune, Triple Impériale, and La Montagnarde are all more deserving of special denotation than this. They're also, in my opinion, more deserving of my next ADR purchase.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 18:08:01 | More by biegaman

gtermi

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

04-05-2013 01:58:37 | More by gtermi

ThinkAgain

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -5.2%

04-04-2013 03:08:38 | More by ThinkAgain

mintjellie

Ontario (Canada)

4.24/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Cola brown colour. Poorly-retained fizzy beige head leaves no lace. Aroma is malty and estery with toasted nut, brown sugar, caramel, dried fruit, and banana notes. Light alcohol nose. Malt-foward and fairly sweet with a bready and nutty character, also caramel, then raisin and gentle black pepper mid-palate. Fruit continuing into the finish alongside a very subtle bitter note. Banana burps. Medium-bodied with light, soft carbonation. Feels smooth and deceptively light for its weight, if that makes sense. Alcohol is well-hidden, with only the slightest hint of warmth. Straightforward but big and boldly flavoured. Very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 03:08:53 | More by mintjellie

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

04-01-2013 02:18:13 | More by liamt07

RedAleMan

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%

04-01-2013 02:05:32 | More by RedAleMan

WeissBoy

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -5.2%

03-31-2013 03:20:55 | More by WeissBoy

philmen

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%

03-30-2013 15:09:15 | More by philmen

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -5.2%

03-28-2013 01:37:01 | More by kwjd

valianes

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -5.2%

03-23-2013 19:04:36 | More by valianes

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.99/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml Bottle from the Ottawa LCBO for 3.00$

Appearance - Dark brown colour with an average size fizzy beige coloured head. It's too dark to make out the amount of carbonation showing and there is some faint lacing. The head lasted for around 3-4 minutes.

Smell - Malts, caramel/butterscotch, dark fruits, bananas, anise

Taste & Mouth - There is an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel/butterscotch and malts. There is also a light smokiness, some anise, and some dark fruit (dates/raisins) flavour. It ends with a malty dark fruit aftertaste.

Overall – Another winner from this brewer. A little bit more bitterness than I was expecting, but still a complex and interesting flavour. I picked up a dozen bottles to see is they change with some age. Worth picking up.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 00:31:12 | More by spinrsx

Lare453

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%

03-22-2013 13:14:26 | More by Lare453

Florya

Norway

4/5  rDev -5.2%

03-21-2013 21:07:01 | More by Florya

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -28.9%

03-20-2013 02:58:04 | More by Zachtheporter

yancot

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -5.2%

03-19-2013 21:16:10 | More by yancot