La Montagnarde [Brasserie Des Rocs Ambree] - Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.

dalecooper

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

02-27-2012 14:31:34 | More by dalecooper

Mattias

Sweden

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

01-27-2013 22:21:35 | More by Mattias

3SH33TS

California

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

12-25-2012 18:53:48 | More by 3SH33TS

rarbring

Sweden

3.73/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A hazy deep copper amber ale, a small fizzy head that leaves no lacing. Good curtains.

Smelling sweet, honey, ripe fruits, peaches, apricots, some sherry and yeast.

Starting very sweet, apricot jam and brandy, sherry notes and some spicy yeast.

Medium carbonation, small foamy bubbles, thick and oily, good body.

A potent ale, made for strong cheese.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 16:30:04 | More by rarbring

jisak74

4/5  rDev +0.5%

03-21-2012 10:41:18 | More by jisak74

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pour is murky reddish brown with a small white airy head that leaves nice lacings.

S: Fresh fruits up front, then the dark dried ones kicks in. Sweet dark malts, molasses. Yeasty and faint spicy. Perhaps some honey.

T: Balanced and modest; milky chocolate and mild dark dried fruits makes this a complex, but modest brew. A fresh citric vibe is quite refreshing for this style. Yeast and a variety of spices. Liqourice.

M: Aftertaste is short and sweet. Body is only medium while carbonation is mild. Alcohol is a bit too obvious.

O: Not bad, nice, but not great. A bit too light in body and too modest in maltyness.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 11:56:08 | More by Sunnanek

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.1/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

33cl Bottle: New Years Day, in a bar on the Grand Place in Mons, Belgium.

The body had an orange hue, a slight hazy mistiness prevented me seeing through the glass; small head which became a collar and a wisp after my second sip.

Although I found some citrus esters in the nose and yeast aromas the overriding smells were sweeter: summer fruits and a caramel like maltiness.

I thought the taste on the sweet side, caramel and toasted fruit cake: the yeast tries to come through as well, but no real hop input flavour wise.

The alcohol content is well disguised, the sweetness being the only hint that this might be on the strong side. Overall too sweet, it does however slip down very nicely: one is enough for me in a session though.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 13:00:53 | More by BlackHaddock

Stoutsman

Kansas

2.5/5  rDev -37.2%

01-14-2012 22:03:26 | More by Stoutsman

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330ml bottle poured in a Chimay chalice.

A: Pours an orange to amber cloudy color. Forms a huge white to beige fluffy and creamy head. An alive beer: As the foam grows, the top vanish making a fizzy sound, impressive. In the end, only few lacings are left

S: Smell is veeery fruity in the beginning. Dark fruits, mainly plums and raisins. Caramel malts, candy, honey, the traditional Belgian Abbaye des Rocs trademark yeasts. Mild citrus hops and alcohol

T: As the nose: Dark fruits, candy, sweet malts, honey, earthy yeasts, brown bread. A sweet upfront and a mild citrus hoppy aftertaste. Completely balanced sweet-bitterness. With the natural hints of alcohol

M: Deliciously creamy body. Molasses. Medium carbonation. Sweet upfront and mild citrus and bitter aftertaste

O: Traditional Abbaye des Rocs beer specimen, I mean, an authentic well done Belgian strong ale. Very tasty with drinkability limited only by its high ABV. Recommended

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 15:46:08 | More by eduardolinhalis

ygtbsm94

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

12-29-2011 00:43:05 | More by ygtbsm94

jophish17

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

12-24-2011 07:46:04 | More by jophish17

spacemanvt

Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.5%

12-14-2011 21:32:16 | More by spacemanvt

bbadger

Texas

4/5  rDev +0.5%

11-15-2011 02:25:28 | More by bbadger

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

4.08/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Orangish amber color in a chalice glass. Light beige foam crowns & remains dense. When disipating nice lacings decorate on sides. Fresh fruits, spices & candy aromas will enjoy your nose. Palate is flavored with the same hints, leaving an smooth aftertaste. Alcohol is present but masked in a sugary sensation. Excellent companion in a paused drink-time.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 09:55:53 | More by GONZALOYANNA

ThaCreep

Belgium

3.38/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Lather, amber caramel style. Nose of brown sugar with a small cellar scent that brings out the smell of macerated fruit. The palate offers this fruity flavor with a little bitterness (more or less spicy) accompanied by sugar candy purely typical of Belgian dark beers. A small power alcoholic tickles the back of the palace but we must admit that alcohol is controlled and that even if the beer is not perfect, the balance is ensured in all cases.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 20:40:37 | More by ThaCreep

CaptainPiret

Tennessee

4.3/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Super des Fagnes glass. A deep bronze color with a thick, white head that slowly shrinks.

Smells of maple, cinnamon, and yeast, and thus has similar tastes, though the alcohol is present at first taste.

What a rich flavor this beer has -- very pungent, but not overpowering.

As for drinkability, I'd be hard-pressed to ever drink more than two back-to-back, and one might cut it. This beer is bursting with flavor, not one to take lightly, but definitely one to have on reserve whenever you need something with kick.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 16:08:39 | More by CaptainPiret

jeranbrews

New York

4.7/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Beige light bubbly airy head. Tons of flakes of yeast (the only real negative). A real primordial porridge of activity. Color is mildly reminiscent of English tea.

S - Sweet alcohol smells waft away like dreams and sweet memories. Raisin, peach, and honeydew lots of lovely esters but none of the high alcohol burn.

T - Sweet silky savory taste like cinnamon raisin bread. Aftertaste has a slight crisp bite but so very satisfying. Yeasty flavors mingle and mate with the malts like cookie dough left to rise. Very nice.

M - Smooth silky glides gracefully down the throat like an ice skater 9% abv, not a problem. This is closer to mild mint tea than wine in terms of alcohol burn. There just isn't any burn at all.

D - I have to be honest. This is the best bruine I've ever had.  A few less flakes in the murk and a little more head at the top and this could be a five.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2010 11:03:12 | More by jeranbrews

brentk56

North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a surprisingly modest head for a Belgian; poor retention and minimal lace

Smell: Caramel, cinnamon, vanilla and bready yeast elements

Taste: Bread and caramel, up front, with a growing vanilla/cinnamon spice aspect; at the same time, tropical fruit flavors add some complexity; after the swallow, there is a hint of tartness, but the overall impression is sweet and fruity

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low carbonation

Drinkability: A bit too sweet and too flat on the tongue; too bad, as the beer has some potential - I am not seeing it around much anymore and wonder whether it is still being imported

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 03:17:09 | More by brentk56

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.88/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Coming in a 330ml slim brown bottle, BB 2010, served lightly-chilled in Gulden Draak's tulip-shaped bowl sniffer.

A: gosh... the presentation is the most... distinctive I've ever seen, for any beer - a cloudy dark amber hue with countless huge&small cottony dirty bits of yeast sediments floating in there and blocking the light, rendering an Armageddon-ish sunset in appearance... the off-white frothy head comes thick and lasts well, luckily, supported by moderate carbonation.
S: semi-astringent in the sour yeastiness with an edge of canned pineapples even, on top of sweet, syrupy malts and semi-sharp oxidised honey; a swirl gives rise to a pungent edge as of overripe pale-green guavas, but still too mild to complement the cloying and thick sugary theme. Not BAD, but unbalanced.
T: luckily, the taste is not as OTT as the nose - a swallow of predictably sour&bready yeasty bits are closely ensued by a pretty enticing mid-taste mixed of Taiwanese Aiyu jelly, guava juice, coriander-seed like herbs, dried pale dates and a touch of fig paste, while a more common exotic-yeasty edge (that appears more or less in most paler Belgian ales I've tasted) is never far away; a quietly dry-ish edge of yeastiness and hops ensues in the very end, prolonging the whole enjoyable drinking experience a bit.
M&D: the flavour, rather than being colourful or BIG, comes rather integrated and pleasantly estery on top of a really mildly carbonated body. I like the fact that the performance of this beer improves stage by stage, from the appearance, the nose through the palate and all the way down the throat, only better and better along the way. This is surely like neither the much more complex darker ales nor the marvellous (double) witbier from the same brewery, but on balance a certain degree of charm and integrity is certainly here to stay.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 20:15:52 | More by wl0307

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.08/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle bought online from Belgianshop.com...

Poured a hazy coppery amber colour with the usual l'Abbaye des Rocs mass of yeasty chunks. Slightly off white head poured pretty thick and foamy then faded to decent thickish covering... quite a lot of carbonation... some light lacing lines...

Aroma - Lots of toasted bread and toffee maltiness, yeasty spiciness, roasted nuts, some dustiness, lots of overripe fruits (banana, plum, fig and some pear), toffee apple notes, pepper and nutmeg, some sea salt, honey, light cola traces...

Taste is pretty much as above... sweet toffee and bready malts, some buttery traces, treacle, orange marmalade, brown sugar, light vegetal notes, some soapiness, nutmeg, definite overripe fruits, alcohol is just noticeable, light sourness...

Feel - Sharp and dry initially then becomes smoother soon after. The yeasty chunks can be a touch unpleasant though... medium bodied... dangerously drinkable at 9%...

Overall - A pretty good, malty, spicy amber ale.. nothing groundbreaking but certainly recommended...

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2009 12:49:39 | More by mdagnew

jujubeast6000

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Reviewed 4/10/2009 (Bottle BB end 2010):

Pours an amber reddish colored body, big suspended particles, off white. Small creamy head, quickly diminishing. Floral funky fruity aroma. Some sourness, and a little effervescence. Somewhat sour, dusty taste. Some floralness. Funky and stale tasting. Mostly clean aftertaste. somewhat bland. Might be an old/aged bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 04:14:40 | More by jujubeast6000

nick76

Florida

2.9/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

I am really disappointed with this beer. The aroma has ginger, fruit, yeast, cheese, and spice. The flavor is similar to the aroma and yet not all together pleasant. The palate is smooth but thin. This is not what it should be. The positive qualities are subtle compared to the non-pleasant ones.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2008 05:11:47 | More by nick76

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this at the Kulminator in Antwerp, served in an Abbaye des Rocs glass. The beer was a murky, cloudy brown color with a thick tan foam. The smell was yeasty with dark fruits, extremely good. Same with the taste, this beer has the goods. Absolutely rich with classic Belgian yeast flavors, not unlike others from Abbaye des Rocs or St Bernardus, possibly akin to Unibroue for that matter. Due to my inadequate vocabulary I can't praise it in better detail than this, just to say it stands tall even in good company.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2008 00:39:52 | More by TurdFurgison

ATPete

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

33cl bottle purchased at 'the Bier Koning' in Amsterdam, NL

*this one erupted upon a gentle opening of the bottle, so much that i was left with 3/4 of a beer and a sticky floor.

A- Pours a brilliant amber color with a large and very tight net of a head.

S- A very layered nose, lots of spice and malts

T- very complex, good solid malt character, sweet dried fruit, toffee, some nice subtle hop notes and a little booze.

M- Warming, on the heavier side, nice coating effect.

D- its a sipper to be enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2008 13:25:11 | More by ATPete

macster

Florida

4.28/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours from the bottle a hazy amber-orange hue with a fair amount of yeast floaties. Pour produces a tight and dense 1" thick beige head which shows great retention throughout the chalice. Curtains of lace coat the sides as the glass drains. Aormas are ripe fruity sweet with notes of apple, honey, pear, brown sugar, caramel candy and roasted almonds. Some faint lemon and yeast notes are noted in the background. Palate was silky, creamy and full. An ample amount of carbonation kept the mouthfeel lively, but finished very smooth. Flavors were sweet-tooth's delight. Sugar Daddy caramel, orange blossom honey, toffee, brown sugar, apple cider and orange marmalade abound. Finishes with just a faint touch of herbal, spice bitterness. Alcohol is hidden nicely behind the sugary sweetness making it easy going down. Landed this one at a clearance price of $4.99 for a 750 (best by end of 2008). Still in great shape! Delicious and I'm goin' back for more.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2008 08:26:50 | More by macster