Trappistes Rochefort 8
Brasserie de Rochefort

Drinking out of a stemless Teku glass.
Pours a slightly hazy mahogany with a thin tan head.
Smell like sweet caramel.
Good mouth feel.
Malt forward. Sweet taste of dark caramel.
Yummy

 

 

 

S - Prunes, dates and cocoa
T - Prunes, dates, apple juice and cocoa up front, followed by dark chocolate. Prune and malt in the finish.

My favorite brown beer from Rochefort. I find it interesting how this and Rochefort 10 have so little in common.

 

 

Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy brown color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of yeast, fruits. Taste is yeast, malts, fruits, a bit of alcohol. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer.

 

A springtime Trappist ale. Light cloudy brown with an extra fluffy beige head. Floral and grassy. Light aged rum and caramel. Subtle mixed berries. Mix of toasted baguette and dark rye bread. Very smooth and pretty light at 9.2% abv. Not super complex. Pleasant and unique.

From a 330ml bottle at cellar temperature dated BB 20/08/29. Poured into a chalice. A one finger fine tan head on a hazy dark amber brown. Good head retention. Sticks around to the end, probably helped by the nucleated glass. Some fine slippery lacing.

Molasses and caramel in the nose. Strong malt character. The taste follows the nose, with the addition of some dark fruit flavours. Drying towards the end. A long finish with a very light bitterness.

A very smooth, medium body with good carbonation. The ABV is not very apparent at first but creeps up on you. Overall an outstanding Belgian Dark Strong. Well deserving of it's top rating.

 

 

The look is of an unfiltered brown beer. There's a nice perfumed ale smell followed by the usual Rochefort perfumed ale flavour. It doesn't mask the alcohol, but it's but's high at 9.2%. It's like a perfumed floral fruitcake with candied sugar.

A nice, malty, and slightly sweet taste…but then a kind of funky note at the end. Not sure what that was. I liked the Rochefort 10 and really expected to like this, but I was disappointed.

 

 

Best by date 5-2029 ~ ie pretty damn fresh.
Medium brown with garnet hues, transparent at the goblet taper, pale tan head of fizzy foam.
Big nose of fruity esters - cherry jam, pears in honey and sugar cookies.
Bold flavors of more ripe fruit and figs, dark toffee with hints of alcohol that mellow the sweetness.
Rich malt and raw grain complexity beyond the offerings of most US brewers attempting this style range.
Metallic over carbonation notes subside as i swirl and encourage the bubbles out of solution.
Hints of butterscotch/un-fermented sugars point to it's youth.
Not quite full bodied but hefty and satisfying.
Hop character comes through on the finish with a grassy herbal bite and lingering dryness.
World class stuff and likely better in a year or 3.

Rochefort 8 Trappist Ale

Colour: dark red, dark copper,
Nose: matly, Carmel, definitely sweet after I swirled glass, alcohol fume very slight. Definitely sweetish smell.
Taste: Soapy, wine notes, oak port kinda cask, alcohol warmy taste in mouth slightly, pleasantly bitter but still balanced, 

Would I have it again - yes

Top notes and opinions - malty, carmely, balanced, pleasantly bitter, notes of wine and impressions of Port. The alcohol fume on the nose and the oaky sweet taste on the mouth gave me aged red wine or port impressions. This was lovely as I enjoy all types of port. It also makes sense to me as the beer has a high abv 9% although does not taste rough, belgian balance I guess. I would definitely drink it again and see if I come up with the same notes and impressions. Overall great complex beer, because of the oak cask wine notes and sweet nose. Great beer.

It’s hard to find anything wrong with Rochefort 8 if you are a fan of Belgian strong dark ales. Pours a beautiful copper color with a healthy head that hangs on to the end. Aroma of malt, sweetness, and spice. The taste was included strong malt with notes of caramel, and hints of dark fruit. If you haven’t tried it, it’s about time!