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

Bottle 0.75L.
Hazy dark copper body with large, frothy, tan head, mostly lasting with some nice lacing.
Moderate-to-heavy malty (caramel) and light hoppy (citrus, flowers) aroma with notes of red fruits, spices, alcohol; very light feeling of medicine.
Moderate sweet flavour with light acidic note.
Medium body with watery-to-oily texture; soft carbonation; light alcoholic warming in the finish.

 

 

 

330ml bottle from Beers of Europe (£2.69):
Chestnut brown with a half cm, bubbly head that settles as a thin & patchy surface lacing. Rich & complex smelling, there's a sweet malt base with darker fruits on top; prunes, figs & dates with some sugars & faint toffee. The taste is similarly sweet with a malty backbone, a slightly effervescent feel that has the prunes & figs from the nose alongside the toffee & bread malts & caramel with sugars, a hint of spice & yeast to finish. It's rich, balanced & well-carbonated with a good balance between the malts & the darker fruit sweetness & most of the alcohol hidden too.

 

 

 

 

 

L- Deep chestnut, and has poured beyond hazy, this has small chunks floating around despite the bottle being rested for days and poured reeeally slowly - so it seems pretty major sediment is inevitable/by design. Pours with 5mm off white head, half of which still exists when I finish the glass 15mins later.
S- Milder than anticipated, some caramel and a sense of richness. I thought I got a hint of mild/sour cherry on an early sniff, but never managed to get it again.
T- There is a small dose of sourness on the front here, then the flavour opens out immediately - boom! It's big, pungent and deep. It has a sweet note (in parallel with it's overall richness), something I rarely favour but here it's balanced by the sour. It's deep well-roasted pungency make this a super winter-warmer type of beer. ps Late on I suddenly get a 'Hang on, is that a blackcurrent note coming in!?'... maybe, fleeting.
F- It's quite a mouthful, pungent, intense, more suited to colder months as a slow-sippin' winter warmer beer. All rather wonderful.
O- I think this is absolutely superb. How they balance the sweet + sour is very clever, it's so fine-tuned. Overall the whole hangs together really well; there isn't anything at all that I note that's 'wrong', or out of balance.
Updated lable on bottle: Now entirely modern, almost a bit 'urban/gritty', a stencil/graffiti design in white black and purple.
Bought from Beers of Europe (UK) 330ml BB: 29/08/2021

 

Bottle at Coriasso's, served in a trappist glass. Pours a brown colour with red tones to the light, medium head with short retention, crying lace.
Aroma of prunes, coffee, caramel, chocolate, I think I feel some notes of tobacco, spices.
Full body, thick in the tongue, good carbonation. Sweet finish.
Taste follows the aroma.
Very good one.

 

 

 

 

 

Brown to yellow colours,
Lots of Carbonation, fair amount of sweetness and candy like tastes.
I like it

Pours a murky chestnut color with some red hints with a medium top of beige head that dissolves slowly.
Aroma is pleasant with notes of dark and dried fruits like plums, raisins,prunes, figues, caramel,bread, dark malts, red berries,spices and smoked woods.
The taste is sweet with notes dried fruits and with a strong malt profile in the background. I sense hints of caramel, bread in the flavour as well. The finish is slightly dry still with the malt profile strong in the background. Great strenght and lenght in the aftertaste. The flavours are balanced very well, and the alcohol content hidden very good. Mouthfeel is silky and oily with a medium carbonation and a medium body.
A very nice example of a belgian strong dark ale. Very enjoyable.