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

L:
-pours a cloudy dark Brown with lighter brown tinges and a small,quickly dissipating,frothy,off-white Head
S:
-dried fruits,malty,Plums,Yeast esters
T:
-light acidity,malty,Caramel,Chocolate,Plums,toasted,red Wine,herbal
-finishes dry
-low bitterniss
F:
-medium-to-high Carbonation
-medium-to-full body
-alcohol noticeable
O:
Less sweet than most other Belgian Dark Ales with great Aroma Depth on the Tongue.

Copenhagen 20/5 2017. 75 cl bottle from Den Gamle Købmand. They call it a Belgian Special Brown ale on the label.

Pours hazy red tinged brown with off white head. Disappears fairly fast leaving thin rim of foam along the side of the glass. No lacing.

Aroma is intense and rich. Sweet dark fermented fruit meets hard edged alcohol. Sweet honey, black berry alcohol and sugary notes.

Medium carbonation and medium thick texture.

Flavor is heavy sweet followed by spicy and burnt bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet and alcoholic.

A heavy hard hitting Dark Belgian orgy of fruit and alcohol. Almost a Barley Wine.

Hazy medium brown, super frothy when opened, the head has no retention, and its still like water.
Aroma of Dr. Pepper, caramel malt, fruit punch banana brulee.
Taste showcases plenty of Belgian candy sugar, it's sweet like a cola, deeply toasted malt, baked apple pie adds some mellow freshness, hints of cocoa in the finish; light carbonation, medium/light body; the feel is lightly crisp and airy despite the sugars, and surprisingly finishes off-dry.

There's not much that separates it from a cola, even some hint of alcohol heat would add interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.5% on the bottle.

Upon opening up this bottle, it gushed and lost nearly half the bottle. Not sure as to quality control with this one.

Appearance - Pours a copper brown with a finger of bubbly white head.

Smell - fruity esters of raisin, plum, and fig, low spicy hops, toffee malts, caramel, and earthy yeast.

Taste - fruity esters of raisin, plum, and fig upfront but not potent enough for the style. The hint of spicy hops come through next. The toffee malts, caramel, and earthy yeast round out the brew. The flavours are not that potent which is very dissapointing.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes a tad thin.

Overall - A disappointing brew that started off on the wrong foot. Nearly loosing half the beer due to gushing is a terrible sign of this brewery's quality control. Perhaps this was an off-bottle.

1.5 liter magnum bottle, RBESG 2005 Grand Tasting. ABV was 10%. Intense oaky and malty aroma. Flavour is also intensely oaky and moderately sweet. I probably drank it too warm, will need to rerate when available at cellar temperature. As it was, it’s not my definite favourite, but obviously a well crafted beer.

 

 

Lable has changed, it's now more text + subtle pared back indigo blue graphics on white than that pictured in the headers. ABV is marked as 9.5% instead of the 9.0% in the headers.
Front lable reads: 'Brasserie Des Rocs, Grand Cru, Belgian Special Brown Ale'.
L- Pours very rich intense chestnut brown, clear, though I see now some minor sediment was left in the bottle. 3mm pale tan head.
S- Pungent deep roasted fruits. Reminds me of British Xmas pudding. This is a good sign IME touch wood.
T- The Smell follows into the Taste, plus a little more somewhat dry and toasty edge on top. Perhaps that's what differentiates this from a Belgian tripel, which at this ABV% I'd expect to be much richer.
F- Pungent, quite a hefty feel. Somewhat dry for a 9.5% though, I notice in the subtle little lick of hoppy zing I get on my tongue/palate as I swallow. I think it's cleverly balanced.
O- Nice. It has a power and one that is quite reined in for 9.5% Nothing leaps out and beats you over the head. Nothing at all strikes me as at all out of balance. Very drinkable and I'd happily drink it again. This style would work best for me in colder months.... visions of kicking back and slow-sipping a couple of these in front of a log fire that maybe one day I'll own :)
Bought from BelgianInABox (Antwerp/BE) for delivery to me in London/UK.
330ml bottle: BB: 25/02/2022,

Pours a hazelnut brown color with a huge, stable eggshell colored head.

Smells of milk chocolate, green peppers, allspice and anise. Quite forward on the spices, this manages to establish a balancing herbal hop presence on the nose, providing an intriguing depth.

Has a soft, medium bodied mouthfeel with a fitting, lighter effervescence during its finish.

Has a soft, almost aqueous beginning, followed up by bakers chocolate, cardamom and glazed toffee, together with a light note of dried leaves. Those produce a pleasant dryness, feathering the overall malt sweetness in this a bit, allowing for spicy licorice and a whiff of milk chocolate to cut through. Finishes with even more spicy, chewy licorice and sweeter turning chocolate among rock sugar and very light noble hops.

Quite pleasant with a great mouthfeel to it, this provides a classic belgian sweetness with a satisfying depth to it.