Hey...remember me? Sure it's been a while but it doesn't mean that I haven't been drinking the good stuff and analyzing the crap out of it.
Bored right now, have knocked back a few, and figured I'd write about it. To be fair, I decided to pull out two of the better beers on the planet and talk about them. Maybe this little blip on the radar of the blog world will get you to go out and find these bad boys to enjoy yourself.
Had a few at the bar and thought I'd take a few to go with me. I stuck with the same brewer and decided I'd dissect the Trappist Rochefort 8 and the Trappist Rochefort 10. The "10" is consistently in the top 25 of the beeradvocate.com, and the "8" goes in and out of the top 100. There are a handful of beers I consider "must likes" if you are a fan of good beer. There are certain beers that you simply have to like, regardless of style, if you like good brew. If you can't enjoy anything Rochefort makes....you simply don't like good beer, that's all there is to it. Go find a Blue Moon and screw off....
The beauty of these guys, is that they are (relatively) easy to find in terms of the top top brews on the planet. They aren't all that seasonal, and a good liquor store, or a high end bottle bar generally has them in stock. Now, they are going to cost you....generally retailing as cheap as 5 bucks and also as high as 8 bucks for an 11.2 oz bottle. Absolutely, positively worth every single penny, as these are the epitome of Belgian ales and "beer" in general.
These aren't ones to throw down in a quick "while watching the game" manner,....... these are ones to sip and savor.
TRAPPIST ROCHEFORT 8
9.2% ABV, only available in 11.2 oz. bottles. I guess you can call it a "strong Belgian Dark Ale", but calling it a "Quadruple" is just fine in my book, as you're splitting hairs at this point. Pours a deliciously chocolate brown, with hints of deep violet into your chalice. Decent head gives way, and the little bit of yeast that's sure to sneak out of the heavily conditioned bottle is going to bubble most of the way through the drink.
Smells like chocolate covered dark fruit,...raisins, figs, pretty much everything you see in a text-book description of the style. Big, malty, yeasty, vibrant, full of awesome. Taste matches it. Never thin, never chemical, never metallic. (like the shitty Belgian-style brews) Everything that one might find in a cheaper, dark, Belgian just simply doesn't exist here. The flavor is full with every sip, and the alcohol only comes well after the drink with only the most minimal dryness. Perfectly acceptable booziness for something that's over 9% abv. Stays drinkable, in the sense you can have 2-3, but of course not a whole sixer.
Not as bold or as "wow" as the 10 (we'll talk about that in a bit), but I'm not sure what else you'd want in a big Belgian. People generally skip the 8 to go straight for the 10, but it's certainly worth a go. Not saying the 10 isn't worth it, but the 8 is also. Maybe go for the 8 so you could have 1-2 more seeing as how it's slightly more subdued and a little lower in abv?
Semi-half assed verdict: 9/10
TRAPPIST ROCHEFORT 10
Far drunker now.....
Rochefort 8 and 6's bigger brother....well, to be fair it's MOST beer's bigger brother. One of the more respected beers on the planet and it's not all that hard to find (once again, in comparison to many other top 50 brews). I think many of us forget that this brew is really one of the better made products in the world and pass over it for other stuff that's really priced somewhat similarly.
Pours the same (as the "8") big, chunky brown (with violet hues), and has the same big, tan head that dissipates rather quickly. (this is, in part, due to my most likely dirty chalice). The beer is almost opaque, and appears, visually, as a challenge to my tongue/pallet. Fine by me.
Once again, the nose is big, malty, yeasty, dark fruits, with substantial chocolate. There's nothing "light" about this beer, in the sense that your tongue will be spared with crispness, or lack of aftertaste. The beer will coat your tongue and stay there for some time. The mouthfeel is certainly heavier (11.3% abv, so that's assumed), and definitely creamier. The taste is like I described before with the "8", only a bit heavier in the malt/chocolate department, with equal parts of the dark fruit.
Outside of, maybe the Westvleteren 12, this might be the pre-eminent Belgian Ale. Big, heavy, chewy malt, tons of yummy chocolate and dark fruit, and never really any sort of harshness to it. Most other beers that you take on over 11% abv will let you know early and often of their strength. The alcohol is here, but it never burns, and this is far and away anything from a "hot" beer in the likes of crap made by Avery or other supposedly "high end" stuff with big ABVs.
Once again, if you claim to like "good beer", and don't pop at least a minor boner from this brew, you're lying.
Semi-half assed verdict: 9.99999999/10
Cheers...bitches.
Would I be lying more or less telling you I didn't pop a boner for this beer compared to telling you the same thing for Duvel?
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