Rochefort
(short notes)

Abbaye Notre Dame de St. Remy

Belgium

Notes based on repeated sampling in 1998, 2000, and 2001.

6 (red cap)

Trappist

* * * * 1/2

See the recent full review on Rochefort 6.

 

8 (green Cap)

Trappist

* * * *

Available in my new Dutch location for an inexpensive f3.10, which is about $1.30 according to the exchange rates in January, 2001.  Back home in Seattle, my friends can get this beer (which is cool in and of itself) for an equally cool $8.  It clocks in at 9.2% ABV. The 8 has a fruity and malty aroma.  Malt, of course, dominates the flavor profile, with a delighful depth featuring plums, raisins, and some caramel. Executed with excellence, the malt is deep but never cloying.  High levels of carbonation, typical of the style, balances the malt and yields a dry finish.  It offers little hint to its strength, until most of the bottle has been consumed.

 

10 (blue cap)

Trappist

* * * * *

Without a doubt, a world classic.  A deep, tan head quickly develops from the high carbonation.  The head is darker than that of the 8, reminiscent of a porter.  The aroma is deep, seemingly without end, with coffee, chocoalte, and plums dominant.  The flavor is deep and nuanced, as promised by the aroma.  A big, sweetish malty middle clends into coffee, plums, and raising.  Very similar to the 8, but bigger in every way.  If I recall Webb correctly, he calls it a cosmic brew that begs to be the last of the evening.  It's a hell of a way to finish off the night, but this beer clearly deserves a relatively fresh palate.