Trappistes Rochefort 8

Brewery: Brasserie de Rochefort
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 9.20%
Country: Belgium

Here is the second of the three Rochefort beers, Rochefort 8. The first one, Rochefort 6, was only okay by my standards. A bit too sweet and a bit too carbonated. This version comes out a bit stronger and should pack more of a punch.

The pour was similar, a murky brown with a darker head than 6. Big head that dissipated and left a nice lace. Plenty of yeast seen swimming around. Plenty of dark fruits. Cherries and plums both present. I smelled more yeast than 6 and the alcohol was certainly noticeable. The first sip had some sweetness and lots of bready malts. Quite similar to number 6 in flavor as well. The largest noticeable difference is that alcohol flavor is much more prevalent. This gave the beer a nice spiciness that helped to improve the taste. The high level of carbonation made it hard to enjoy this. B-

Trappistes Rochefort 6

Brewery: Brasserie de Rochefort
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 7.50%
Country: Belgium

Another trappist beer, this one hails from Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy and is the first of three in a series. The other two are the creatively named 8 and 10. Each one represents a step up in potency in both malts, flavors, and alcohol.

Murky brown with a fluffy off white head. Plenty of yeast visible floating around.

Sweet aroma. Dark fruits. Grapes, plums, and raisins. The aroma is fantastic, there is enough complexity to keep the sweetness from being overwhelming.

Yeasty flavor and tons of carbonation were present up front. The fruitiness from the aroma comes through a bit, but unfortunately a wave of carbonation comes through and washes a lot of the flavor away. Alcohol and sourness are both present and warming similar to what I've found in other Belgian dark ales. I wasn't too impressed with this and I hope the other two. Made me burp too much C-

Chimay Grande Reserve

Brewery: Bieres de Chimay
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 9.0%
Country: Belgium

This looks to be the first authentic Trappist ale to be reviewed on this blog. I had thought I had talked in depth about Trappist ales before, but couldn't find any posts mentioning them. Essentially a Trappist ale is a style of ale brewed in a monastery by monks. Trappist monks are also known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , a Roman-Catholic order. Essentially these monks produce goods to be sold to support their monastery.

Of the 171 Trappist monasteries in the world, seven produce beer as their offering. Six are in Belgium and one is in the Netherlands. These beers are the only ones allowed to carry the "Authentic Trappist Product" logo on the bottle. The beer making monasteries are: Chimay, Rochefort, Orval, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Archel, and Koningshoeven. These beers are some of the most highly renowned beers in the world. I've had Westmalle. I have three different Rocheforts cellared. Westvleteren is rated by both beeradvocate and ratebeer as the top beer in the world. That being said, I had high expectations for the Chimay Grande Reserve.

Pour was a dark cloudy brown with a thick, bubbly, tan foam. I couldn't pick up too much aroma surprisingly. What I found was some sweetness present with a bit of chocolate near the end.

The first taste was syrupy sweet, lots of raisins present. There was a pleasing clove spiciness that showed up as well. No bitterness to speak of. The moth was nice and velvety and not too carbonated. Went down quite well and the alcohol is totally masked.

While this was a good beer, I feel that it was a bit over-hyped. Frankly I was expecting more from it. I'd drink it again for sure, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. B

Trois Pistoles

Brewer: Unibroue
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 9%
Country: Canada

Pours a dark murky brown color. A solid half inch of fizzy bone white head. Fruity sweet aroma with a dry white-wine grape aroma.

The fruitiness caught me off guard as that is a typical characteristic of a lighter ale. Raisins and brown sugar are both present. The 9% ABV is hidden very well. The alcohol makes its appearance as a nice and long warming feeling that lingers for a while.

Certainly a good beer, not quite as good as the La Fin Du Monde though, but still well done. A-

Fat Head's Sorcerer

Brewery: Fat Head's Brewery
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 9.3%
Country: USA, Pennsylvania

This is the second beer I had while at Fat Heads. Had this one served in a snifter. Body was a dark and hazy brown with a thin, off-white head.

Smell was loaded with lots of licorice with a bit of chocolate to it. Reminded me of sniffing a bag of Good N' Plentys. More licorice showing up in the first sip. Lots of sweetness to be found here. Raisins and chocolate both made an appearance as well. Big wave of sharp alcohol along with more sweetness rounded out the finish.

This is a sipping beer for sure. I'm usually not a big licorice fan, but wasn't put off by this one. It was a bit too sweet and could certainly use some balancing bitterness. The alcohol was a bit to pronounced for my liking as well. Still a yummy beer that I wouldn't argue with. B

Affligem Noel

Brewery: Brouwerij Affligem
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 9%
Country: Belgium

Merry Christmas everyone! A Christmas ale for Christmas day. This here is a big 750mL making the long journey from Waarloos Belgium. A Belgian Strong Ale is always a god idea for a cold winter day and would make a perfect gift for any beer lover.

Poured a Dark, hazy caramel color. Another bottle conditioned and unfiltered beer so the haziness is a feature. A big thick head is left from the pout that melts into a nice lace that lingers throughout the entire drink.

Sticky sweet aroma, some grapes are present as well as some hints of caramel.

Plenty of sweet malts up front. There is a lot going on in the beer. Grapes and caramel are present initially along with a hint of vanilla. Not much bitterness, finishes nice and warm from the alcohol. Biscuits and grains show up in the finish along with the slightest hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. Initial sweetness is well balanced with the warming finish making a delicious combination. Body is smack dab in the middle of the pack, some good thickness without being either watery or chewy. Carbonation is nice and fizzy without being overbearing.

A very tasty beer, that goes down easy. The 9% ABV certainly sneaks up on you. From the classification as a Christmas ale, I was expecting a bit more spiciness. Otherwise, this is an excellent beer that I'd certainly drink again. A-

The Mad Elf Ale

Brewer: Troegs
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 11%
Country: USA, Pennsylvania

Since it 'tis that time of year, I decided it would be a good time to review a holiday beer. Bo beat me to the punch with the Delirium Noel but there are plenty of holiday ales out there for all.

I gave my pint glass the night off and decided to go with a stein for this one. It poured a dark amber with a little bit of ruby, a rich and wonderful color. It was very clear, and had only a hint of a head which vanished without a trace of lace.

A big wave of sweetness was evident as soon as I stuck my nose in the glass. Plenty of honey and cherries dominated with hint of alcohol.

The taste was incredibly sweet, almost syrup like. The main flavor was cherries with a good bit of honey in the mix as well. The taste of alcohol is present in the background reminding you that this contains nearly as much alcohol as three lite American beers. The body is on the lighter end of medium with a good bit of carbonation. Not so much that it burns your mouth, but enough for a pleasant fizziness. Aftertaste had enough tartness in it to remind you that this wasn't a soda.

This is a great beer to have at your next holiday party. Plenty of good sweet flavors to spread the holiday cheer and enough alcohol for roasting chestnuts. I was surprised at how easily this went down and with the ABV punch it carries, it wouldn't take many before lampshades are on heads. One of my first thoughts was about how much sugar Troegs had to add initially in order to hit the alcohol content while leaving enough residual sugars to still be incredibly sweet. This could use a bit more bitterness to balance out the intense sweetness but it was still quite delicious. A-