Trappistes Rochefort 6

Tonight I'm drinking Trappistes Rochefort 6 from Brasserie de Rochefort in Rochefort, Belgium.  Back in March, I reviewed Rochefort 10 which was a phenomenal brew.  That review included a little history of the brewery, if you're interested in that kind of stuff.  Steve has reviewed Rochefort 8 and found that to be delectable as well.  So that leaves us with Number 6, the final frontier of the Rochefort line-up.  It almost seems a bit anti-climactic, because we started at the 'top' and worked our way down....but I suppose top-down and bottom-up still get you to the same place.

This Belgian brew comes in at 7.5% alcohol, it's basically the runt of the bunch.  The label has the "Authentic Trappist Product" mark on it just to remind us that this is in fact a special belgian brew.  The color is a dull, hazy medium brown color, some of the sediment got through despite my exaggeratedly slow, light pour.  Nice, fluffly light head that never goes away.  The aroma is spicy, earthy, with dark fruits and a hint of awesome yeast funk.  Also a touch of dark chocolate comes through.  The first drink.....thick, rich, bubbly.  Malty and buttery up front, quite sweet.  Bread crust, some light dark fruits come up next.  The finish leaves a slightly spicy, yeasty, and again, buttery taste.  Some alcohol warmth as an afterthought.

Overall Rating:  If I'm rating this beer on it's own merits, I would say it's a great belgian dark.  Well-balanced, sweet, very enjoyable.  But if I'm comparing it to Rochefort 8 and 10, well, I would say their naming convention can also serve as an accurate way to rate them.  Great beer, but I like 8 and 10 a little better.  A-