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-

Trappistes Rochefort 8

Tonights review is courtesy of my parents.  They went out and found a new beer shop a while ago and bought me a few beers that they thought looked interesting.  Lucky for them they were not only interesting but delicious! They were all European based brews.  Two were Belgian golden strongs that I drank immediately, thus, no reviews.  They were so good!  The third I had forgotten about until I was at their house for Easter.  It was like a hidden gem in the back of their fridge!  So I wrote down some tasting notes and am just now getting around to writing the full review.

This brew is one of three in a line up from Brasserie de Rochefort.  Dunz reviewed the Trappistes Rochefort 10, the strongest in their line up, and he loved it.  I have high hopes for this one too.

Rich, creamy brown color. Little bits of yeast sediment gather at the bottom of my sniffer glass. Thin, light tan layer of foam lingers on top. Alcohol and toasted bread are the first two aromas I can find. Hints of fruit, bananas notably, come into play as it warms. Very smooth mouthfeel and surprisingly light body. Rum alcohol and sweet malt are at the forefront of this Belgian strong. Brown sugar and yeast phenols of banana and tropical fruit come into play as it warms. The warmer this becomes the better and more complex it is. Alcohol warmth is present throughout.

Overall - you can't go wrong with Rochefort brewery. Both Duns and I enjoyed two out of three of the beers available to us here in the states.  Look for our review of the 6 in the near future!