I've Trapped a Trappist! (Trappistes Rochefort)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Trappistes Rochefort
Date:	13/03/05 (190 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty and strong, Complex layered tastes

Disadvantages: A little pricey, Not my favourite beer style

I would like to tell you about a nice bottled beer I tried at February’s Chesterfield Beer Festival. This one is a pretty strong Belgian beer and a little on the expensive side compared to your average pint of bitter. It is, however, rather good and goes by the name of Rochefort 8.

~~~THE BREWERY.

Rochefort is brewed at the Abbaye Notre Dame de St. Remy. It can be found in what used to be a Trappist Nunnery in Namur (a province in the Rochefort area of Belgium) deep in the Ardennes. The Abbey itself has been there since 1230, but beers have been brewed on the premises since the 16th Century. The present brewery that produces Rochefort 8 has dates from 1899, so is a relative newcomer!

They actually brew three beers with the name Rochefort, so it is quite easy to get confused. They vary according to strength and are Rochefort 6 (a 7.5% ABV beer that is dark in colour and combines bitterness and sweetness in the taste), Rochefort 8 (of course, or I wouldn’t be reviewing it here) and the mighty Rochefort 10 (a strong 11.3% ABV beer that is rich, tasty and full of flavours). All these beers are Trappist top fermented beers and have different coloured caps to identify which is which.

~~~THE BEER.

***A Bit of Background***

The name Rochefort 8 (and the numbers in the names of the other Rochefort beers) may seem to be at odds with the alcohol content ~ it would seem more logical to call a beer at almost 10 percent Rochefort TEN instead. This is actually because they are named in Belgian degrees, rather than our standard ABV percentages for expressing beer strengths. The name Rochefort comes from the region the brewery is based in.

The Trappist name for the beer style is actually protected by law and can only be used by certain breweries (this being one of them). Apparently there are now only six Trappist breweries left in the world (all in Belgium) and all these breweries produce beers under the strict rule of the Trappist Order of Monks ~ dating back to Medieval times. Trappist beers vary in colour and taste and their styles are distinctive to the individual brewery, but all are between 6.2 and 11.5% ABV.

***Vital Statistics***

Rochefort 8 weighs in at 9.2% ABV and is a top fermented, full-bottle conditioned beer. (Top fermentation refers to yeast that rises to the top during fermentation ~ these yeasts can tolerate higher alcohol content and ferment at a warmer temperature.) The beer is brewed using Cara Vienna and Pils malts, ground coriander, Styrian Goldings and Hersbruker Hallertau hops. Actually, all the Rochefort beers are brewed to the same recipe ~ they just vary in strength and consequently in flavour.

***Look, Aroma & Texture***

Looks wise, Rochefort 8 is dark brown and, when poured into the appropriate glass, gives a loose head that is bubbly to start with, but fades quickly to leave lacing on the side of the glass. Aroma is quite fruity ~ predominantly sweet, rich fruits rather like you’d expect from a Christmas cake (sultanas, figs, currants, etc). There are also elements of bread, malt, caramel and spices. I also think it smells rather alcoholic ~ from the first sniff you will know this is a strong one! Texture is quite rich and full-bodied. Mouth feel is smooth, with a slight alcoholic kick that hits the back of your throat.

***Taste***

Rochefort 8 is quite a complex beer combining many elements to produce a strong, tasty drink. Dominant tastes are malt, chocolate, spices (coriander is included in the brewing process), rich fruits and treacle. This gives quite a rich, “thick” taste along with a caramelly sweetness. As the drink progresses, a bitterness creeps in that balances out the sweetness that was present at the beginning. This leads to a bitter finish that combines dark chocolate and a roasted maltiness. The aftertaste is quite long lasting and is slightly bitter ~ with that alcoholic kick I mentioned earlier.

~~~WHAT TANGE THINKS.

Rochefort 8 isn’t my first choice when selecting a Belgian beer, but it is way up on my list. My favourite beers are the sour red ales (like Duchesse de Bourgogne) and the tart fruit beers (like Boon Kriek), but I do like the chocolaty, spicy flavour of a bottle of Rochefort. It is warming, nice for sipping and an excellent accompaniment for a night in watching TV with some crackers and cheese. I also like the way that the different tastes seem to develop in layers ~ they build up and add depth to the drink and then gradually combine at the end of the glass.

It comes in a 330ml bottle and cost us 2 Beer Tokens plus 50 pence ~ this translates to £2.30 a bottle (tokens at Chesterfield Beer Festival are 90 pence each). We also bought a case of 24 bottles (Alun loves this beer) and it worked out at £1.90 a bottle from our trade beer supplier. I don’t think this is a bad price for something of this strength!

You really must treat this beer with caution ~ it tastes alcoholic, but is VERY drinkable! It is very easy to drink it rather quicker than you should. Sipping is your best option and also to use a small glass (wine glass size is best), so you don’t feel obliged to fill a larger glass! I would also recommend just having one bottle at a time ~ it is a strong beer and is probably one to end the night with. If you drink this first you have nowhere to go…there are stronger beers, but this has lots of flavour and you may not appreciate the tastes of other beers after a bottle of Rochefort 8.

I thoroughly recommend the complex and layered flavour of this beer. Although not my favourite style, it is an excellent example of a strong Trappist beer and well worth seeking out.


~~~BREWERY DETAILS.

Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy
Rue de l’Abbaye 8
B-5580
Rochefort
Namur
Belgium

084/22.01.40

***PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BREWERY ISN’T OPEN TO VISITORS AT ALL (THE ABBEY IS PRIVATE). YOU CAN GO IN THE CHURCH…BUT THAT IS ALL***

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