The Beer Junkies Welcome back to the Beer Junkies! Today we are reviewing Trappistes Rochefort 6, 8, and 10. While Belgians are not our first choice, we have always enjoyed the malty, complex flavors in the dubbels and quads. These beers have quite the reputation, and are some of the highest rated Belgian’s on websites such as Beer Advocate, so we were very excited to try them. Let’s jump in!
Trappistes Rochefort 6 – 7.5% ABV
We decided to go numerically and start with their Dubbel, the Trappistes Rochefort 6. It had a light brown color with a lasting light tan head. There was a light malt sweetness in the aroma with notes of caramel and bread coming through. The flavor follows the nose with a slight fruitiness followed by a malty, bready taste. It has a full mouthfeel, a medium body, and a balancing bitterness. The finish is lasting, dry, and malty. We would recommend this to anyone.
Taste: ★★★★.5
Appearance: ★★★★.25
Aroma: ★★★★.25
Overall: 4.33 / 5
Trappistes Rochefort 8 – 9.2% ABV
Next up is their Belgian Dark Strong ale, the Trappistes Rochefort 8. It has a dark amber color with a long-lasting tan head. The aroma was filled with malty sweetness, bread, and touches of spice. The flavor was complex and followed the aroma with a strong maltiness and notes of caramel, bread, and hints of dark fruit. There was a balancing bitterness that was not overwhelming. It had a medium body and great carbonation. The finish was lasting, dry, and malty.
Taste: ★★★★.75
Appearance: ★★★★.25
Aroma: ★★★★.5
Overall: 4.5 / 5
Trappistes Rochefort 10 – 11.3% ABV
Last, but certainly not least, is their Belgian Quad, the Trappistes Rochefort 10. It had a dark ruby color with a lasting tan head. The aroma with very rich with a strong maltiness and sweet molasses coming through. The flavor followed the aroma with a strong and rich malty body with notes of dark fruit. There is a touch of sweetness but it manages to stay on the dry side. The 11.3% is masked well, but it is still warming. The body is smooth and silky, and it has a dry, malty finish. This is one of the highest-ranked Belgian Quads for a reason.
Taste: ★★★★.5
Appearance: ★★★★.25
Aroma: ★★★★.5
Overall: 4.42 / 5
Closing
We had high hopes coming into this due to the reputation of these beers, and we were not disappointed. Everything about them was solid, from the complex maltiness to the notes of dark fruit and spiciness. If you come across any of these three, even you are are not a Belgian beer fan, we highly recommend trying them. Cheers!
