Brewery: Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy
Location: Rochefort, Belgium
ABV: 7.5%/11.3%
Version: 330ml bottles
Source: The Vineyard, Belfast

Back at the start of April, Darren was highly impressed with the Trappistes Rochefort 8 so it’s about time we covered the other two in the range. I recently sampled all three, and added my comments on the 8 to Darren’s post.

Rochefort 6 is the baby of the bunch, although it still weighs in at 7.5%. It’s a cloudy brown colour, with a rusty orange glow. The aroma is lightly citrus, oddly very similar to washing up liquid, but fortunately it doesn’t taste of such. Instead there’s more of that light citrus fruit, gently warmed, with some bittersweet orange notes and a hint of brown sugar. I felt it was all a bit unbalanced though, with some harshness to the finish, but it’s still surprisingly easy drinking, considering the strength.

At 11.3% it’s clear from the start that the Rochefort 10 means business. Pouring a thick dark brown with a ruby red glow, the aroma is surprisingly restrained. There’s the barest hint of fruit and chocolate but I was expecting much more. Flavour is much more apparent. All the elements that make the 8 so enjoyable are present – stewed prunes/ figs, dried fruit, pears, raisins, chocolate and spices. However, I found the sweet brown sugary aspect so dominant, so cloying, that it swamped all those, even the spicy bits. I know this is a popular beer, but it’s not for me.

It’s always interesting trying the full range of beers such as these, to compare and contrast. With Trappistes Rochefort I find myself coming to the same conclusion as when I did the same exercise with the Maredsous three. For me, the Rochefort 8 is the most balanced, and the one I’ll be getting from now on.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Abbaye St-Remy Trappistes Rochefort 8
2. Tasting Notes: Four from Grimbergen
3. Tasting Notes: Three more from the Brooklyn Brewery
4. Tasting Notes: Sharp’s Honey Spice Wheat Beer
5. Tasting Notes: Atlas Latitude