The beer is a ruddy brown colour, with a frothy off-white head. The aroma is a mixture of sweet dark stone fruits, some spicing, and roasty malts.
There is a luxurious sweetness, with a rich and thick mouthfeel of prunes, raisins, dates, caramel malt, nutmeg, clove, and a background warmth from the alcohol. There are so many flavours to develop, you have to let this beer warm for a while to get the best out of it.
A threat to the future of Rochefort?: The monastery uses water from a centuries old wellspring with high levels of calcium and bicarbonate. But nearby limestone mining operations are threatening the continued supply and quality of this water. International petitions are supporting the position of the Rochefort Monastery, so hopefully big business profits will not lead to the demise of this world renowned monastery brewery.
by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
A lovely Belgian strong dark ale, balancing sweetness and bitterness so well
by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
A strong dark ale full of dark fruits, caramel malts and a gentle hop and yeast spiciness
by Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij de Achelse Kluis
A classic strong dark ale from one of Belgium's renowned Trappist Monastery breweries.
A strong dark winter beer which uses old whiskey barrels to impart an added dimension and depth of flavour
An intriguing dark ale, brewed with spices (ginger, coriander & cardamom)
A Belgian strong dark ale brewed with star anise and orange peel
The most well-known of the Golden Carolus beers is the 'Classic' - a beautifully balanced Belgian strong dark ale of 8.5% ABV
A flavoursome strong dark ale, at the top of the abbey beer hierarchy
by Brouwerij Hoegaarden (AB-InBev)
The 'Forbidden Fruit' is a delicious balance of ripe fruits, sweet malts, earthy hops and gentle spicing
A tasty beer somewhere between a Belgian Dubbel style and a Belgian Strong Dark Ale
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The winter seasonal offering from the Chouffe brewery
The best features of a traditional strong ale, and the added earthiness of noble hops used in abundance
A solid malty backbone balanced by a good level of hop bitterness
The famous Old Fisherman's Ale from Struise is a spiced strong dark ale
Struise's spiced strong dark ale Pannepot, matured in Bordeaux barriques for a full 4 years
A strong dark Belgian ale created from 6 different malts, slightly spiced and with a little honey
The grandfather of Trappist strong dark ales - does it get any better than this?
The baby of the Rochefort range; an amber brown dubbed style ale with all the elegance of a classic Trappist ale
