Trappistes Rochefort 10

Trappistes Rochefort 10. Belgian trappist quadrupel.
Abbaye Notre-Dame de St.-Remy. Rochefort, Belgium.
11.3 % ABV. 31 IBU.

A little while ago I was at a local store and saw some Belgian bottles on the shelves that I thought hadn't appeared here, in the Nib, just yet. My friend Paul was ringing me up and said "oh, I love the Rochefort." I ran back to the shelf to add the 8 to purchase, along with the 6. "No, it's the 10 that I like," he said. Yes, I love it, too, I told him, but I'll be back for it later. I was certain that the 10 had appeared here, after all these years, but not the 6 or the 8. And I took them home and went online and searched my own blog and discovered not only had they appeared here before, 4 years ago, but the exact same thing happened. I went out and bought the 6 and 8, and not the 10. Oh, well, I would use this opportunity to take a better picture. And now at last, I am making up for all this, and I am going to drink a Trappistes Rochefort 10 Belgian Quad, and I'll share my notes from.....sixteen and 1/2 years ago?!?

No, I'll write new notes, and put the old ones at the end.

Deep, dark Burgundy hued, slim beige head.

In the nose: Fruit, grapes, berries. Sweet malt. Oak. Fig, raisin. Dense and delightful.

In the mouth: More deep, more rich, more delicious. It's a complex web of flavors that gives and gives. Full-bodied, long lasting tastes, vastly rewarding. It tastes old, already, though I'm certain that it's fresh. Definitely one of the Belgian ales that would find benefits from aging. That's something I'm not entirely capable of doing, though I'm always thrilled when I can taste the efforts of someone else's aging.

So much malty goodness. Fruit meets caramel, toffee, cocoa. Belgian chocolate blends with berries and grapes. Good gracious, it's delicious, and strong. Powerfully tasty, a dream in a bottle, and a journey in a glass. Something to take back your breath, and slow down time for just a spell.

In December of 2002, I was very new to writing about beer, and posted this on BeerAdvocate.com:

Creamy, tan head; gorgeous violet color.
Aroma: dark, dark, dark, with spices, dark fruits, grapes, berries,strawberries
...distinctly port-like,plummy, raisinish.
 A tad flat, though...do I have an old, improperly cared-for bottle?
Terriffically strong, incredibly warming, the feel and the heat of a glass of cognac!
Absolutely perfect!

I'll add another note. This bottle marks the 4th time I've checked in this beer on Untappd since 2013. Not one other time did I not know it had never entered the Nib. What is wrong with me some times?

About the brewery: The Abbey of St-Remy, in the southern part of Belgium, was founded in 1230, and the monks began to brew beer sometime around 1595. The beautiful small brewery in the abbey, Rochefort Trappistes, is one of only eleven Trappist breweries in the world and makes full-bodied, deeply flavored dark ales. They are bottle-conditioned and among the world's most highly-respected beverages. Only beers made in a Trappist Monastery, under the supervision of the monks, can use the Authentic Trappist Product seal. There are only eleven Trappist breweries in the world.

About the beer: Dominant impressions of latte coffee with powerful chocolate aromas in the nose. The alcohol esters are enveloped with hints of autumn wood, citrus zest (orange, lemon) and freshly baked biscuits. The initial taste is sweetly sinful. Beer and chocolate trapped into one single glass, a liquid milky draught with a backbone of bitter malt. The alcohol warms the throat and, in the finish, you will pick up traces of cloves, citrus, orange and mocha.
The heaviest of the Rochefort beers, the 10 is a quadrupel style beer and can be recognized by its blue label.

Orval Trappist Ale

Let's keep tripping through Trappist country. And we'll be sampling the single ale produced by the Trappist monastery of Orval in Belgium.  (Besides the patersbier brewed just for the monks, only at the monastery.)

This is a bottle I picked up from a local store the other day, knowing full well that it was missing from the Nib. I just don't see it often enough. (It seems that I checked in to it on Untapped nearly 4 years ago, and now I'm trying to remember where and how I had it. Did I buy a bottle and forget to review it? See it at a bar or restaurant, or maybe a tasting party?)

Now, something was telling me that I had taken notes on it before. I had to have, it makes no sense that I didn't. A little research unearthed those notes, published on BeerAdvocate.com in February of 2003. Sixteen years ago. Here's the notes from way back when, with further notes afterward.

Brassie d'Orval Pale Ale.
6.9 % ABV.
Viller-devant-Orval, Luxembourg, Belgium.

To the eye: Color is a pure golden, edging into orange. Head is full, and frothy white.

In the nose: Aroma is overwhelming and enticing from afar: extraordinarily spicy, very enticing and seductive, though I haven't even even brought this brew close to my nose yet.

In the mouth: An arousing blend of the sweet and the sour, with some citric notes speaking up here and there. Loads of sugar and spice, and, well, everything nice. Fierce hops on the palate, and an excellent texture, great hop bite and play upon the tongue. Full of body and flavor. Long lasting finish. Delicious, with plenty of citric tang. Deeply satisfactory, very mellow and pacifying.

This is a brew that tastes of the history it contains. A very unique, pleasurable and pacifying beverage.

In 2019, I note that I failed to mention the ineffable whiff of that Belgian funk, the yeast, the malt, the uncertain something that I love. Starts sweet, funky, fruity, and ends on a dry note. Other than that, I'll stick with my sixteen years younger-self, and keep those notes. And vow to sneak it into rotation a.little more often. Damned good beer.

NOTE: The ABV-value of this beer varies, in the United States 6.9% is used.
The Orval’s brewery produces only one beer to sell, a beer with a high fermentation that continues in the bottle. It is 6.2% ABV. This beer is brewed exclusively from spring water, barley malt, hop cones, candy sugar, and yeast. The aroma and the fine taste are due more to the hop cones and the yeast than to the malt that is used.

What’s special about Orval’s beer is that hops are added at two different stages of the production process. First, in the brewing room, a large quantity of very fine hops are added – this produces the famous bitter taste and is the reason why the beer keeps for a longer period of time. Later, in the storage cellars, hops are once again added. This is the so-called British “dry hopping,” which produces the delightful aroma that completely enraptures even the most carefully forewarned taster.

In the tasting room, Orval’s beer and cheese make a really good pair: the unique shape of the bottle and the glass, the design of the label, the coasters and other publicity materials – it’s all a legacy from the early 1930’s. Show Less

Zundert 8 Trappist Ale

Zundert 8 Trappist Ale.
Brouwerij de Kievert,
Klein Zundert, Noord Brabant The Netherlands.
8 % ABV. 34 IBU.
Ale brewed with spices.
Product of Zundert, Netherlands.

The people of the Netherlands. They are Dutch, and they live in Holland, which must be the same thing as the Netherlands. And some of them are Trappist monks who actually brew their own beer. I love Trappist ales, and was surprised and delighted to see a new one on the shelves of a local store.




Zundert. I like the sound of that. Kievert sounds nice, too. That's the little bird in the logo.

Although it doesn't say so on the label anywhere, this one is purported to be a tripel, which is a style that I love. I found this out through articles I've researched before opening the bottle. Why they don't want to say so anywhere on the label, I'm not sure. (Edit: Now, I know after drinking. Because it isn't, really.)

Enough is enough. Let's open it up and see if I'll be back for more Zundert.

Clouded, chestnut/amber- hued, large and lasting fuzzy, cream-toned head. Looks terrific.

In the nose: Ah, that's the stuff! That's the classic Belgian aroma that I dream of...I wish I could smell this every day. Put it in a locket and hang it 'round my neck. Light floral hops. Sweet malt, nutty, stone fruit, earthy, funky, wild and wooly. Some citrus and spice. Everything nice.

In the mouth: More malty goodness spreading on the palate, with spicy notes become prominent. Delicate, well-balanced hop presence. Medium bodied. Quite tasty. Firmly in the Belgian-style, but more of an amber, not anywhere near a dubbel, and just missing the mark for a tripel. It is it's own thing.

Let's see if the label tells us anything: We brew a beer that we describe as slightly unruly--our Trappist 8 is a beer you must take time to understand. Chestnut-colored and bottle-conditioned, with aroma of herbs and spices, initially floral and slightly sweet, character develops from light caramel to a lovely dry, hoppy bitterness as the flavor opens. Brewed within the walls of Zundert Trappist Monastery by monks. 

Zundert 8 is a Trappist beer produced by De Kievit Trappist Brewery, part of the Trappist abbey Maria Toevlucht, from the town of Zundert in the Netherlands. Since 2018 De Kievit Trappist Brewery produces another Trappist beer.

This "other" beer is called 10 and I'll be looking for it. As it is, 8 is truly beautiful. Somehow I left out  the fact that while the brewery is called Kievet, after the bird, and the beer is called Zundert, after the town, the abbey is actually called Abdij Maria Toevlucht. More confusion. It's okay. Just takes a little time to figure out.

La Trappe Bockbier

Hey, check out what's on tap!

And I wrote these notes back in 2008, probably from a bottle.

Enjoy:


Murky plummish purply-brown coloration, creamy beige/brown head, slipping into a thin ring.

Rich, ripe fruit hits the nose...raisins, plum, a bit of fig, dates?just a tad?...a touch of port...

Tasting: Snappy, then smooth. Mellow mouthfeel overall, but plump with malty flavor. Yeast and malt are king here, and we've got a very Belgian trappist-y Dutch-style bock. How many of those have you had lately?

More I drink of this, the more I like it...I'll repeat mellow again, and it's just that kind of deep satisfaction I get from the Trappist ales, an enveloping feeling, the seeps out from the consumption of the brew and into the very heart of the drinker.

Hmmm: IBU: 36. Malts: pale, caramel, munich, barley, wheat and rolled oats. Hops: Hallertau, Northern Brewer, and Spalt.

Lightly spicy, a little funky, but mostly a fruity affair, but uplifting, and exalting.

Am I tasting the silence? I might actually be!

Trappistes Rochefort 8

New notes on Trappistes Rochefort 8 (alc. 9.2 % vol):

Appearance: opaque burgundy-hued, slim head.

Aroma: A mad mix of dark fruits, spices, and Belgian yeast. Plums, raisins, brandy, red wine. A potent puree.

Taste: Intense carbonation, generous malt, plentiful fruit flavors, bountiful hops. Just about everything is upped a notch in this delicious Belgian strong dark ale. Immaculate expression of trappist ingenuity. Or goodness, or grace, or genus, whatever fits the bill. Beautiful. Smooth, strong, and sharp all at the same time. Just the way I like it.

And here's what I originally wrote in December of 2002:
Muddy, dark purple; big, fuzzy, funky head.

Wondrous nose: cherries, berries, bananas, sugar and spice, some citrus.

On the tonque, something of a challenge. Pounds and pounds of flavor! Is it supposed to be a Tripel? The strength and the rather firm, full texture are a drawback to drinkability.

Other drawback is that the only place I've been able to buy this was in a wine shop that overprices and undersells it's quality beer. It was in a clearance bin, marked down. Maybe a better cared for bottle would have tasted differently?

Let's look at those notes as a snapshot in time, and a testament to a space in history, as well as picture of my changing palate.

Trappistes Rochefort 6

As I try to continue to survey the local brewing scene and make notes on each bottle and can available, I also think on what else may be missing from this blog. Maybe the Belgians? As I search the shelves, for what I haven't included here and seek new beers I haven't tried, I sometimes forget about the greats, the favorites, that I've neglected for so long.

And so I will now write fresh notes about Trappistes Rochefort beers of the Abbey St. Remy. First one will be the 6, alc. 7.5% Vol. 11.2 fl. oz. 330 ml. Authentic Trappist Product.

Appearance: clouded dark amber coloring, vast creamy head, looking great.

Aroma: sweet, citrus-y, with the requisite Belgian yeast funk. redolent with a plentitude of fruity flavors. Grape must meets Belgian funk. Cherries and berries.

Taste: Ah! Just, mmm, and ah. Utterly exemplifies all of the elusive qualities of the Belgian pale ale, with plenty of yeast action, just enough fruit and funk, minor hops, more malt, and great consumability.

Yum. That's what I want to say. Hey, did I ever say anything else about his beer?

I wrote this about it back in 2005:
Beautiful dark, plummy brown color, with lush foam above, active carbonation, attractive appearance.

Aroma: sweet, full ,complex, loaded with dark fruits, grapes, cherries, dates, plum, ...eggplant,...a bit of sour and must, an intriguing flavor in this nose, somewhere between sweetness and utter oddity. But I like it.

Taste: huge impact on the palate, big, fat, and delicious, ...more dark fruits swim the mouth, aided and abetted by a mix of spice, very rich, powerful, and juicy. Not as huge in alcohol, while still stronger than most beers, as it's brethren, this is a uniquely tasty, very drinkable effort from the makers of two of the most stunning beers on the planet. (The 8 and 10, of course.)

Very mellow, but far from mild. I admire the unique flavor more as it finds a home in my mouth. Medium bodied, long, fruity finish, very much deliciousness. I'm very happy with this one, and am amazed that this is the first time I've tried it...where have you been all my life? Yum, yum...try this one, please...your happiness is ensured!

2/09/05

(Wait…"eggplant"? what was I thinking?)

Engelszell Benno

Engelszell Trappistenbier Benno. Ale brewed with honey. 6.9% ABV.

Here we are with the other Austrian trappist ale, the brother to Gregorius.
Appearance: dark, murky, reddish-brown, slim, off-white, lace-leaving froth atop.

Aroma: Sweetness itself, with the extra Belgian edge. Bananas flambe' and chocolate fondue. Cookies and cream, with strawberries on top. Sweet malt mixed up with spiced fruit. Somethin' else.

Taste: Smooth entry on the palate. Smooth, fruity, sweet and malty. Low hops, low bitterness, great balance. Not too sweet, not too strong, not too anything, but plenty tasty. Doesn't fit into any category that I can think of....honey Belgian strong-ish dark, maybe?

Hey, I found more information: "Named after Abbot Benno Stumpf who arrived at St.Engelszell after being expelled from Abbey Mariastern during World War II. Under his leadership Stift Engelszell renovated its buildings and church which was built in the mid 18th century in a Rococo Style."

Well, that didn't tell me anything. I'm left with little more than my taste impressions. So, what is it? It's good beer and you can drink it.

Engelszell Gregorius Trappist Ale

Well, what to you know, there's an new Trappist brewery, from an Abbey that's been around since the 13th century, and this one isn't Belgian, it's Austrian (making it a "kloisterbrau"). But that doesn't mean that they're making Germanic-style brews, no, they're doing it Belgian-style. And here's the one they call Gregorius.


Stift Engelszell Gregorius Trappistenbier. Product of Austria. 9.7% ALC./VOL. Ale brewed with honey.

Appearance: rich caramel brown, with ruby fringes, under a lush tan head, stays strong, drifts down slowly.

Aroma: sweet and malty, toffee and caramel, plums and raisins, figs, and a bit of cherry in there, too. Complex and wonderful. The label didn't give a style, but based on nose and appearance, it's somewhere between a dubbel and a quadruple.

Taste: Starts slightly bitter, tasty hops doff their caps to us, then a funky twist emerges. Mostly malty, with a surprisingly hoppiness. Trappist yeast continues to contribute to the intriguing character. It's a very complex creature, and tremendously enjoyable.

Westmalle Trappist Tripel

Here's one of the good old good ones. I had my first bottle of this in one of my first ever trades, many years before the beer was available for purchase in Minnesota Took these notes in February of 2003, and I'm sticking with them:
Westmalle Tripel Trappist ale, 9.5 % ABV, 33 IBU, Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle, Malle, Antwepen, Belgium.


When many a brew are lauded for their boldness and brashness, it's wonderfully refreshing to sit down and savor a perfectly balanced product that soothes and mellows. Westmalle triple is just such a delightful ale.

Color is a hazy orange, and the head's a full, towering stack of crackling, lacey, creamy foam.

 Aroma is led by sugar and spice, followed by everything nice.

On my first sip: sublime! Utterly heavenly! Light, smooth, uplifting, dazzling in every way.
Some fruitiness comes through in the middle, peaches, orange, slight citrus. Hops are lively, malt is solid, and delivers more than sufficient sweetness.
My satisfaction grows with each rewarding sip. I feel that I ought to re-consider every beer I deemed "perfect" prior to this. Soft, smooth, mellow, with a dominant and delightful finish.

Can a beer be better than this, be more perfect than perfect?

La Trappe Isid'or Oak-aged Trappist Ale

La Trappe Isid'or Oak-aged Trappist Ale. 12.7 % fluid ounces. 7.5% ABV.

The first barrel-aged La Trappe brew was so expensive I steered clear of it. One I tasted it, I regretted that mistake and bought this bottle the very same day, similarly expensive. Sorry, but I forgot how much. Somewhere between $12 and $15. So, here's a regular Belgian-style pale ale from the Netherlands from an oak barrel. Let;s get to it. It's been sitting in my DBF (dedicated beer fridge) for about 3 months, and tonight's the night to tackle it.

Appearance: Deep, dark burgundy coloration, very slim, soon gone head.

Aroma: leaps right out at you, screaming …what? wine? bourbon? cognac? what barrel is involved here. It does not say. And I haven't even brought it up to my nose, I've only sat erect in my chair, with the aroma leaping out from the glass. Let's go in…whiskey? brandy? I just can't nail it. There was definitely something in those barrels, because I'm not just getting oak, plenty of richness, fruit, and booze oozing out of the nose. Grapes, berries, leather, plum, dates…tobacco, brandy, …yes.

Taste: the barrel's work greets the tongue faster than the base ale does. Lots of oak-y, barrel-y, I'm still not sure, but feeling very brandy/cognac-y like goodness. Very deep stuff, and deliriously delicious. The base beer is mild and lovely enough to buoy any barrel-ation. Plenty of dark fruit flavors mash up against plenty of booze . A brilliant blend.

Let's read the label a minute: "La Trappe Isid'or was specially brewed to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of Beerbrewery de Koningshoeven and was named after Brother Isidorus the first brewer of the O.L.V. Koningshoeven Abbey. The first brew of this ceremonial brew was aged in oak barrels. This aging ensures the balanced and rich taste of this unique, exclusive Isid'or Oak Aged."

La Trappe Dubbel

As you may know, part of this blog is covering my history. I've had a long history with La Trappe. Picked up a bottle of the dubbel yesterday, drank it down tonight, looking at my notes from March, 2003:


An old favorite, and, dagnabbit, I always stick by my first loves...
Deep cherry red color, creeping into a purple, and a great, creamy, long-lasting head. The aroma is thick, full and rich with fruit, fresh and uplifting, citrusy, soft, and vinous (meaning:grapey, grapey, grapey). Lively alcoholic notes, but,still thoroughly mellow. Texture is also delicious, and smooth, and, well, this is not too complex, actually juuuust right. Extraordinarily drinkable. This is deep, rich, full, utterly delicious, with a long and lovely finish. Small bitterness, huge, sweet, malt component. Spicy, and smooth, and, well, not dazzling, but dependably delightful.

...
here's my take on the Koningshoven bottling, from some time in '02:
Appearance: deep, dark brown, with a smallish head. Looks good for a dubbel, but I've seen better.
Aroma: just right for style, a lovely, sweet, rich, chocolatey, fruity melange of deliciousness. Toasty, tasty, hoppy, and loaded with mouth-filling maltiness.
Very smooth and drinkable. A fairly nice dubbel, probably a notch or so below the LaTrappe bottlings. But having recently sampled the higher tier of dubbels (westveletern & such), the bar has been raised for my palate. A more affordable version of a very satisfying style of ale.
Their new slogan is a tickle, too: "Taste the Silence." Sure, I'll be doing that just after I dance to the architecture!
------------------------------------------

there we have it, two reviews in one,

La Trappe Isid'or

La Trappe Isid'or, named for Isidorus, the first brewing monk in the history of the Konigshoeven brewery, was released several years ago (2009, I believe) for the brewery's 125th Anniversary. When it first came out, I went through about three kegs on tap at the Blue Nile, and took notes one night, but somehow lost them. Gone somewhere in the missing spaces in the internet.
I put it on again not too long ago, last year or the year before, and I kept meaning to re-review it, and never got around to it. Well, it's back, and the third time is the charm...I think...we'll see...doing it now, before I go home to take on the oak-aged version.

7.5 % ABV. Belgian-style pale ale, or strong pale ale?

The look: gorgeous burgundy, reddish-brown coloring, opaque, showing clearer at the foot of the glass, underneath a creamy off-white head of foam, a good 1/2 inch, long-lasting, looking great.

The aroma: I'm getting hops first, a particularly floral, herbal, fruity hop, grown at the monastery, called Perle. Apple and apricot with a caramel twist. Malt flavors linger here, too. Utterly pleasant and arrestingly simple in it's complexity.

The taste: Smooth plus rich. Totally even, completely cool, balance incarnate, but a wonderful blend of tingly, tangy hop sensations on the palate, with the herbal, fruity malt flavors. terrific mix. A maltier, bigger Belgian pale, close to a Belgian amber, but really a thing unto itself. This feels, to my memory, a bit different from when it was first released, but I could be completely wrong. Maybe I was expecting something bigger, thicker, boozier, perhaps, and was disappointed.

This review is a good place to include this photo taken by Bob Kreutzer of Hohensteins Distributing, of myself, Linda Haug, and Todd Haug, meeting Father Isaac of the Koningshoeven brewery, while he was on a bit of a tour for the 125th anniversay. The reception was at the Bulldog NE, and I was doing a very rare thing, which was getting up early(-ish) in the morning on a Saturday. I've yet to make it to Belgium or the Netherlands, so this was a rare chance to meet a brewing monk from a trappist monastery, who was able to shake off his vow of silence for this tour.

What this is, is excellent. If you're not chasing after trappist rainbows or Belgian unicorns, just relax and be happy, get lost and ....taste the silence. Yeah....

I like this beer a lot. you should have one.

La Trappe Quadrupel Oak-aged Trappist Ale

La Trappe Quadrupel Oak-Aged Trappist Ale. Product of Holland.

K22I 10 12:11 Batch 3. "Oak aged Quadrupel is matured in small barrels and is bottled by hand, resulting in pleasant variation from batch to batch and reflecting the living nature of an unfiltered, unpasteurized ale. We invite you to visit our website at www.latrappe.nl to learn more about Oak Aged Quadrupel, the brewery, Koningshoeven Abbey and our other Trappist Ales."  Oh, and…"Taste the silence"

Murky beige burgundy…plenty of carbonation, under a comfortable creamy solid head froth.

Aroma: Oak, vanilla, chocolate, toffee, warm, soft, wonderful.

Taste: soft, mellow, sweet, scrumptious. Caresses the mouth. Dark fruit, chocolate, incredibly mature, sophisticated, alcohol factor is fairly muted…beautifully blended.

Those are the notes I scribbled down while drinking half a bottle with a friend who graciously shared one with me after I told him that I had a hard time spending $15 on a single 12 ounce bottle of beer, no matter how good. I said that I would turn these into complete sentences or something later, but looking at them now, it says it all. Not much more to tell. It really is a wonderfully beer. One that I'd happily pay $15 for if it weren't a mere 12 ounces. What else need be said. It's all that and a little more.

Trappist Achel Bruin

Here's a trappist dubbel I haven't had in far too long. I'm posting notes from February, 2004


Light, reddish brown color, firm, proud, thick off-whitish head, lace-leaving.

Aroma: nutty, slightly sweet, minor caramel notes, small hints of spice, cocoa.

Taste: big, hoppy blast, quickly replaced by a full-ness of dark, rich malty flavors that totally dominates the palate. Rich, chewy, yeasty, sweet, just a trifle complex, even. A delicious melange of dark flavors, a well-matched blend of hops and malt. Very tasty. Medium to full in body, chocolatey finish, though brief, and overall enjoyable.
Not a bad dubbel, but not spectacular.
And tremendously overpriced in this instance, a whopping $5.69 for the bottle. Glad I tied it, but I won't be going back, when I can find dubbels just as good or better for a better price.

Make no mistake, though, a really tasty beer here!

------------

My current bottle cost about $6.50. I recant my previous caveat. There's aren't many better dubbels that are less expensive. Not if we're really honest with ourselves.

Brouwerij De Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren Abbot 12

Here's a rarity that occasionally comes into my life, and has to be saved and shared with friends, when I finally decide to open it. This bottle has been in my possession for at least two years, and was a "freebie" in a package with a painting of the bottlecap, which I purchased from the artist who I discovered via BeerAdvocate.com.

There are theories out there that it only falls at the top of the Best Beers in the World lists due it's scarcity, and the trouble involved with procuring a bottle. It only comes from the source, after one has made an appointment and given the monks your license plate number, for only one example. But once you taste, all doubt slips away.

This one was opened up at a gigantic, stupendous, incredible tasting hosted by my friends Dean and Rita at their hotel room in Duluth the night before the All Pints North beer festival. (Last night, as of this writing.) No one at the gathering had had it before, and all were taken with it's loveliness. It did come after some huge, heavy hitters, but our palates weren't so wrecked just yet, that we couldn't discern it's beauty.

Here, now, I share with you the notes from when I first tracked down this elusive treasure, way back in May, 2003, when I saved it for my 500th beer review on BeerAdvocate.com.

Appearance: deep, dark burgundy brown, rich as a raisin, with a fine reddish hue 'round the edges. Head is towering, huge, off-whitish color, and slow to sizzle down to size.

Aroma:....requires a new vocabulary! Deep, and heady, rich, full of fruit, grapes, raisins, plums, and spices, a very complex blend, soft, but sensual, deliriously so, and delicious, and the more I breathe it in, the more the flavors become pronounced, more is revealed here, pepper, anise, rich mollasses, rum, sweetness compounded by rich dark flavors...

Now to drink...I...um...serious contemplation is required, for I am seriously, honestly, taken aback by the force of, not only the alcoholic content, but the strong, full, bewitching flavor of this incredible ale! It staggers the senses! Honestly, I reel from it's effects and must wait until my consciousness can comprehend what is going on...many layers, many flavors, many ways that this incredible concoction can impact upon the senses.

I feel thoroughly slayed, laid waste, but utterly uplifted in my oblivion! Let the sword fall upon me more often, if the taste is as sweet!
Have I said heavenly already? No matter if I did, it's a truly transmogrific feeling, it is, and I could be in another galaxy, for all I care...fly me not to the moon, nor Jupiter, or the outer stars, but, merely wherever this impossibly exhilirating nectar may blossom...

Now that I have finally downed a simple sample of this much renowned ale, I can only say..."more, please!"

Westmalle Dubbel

Westmalle Trappist Dubbel Trappist Ale.
7 % ABV. 24 IBU.
Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle,




First got a hold of a bottle of this in January, 2004. Here's what I said then:

An eagerly anticipated sampling, a bottle set aside for many months to mark a special occasion...

Appearance: huge froth, to start, foamed everywhere, even over the keyboard, and 'scuse me while I mop up for a sec, will you, please?

Okay, the beer's calmed down a bit, and now we can judge it more suitably, perhaps...gorgeous garnet hue, nearly violet, deep ruby may be more like it, with a generous layer of foam atop, thick, plentiful, creamy, soupy, a dream to watch dwindle down...

Aroma: like sticking one's face deep down in a nest of ripe late-harvest fruits, and a bit from the vegetable side, too...a cornucopia in the nose, rich in cherries, and berries, grapes, and dates, and more that merely waits in the wings behind these major players...a deep, heady aroma, uplifting, otherwordly, luxurious! Damn, but it's well past time to drink, isn't it?

Taste: smooth, mellow, but oh, so much flavor, too, too much going on, too, too delicious, and I don't know where to start, actually, ...a rush of warmth, earthy fruitiness, plump and ripe and ever at home in the mouth. Mouthfeel? To capacity! Spices swim in, too, and envelope the senses, and dart about and add to the general sense of well-being felt everywhere that this brew touches. Another good gulp and I feel it again, this warm, spicy, earthy, deep, magical, tasty, fruity, magnificent....oh-my-goodness, sort of feeling...the malt is a wonderful buttress, and flavor-leader, too, but the hops, are a major contributor,as well, leading me to say, "screw it all, this is a perfectly integrated blend of all that's great in beer-land, isn't it?"

I have more to drink from this bottle, too, and could more, possibly, be gleaned from the last remaining drops that may color my perceptions before this sampling is done? Did I leave out minor notes of nuts and cocoa and coffee, just a stitch? But the point's made already, that this is among a rare subset of sublimity, and is so gorgeous that one is better off encountering it on rare occasions to make the meeting more special every time, I says.

Cheers to monks at Westmalle for creating this masterpiece!
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It's been a local option for many years now, and I always have bottles at the Nile. One of my all-time favorites.

Westmalle Dubbel is a dark, reddish-brown Trappist beer with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The creamy head has the fragrance of special malt and leaves an attractive lace pattern in the glass. The flavour is rich and complex, herby and fruity with a fresh-bitter finish. It is a balanced quality beer with a soft feel in the mouth and a long, dry aftertaste. 

La Trappe Quadrupel

Original notes from a bottle, Febrauary, 2003:

Big, creamy head. Dark burgundy color. Aroma: unbelievable! A smorgasborg of flavor and fruit, heavy on grapes, but also including subtle sensations of berries, melons, and a touch of citrus. Great, playful bitterness, lively, just-right carbonation. Long finish, the flavor sticks out, and holds on! 10%, and you can definitely taste it, but the well-balanced malt and hops cover up the sting some. Slight sourness near the end. All in all, one of a kind, in my opinion, and one of my all-time sentimental favorites.
If my ranking seems excessive, compared to some, I offer no apology or excuse. I simply cannot find fault, or wish for any change in this glorious brew!

That was my gushing, fannish blurb-ery way back when I was a gushing fan-boy. Shortly after, it disappeared due to some distribution and importing shuffles. Came back a few years ago as Koningshoeven, through Artisanal Imports, and just last year re-gained the right to call itself La Trappe.

Eight years later, having it on tap, and the Trappe is back! I can taste the silence, actually.Mmmm, silent-y....