Trappistes Rochefort 10 is transcendent

This is the granddaddy, the Big Kahuna, the 2nd not fully operational but secretly operational death star whose shields are still up. Karl and David have built up to a very high level of expectation. I actually wish they would've oversold the damn thing because the Rochefort 10 would still surpass any description they could give.

Last week we tasted the Rochefort 6 and 8 and they were pretty blissful. The 10 follows their tradition; it's sweet, rich and not as heavy as a what I'd think an 11% would be. It's so easy to drink! I'm not sure how else to describe this other than its divinely made. I'm slobbering all over the couch like a bulldog. I'd like drink a sixer of these, but at 11% I'd be out of my mind.

YOU MUST try this beer if you've never had one.  BAD BOYS rating.

Karl asks this question, "What other 11% beer, or beer in general, tastes as good as this? You'll be hard pressed to find one."

Trappistes Rochefort 8 steps up the goodness

Karl is over again two nights in a row (Karl's presence is always a pleasure, never a chore) to drink beer 2 of 3 from Rochefort, the 9.2% alcohol Rochefort 8. 

Only the best company for my new book

The 8 is simply a bigger bodied and badder version of the 6. It's hard to explain but it's even though the 8 is essentially the same beer as the 6 - only bolder - somehow the additional alcohol and body make a huge difference in flavor.

Another interesting note is that I can taste the alcohol. Usually I take points away for not masking the booze, but here it's not a bad thing. Because both beers are so smooth, the alcohol adds an edge to the 8 that the 6 didn't have and I dig it. It's like after I grew a beard, people actually notice me. It's probably because I'm so dark and mysterious...but it's more likely because I look like the Brawny Man in my plaid pearl snap shirts. And I'll take it! I mean, have you seen Ax Men on Discovery Channel? BAD BOYS rating.

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So I ordered two beer books from Amazon last week, and one of them was the Designing Great Beers textbook (as I'll call it). It's marks the next step forward in my burgeoning home brewing experience. I received it today and I've already poured through a decent hunk of the material and it's pretty fascinating. The author breaks down the science of brewing, which wasn't my forte, because I'm more of a history guy, but I plan to make an exception. Karl joked that if I applied as much effort to studying beer as I did studying in college, I wouldn't currently be such a waste of space / bum. Dammit, Karl's always right.

This book, I think, will radically challenge what I perceive to already know about brew and about what beers I want to make in the future. Time to dive in get serious about this stuff. 

Is Trappistes Rochefort 6 the first step on the gateway to beer nirvana?

Karl finishes one of his big finals tonight (one of several this week) and we're celebrating with the best. Rochefort is one of the seven Trappist ales and it makes three ales of varying strength from essentially the same recipe. Tonight we start at the bottom with Rochefort 6 which is 7.5%. Rochefort 10 is 11.3% alcohol and is the second highest rated Belgian Strong Dark Ale on BeerAdvocate.

David is disbelieving that I've never had Rochefort (his favorite beer) but Karl only had it for the first time within the last couple months. For me, the best is still to come.

Rochefort next to my Belgian IPA and Belgian Red home brews

Rochefort 6 represents only 1% of the Abbey's production and it's relatively hard to find. Like all Trappist breweries, the monks only make enough to support the Abbey and a few charitable causes, so they never feel the need to increase production to meet demand.

Biscuit road and chocolate malts, this taste is interesting. I feel these are elements you find seperately in Belgian Pale and Belgian Dark ales, but rarely combined. The sweetness is keyed down and it's very drinkable. Overall I find even the littlest brother to be very different than other trappist beers. It's a rich and dessert-ish beer. The #8 and #10 are bigger and badder and I'm really looking forward to them. THE ROCK rating.

 

Karl feels that drinkability is the key characteristic of the 6. If he could make money rain, he could drink this all day. Karl also told us about some research he did, which is to pour what little you leave in the bottle after your initial pour, the yeast and sediment (etc), into a shot glass and drink it. I think it's supposed to aid in something, maybe digestion? I forget. Monks are shamans for Jebus though, so I'll take their word for it and shoot it back!