The temperature has come down where I'm living, so much so that it's somewhat chilly to go outside.
Therefore I have chosen a fullbodied beer which will warm my very soul to review tonight, the Rochefort 8.
About the beer style
It's not easy to put a style upon a Rochefort 8. It's a dark Trappist, so at first glance you'd say a double. Yet the whopping 9.2% ABV is somewhat high for a double. It is dark, but not dark enough to be a stout. (nor does it taste like one)
I've seen it referred to as a massive ale, but that would be a better description for it's bigger brother, the Rochefort 10, which has 11,3% ABV.
It's the history of this beer which will clear up the style for us: This beer saw the light somewhere in the 50's, (sources vary between 54 and 55) as a Christmas beer.
These tend to be beers which are strong, and warming, and are somewhat on the sweeter side. It had such succes that from the 60's on it was sold all year round.
Rochefort 8 is in a style of it's own, but Christmas beer gives you a good hint of what to expect, though it's not spiced, unlike most Christmas beers.
The beer itself
This beer is an experience from the moment you remove the bottle cap. A fruity smell will come towards you as you take the bottle in hand to start pouring.
When you pour it, a rich lightbrown foam will develop. In the picture I posted above, this foam is quite coarse, with large bubbles, but that is my fault. In my desire to shoot a good picture I poured too fast. When poured slightly slower, the foam is fine and creamy.
The colour of the beer is regular brown, but not black (if you'd hold it towards a light source, the light will come through)
The foam will gradually drop, but it will leave a covering film on the top of your beer for over an hour. Below you can see a picture of this, in it's original chalice shaped glass.
And than it's on to the beer itself:
Aroma
As I already described above, this beer has lots of aroma. When poured at a correct temperature (not from the fridge, but atleast 8°C, higher if you like it) you will discover a lot of fruit in the nose. Most distinctive is the aroma of bananas. Below the bananas there are other exotic fruite like pineapple but there's also a delicious toasted aroma, like fresh baked cookies straight out of the oven.
The taste
After the aroma comes the taste, but first, I want to describe the mouthfeel. The main component of any beer remains water, so it's natural that a beer should feel watery, but this one, like quite a few other trappists, doesn't. It has a somewhat thicker, more velvety feel to it. Somewhat midway between a Guiness and a pilsner. It is a comforting, luxurious sensation to roll this beer around your jaws and tongue.
The flavour of this beer is intense, and immense. There is biscuit, there is some caramel. That is at the very start. In the middle of the taste, still before you swallow, the rock sugar starts to come through. The label of this beer mentions the use of sugar, and it is a typical ingredient in this kind of beer to make use of dark rock sugar
This flavour continues to grow, without becoming overpowering, reaching a nice balance with the exotic fruits which I mentioned in the aroma.
The aftertaste
The pineapple is the first thing which again comes to mind when this beer is let through. Other sweet flavours start to develop, and as you breathe out through your nose, you'll notice the warming effect of the alcohol in your throat. Try to savour this breath as you breathe out, and you will find something chocolaty as well.
The aftertaste will remain in your mouth for a very long time. The feeling in your mouth is also magnificent. This is a sweet beer, without being cloying, or something you'd consider "for women and children" but the sugar leaves just a hint of stickiness in your mouth, creating a relaxing sensation.
Food pairing
Ofcourse you can drink this beer on it's own, but pairing beers with food is becoming a thing all around the world, and why shouldn't it, In beer there is a far wider range of flavours than in wine, there is a beer for every dish.
The Rochefort 8 as you probably already suspect is a beer which goes great with warm desserts, especially those containing banana. It will also combine great with cold sweet desserts which have some power (like tiramisu or chocolate mouse), but I wouldn't serve it with a refreshing dessert like a fruit salad.
If you're interested in trying something a bit more edgy, it will go well with rich meat stews, and it is also a great if unconventional accompaniment to blue cheeses.
This beer was a Trappist beer, as is proven by the "Authentic Trappist Product" logo on the bottom right of the label. If you are interested in what exactly is necessary in order to call a beer a trappist, read my post about it:
https://steemit.com/food/@walkerlv/what-is-a-trappist
And with that, I bid you cheers!