I have previously had (and reviewed) both the 6 and the 8, but the 10 is supposed to be the cream of the crop, so I can’t wait to get this in a glass and see if it lives up to the hype.
I’m going to have to revert to ratebeer.com to find any kind of description on this beer because the website, http://www.abbaye-rochefort.be/, is written in French and Dutch.
The top product from the Rochefort Trappist brewery. Dark color, full and very impressive taste. Strong plum, raisin, and black currant palate, with ascending notes of vinousness and other complexities.
Let’s do this!!!
This brew comes in an 11.2 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 11.3%.
The Rochefort 10 poured a very hazy, murky, dark brown to burgundy color. An off white head was poured to a decent size, but it was very fizzy and “soda like”. The retention time was minimal and the lacing was not all that great, although it did leave behind some significant alcohol feet on the sides of the glass.
The nose was outstanding!!! Deep, dark fruits of grape, figs, plums and prunes. It, literally, smelled like plum pudding. Very bready and very yeasty too. Hints of a baked, doughy pie crust along with spices of clove and a slight tone of apple butter. Maybe a little bit of rum in there too. The alcohol note was well balanced and never got in the way. This nose is extremely harmonious, robust and complex. Wow!!!
The taste seemed to bring out a lot more spice than did the 6 or the 8. Very “clove like” with a heavy jolt of alcohol at first. Once it settled, the dark fruits started to explode. Tons of dates, prunes, raisins (grapes) and plums. You name it…. it’s in there. It was very sweet, although the richness was counterbalanced by copious amounts of breadiness and yeast . I even started to receive a slight bit of caramel sugar. The bitterness seemed subdued, but enough was there to give the tongue an slight tickle. This taste is “world class” in my opinion. Rich and bold.
The mouthfeel was medium bodied with a great amount of carbonation. It was smooth, chewy and suitably dry. It completely inundated the palate with flavor. A welcomed warmth and only a very light, easy going burn was noticed from the alcohol. Very nice I must say.
Man. This is a great little beer. Now, I love the 8, but the 10, for me, gets the slight nod as being better. The appearance may not have been the best that I’ve ever seen, however the aroma and the taste more than make up for any lack of the other characteristics. I can definitely see why so many people rave about this beer. It is superb. I would love to find a bottle of Westy 12 and compare the two. I’m sure you couldn’t go wrong with either one. This is a sipper, so the drinkability is not the greatest, but there is no need to rush through this thing. Let it sit and develop because it only gets better and more complex as you go along. If you have yet to try this brew. I would highly recommend it. I don’t think that you will be disappointed if you favor the Belgian style of beers. Be sure to let me know what you thought of it if you have sampled it.
Thanks for reading and commenting folks. I appreciate all of the support. I would love to hear some feedback on what you think of the blog and if there is any area that you think I might be able to improve upon. I want it to be the best it can be.
Until next time. Cheers.
Score: 4.65 out of 5
Grade: A+
Beer Apprentice - Craft Beer News, Reviews, Interviews and Info. 
Stephanie Suratos
December 19, 2011 at 6:28 pm
I agree that it's the best out of the three. One of my go-to brews 🙂
Stephanie Suratos
December 19, 2011 at 6:28 pm
I agree that it's the best out of the three. One of my go-to brews 🙂
Scott Shrewsberry
December 19, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Stephanie,
Yeah. It was a super good brew. Definitely one that I'm going to have to pick up again and again.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
December 19, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Stephanie,
Yeah. It was a super good brew. Definitely one that I'm going to have to pick up again and again.
Cheers,
Scott
Anonymous
December 20, 2011 at 12:29 am
Great blog – thanks. We're the US importers for Rochefort, and we have a Rf 10 page on our site:
http://www.merchantduvin.com/brew-rochefort-trappist-10.php
Cheers,
-Craig
Anonymous
December 20, 2011 at 12:29 am
Great blog – thanks. We're the US importers for Rochefort, and we have a Rf 10 page on our site:
http://www.merchantduvin.com/brew-rochefort-trappist-10.php
Cheers,
-Craig
Scott Shrewsberry
December 20, 2011 at 4:59 am
Anonymous,
Thanks for the compliment and the read. It's much appreciated. I'll be sure to check out that link also. Thank you guys for distributing those great beers.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
December 20, 2011 at 4:59 am
Anonymous,
Thanks for the compliment and the read. It's much appreciated. I'll be sure to check out that link also. Thank you guys for distributing those great beers.
Cheers,
Scott
clueless_brewer
December 20, 2011 at 12:44 pm
I will take a Rochefort 10 over a Westvleteren 12 any day of the week. I know I'll take flak for that but I think far too many people are simply wow'd by the rarity factor of Westvleteren.
Cheers mate!
clueless_brewer
December 20, 2011 at 12:44 pm
I will take a Rochefort 10 over a Westvleteren 12 any day of the week. I know I'll take flak for that but I think far too many people are simply wow'd by the rarity factor of Westvleteren.
Cheers mate!
Scott Shrewsberry
December 20, 2011 at 1:46 pm
clueless_brewery,
Thanks for reading and adding a comment. I really appreciate it. As far as the Westy 12. I would love to try one and do a side by side with the Rochefort 10. Actually, you are not the first person I've heard say that they like the 10 better than the Westvleteren. I hope that when the Westvleteren begins to be distributed here in American next year that I'm able to find a bottle. I would love to be able to make my own decision. Haha.
Be sure to check back from time to time. I try to post daily. Some brews are good…. some not so much, but I sure am having fun trying all of them.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
December 20, 2011 at 1:46 pm
clueless_brewery,
Thanks for reading and adding a comment. I really appreciate it. As far as the Westy 12. I would love to try one and do a side by side with the Rochefort 10. Actually, you are not the first person I've heard say that they like the 10 better than the Westvleteren. I hope that when the Westvleteren begins to be distributed here in American next year that I'm able to find a bottle. I would love to be able to make my own decision. Haha.
Be sure to check back from time to time. I try to post daily. Some brews are good…. some not so much, but I sure am having fun trying all of them.
Cheers,
Scott
Leurne
December 21, 2011 at 8:52 am
Hi! Nice article, really interesting! I live in near to Belgium in France and we can find easily this beer (in fact, when I go in the North of France, to my job, I go nearly to the Abbey). So I think I'm really lucky ^^ Is it difficult to find it in US?
Leurne
December 21, 2011 at 8:52 am
Hi! Nice article, really interesting! I live in near to Belgium in France and we can find easily this beer (in fact, when I go in the North of France, to my job, I go nearly to the Abbey). So I think I'm really lucky ^^ Is it difficult to find it in US?
Scott Shrewsberry
December 21, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Leurne,
Thanks for the compliment!!! That means a great deal to me. As far as the ease of availability in finding the Rocheforts…. it's pretty easy for me. My bottle shop usually has several bottles in stock at all times.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
December 21, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Leurne,
Thanks for the compliment!!! That means a great deal to me. As far as the ease of availability in finding the Rocheforts…. it's pretty easy for me. My bottle shop usually has several bottles in stock at all times.
Cheers,
Scott
leurne
December 23, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Oh… You are lucky… I'm interesting to see how is an American bottle shop… Could you take some picture, or write an article about it?
Otherwise, it's easy for you to find belgian beers, but for us, to find American beers… It's just horrible and really difficult…
leurne
December 23, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Oh… You are lucky… I'm interesting to see how is an American bottle shop… Could you take some picture, or write an article about it?
Otherwise, it's easy for you to find belgian beers, but for us, to find American beers… It's just horrible and really difficult…
Scott Shrewsberry
December 23, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Leurne,
First, thanks again for checking back in on the blog. Second, I have written a blog post on the bottle shop that I go to the most. It's listed on the left hand side of the page under “popular post” as “My Trip to Chuck's Wine and Spirits” and also on the right hand side under labels as “Beer Shopping”. I think you may like it. Check it out if you have a minute or two.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
December 23, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Leurne,
First, thanks again for checking back in on the blog. Second, I have written a blog post on the bottle shop that I go to the most. It's listed on the left hand side of the page under “popular post” as “My Trip to Chuck's Wine and Spirits” and also on the right hand side under labels as “Beer Shopping”. I think you may like it. Check it out if you have a minute or two.
Cheers,
Scott
clueless brewer
December 23, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Hiya Scott,
A not-so-widely known fact is that Brouwerij St. Bernardus brewed Westvleteren's beer under contract beginning back in 1946, I believe. As a matter of fact, St. Bernardus still uses the original Westvleteren yeast. Westy themselves have switched to a Westmalle yeast.
Basically, the St. Bernardus Abt 12 and Westvleteren 12 are strikingly similar with only very subtle differences between them. So if you want a pretty solid idea of what to expect from a Westy 12, pick up a St. Bernardus Abt 12.
Cheers, mate!
clueless brewer
December 23, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Hiya Scott,
A not-so-widely known fact is that Brouwerij St. Bernardus brewed Westvleteren's beer under contract beginning back in 1946, I believe. As a matter of fact, St. Bernardus still uses the original Westvleteren yeast. Westy themselves have switched to a Westmalle yeast.
Basically, the St. Bernardus Abt 12 and Westvleteren 12 are strikingly similar with only very subtle differences between them. So if you want a pretty solid idea of what to expect from a Westy 12, pick up a St. Bernardus Abt 12.
Cheers, mate!
Scott Shrewsberry
December 23, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Clueless Brewery,
Thanks for the info my friend. I, unfortunately, have never had a St. Bernardus either, but it's good to know that they are similar beers. I'm sure I will happen upon one or the other at some point.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
December 23, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Clueless Brewery,
Thanks for the info my friend. I, unfortunately, have never had a St. Bernardus either, but it's good to know that they are similar beers. I'm sure I will happen upon one or the other at some point.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Cheers,
Scott
leurne
December 23, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Yes, I've already heard something about this subject, westvleteren is nearly the same that St bernardus 12. I dont exactly remember but I heard some story about it: both are linking… After search a little bit, it was in the saint bernardus brewery that they brewed Westvlteren.
But I don't thing this two beers are close…
leurne
December 23, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Yes, I've already heard something about this subject, westvleteren is nearly the same that St bernardus 12. I dont exactly remember but I heard some story about it: both are linking… After search a little bit, it was in the saint bernardus brewery that they brewed Westvlteren.
But I don't thing this two beers are close…