Abita Abbey Ale

This deep red cloudy brew is Abita's attempt at an Abbey. Belgium Abbey's are always extremely hard to recreate because so much of the recipe is local and, in the case of the water and yeast, usually unique to the monastery.

In any case, this ale passes the eye test with its beautiful dark red color and thick head( please ignore my bad pour in the pic). When I smell Abbey Ales, the sweetness of the malt and spiciness of the yeast typically dominate. The hops always take a back seat when it comes to aroma. This ale's aroma did not disappoint. Though the smell was not as intense as I expected, I was pleased by its caramel toffee scent.

I could taste a distinct citrus flavor immediately followed by caramel and then a slight bite of bitterness. I expected more of the allspice-like aftertaste you get from abbey yeast but I didnt get much of it. Overall the beer is a medium bodied , economically priced version of an Abbey that tastes exactly like your drinking a $3.50 version of a 22oz authentic Trappist. Considering a Chimay double will run you atleast $12, you should get my point.

Trappist Rochefort 8

This dark brown, hazy bottle of liquid gold is often considered the cream of the crop in Belgium. The local that introduced me to this brew literally dragged me to 4 different bars in search of this elusive concoction. It's not the rarest Trappist beer (18000 hl compared to Westvleteren's 4700 hl) and is not even the strongest of the brewery. Rochefort 10 is 11.3 % abv where Rochefort 8 is 9.2%. However it is, in my opinion, the best tasting. Rochefort 10 is extremely heavy and is best sipped at room temp. The water for the beers is drawn from a well located inside the monastery walls.


Rochefort 8 is considered a demi-sec (half dry) beer with a strong sweet aroma and a hint of fruitiness.

The taste is extremely complex but not as heavy as the alchol content might dictate. It is extremely sweet however after a second the fruitiness of the yeast and bitterness of the hops starts to dominate the sweetness.

The head is pretty weak yet creamy. Its color appears to be a combination of cream and tan.

Chimay Trappist Triple

Well I have survived my trip to Belgium and have brought back with me a lifetime of memories and the aftertaste of Abbey goodness. With few exceptions, I tried to stick with the heavier bodied full flavor beers of the region. The first Trappist beer I'm going to review is probably the most well known in the states, Chimay.

I have to admit I was not very impressed with the more common blue label but i decided to give the triple a try anyway. It exceeded my expectations with it's slightly aged caramel flavor that lasts about a second or two before the hoppy bitterness kicks in. Like most Belgian beers, balance is always emphasized. And since the alcohol content is slightly higher than what you would expect in domestic brews, the malts tend to be very heavy and sweet. To balance it out, the hops are always noticeable but never overpowering like you would get in a Pale Ale.

The head on this beer was extremely thick and milky-like. The yeast used in most Belgian style beers tends to lend itself to the fruity smell that also contains a bit of grass from the hops.
The flavor comes in layers. First its the caramel followed quickly by the bitterness. Once the beer passes the back of the tongue, the fruity aftertaste kicks in.

Though the alcohol content is 8%, it dosent have the dark body you would expect from a triple malted beer. That is due to the sweet Belgian candies that are added to the brew. The 25% sucrose that is contained in the candies add an interesting sweet flavor and also adds to the abv.
The beer is also double fermented. Its first top fermented and then bottle fermented using the candies.