Okay, the completion of this Beer Mission is coming quite a bit later than I had planned, but I have finally sat down to complete it. I thought a bit about the best way to put my thoughts to "paper" and have decided to do sort of a head-to-head comparison.
| Brewer | Trappistes Rochefort | Trappistes Rochefort | Trappistes Rochefort | St Bernardus |
| Brew | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| Style | Belgian Strong Dark Ale | Belgian Strong Dark Ale | Belgian Quad | Belgian Quad |
| Alcohol | 7.5% (Not noticeable) | 9.2% (Hidden pretty well) | 11.3% (Warm alcohol feel with each sip) | 10.5% (Hidden very well) |
| Source | 11.2oz Bottle | 11.2oz Bottle | 11.2oz Bottle | 25.4oz Bottle |
| Glass | Orval Goblet | Westmalle Goblet | Westmalle Goblet | Large Wine Glass |
| Temp | 50 deg | 50 deg | 50 deg | 50 deg |
| Appearance | Cloudy light brown with a frothy tan head | Cloudy dark brown with a frothy tan head | Cloudy dark ruby red with a frothy tan head | Cloudy plum color with a gushing foamy white head. |
| Aroma | Some caramel and a little bit of sour fruit | Strong estery yeast with big notes of plum | Sweetest aroma of the four with notes of cherry and grape | Clove, anise, estery yeast, dark fruit and light notes of apple |
| Taste | Dry, mildly sweet with some apple and a small spice finish | Rich and sweet with warm fruit tones and a smooth fruity finish | Strong sweet grape, w/some "breadiness" and a light bitter finish | Sweet, smooth with some hints of anise and a sweet finish |
| Mouthfeel | Watery with medium carbonation | Slightly thicker than water with light carbonation | Syrupy with almost no carbonation | Watery with medium carbonation |
| Drinkability | I could drink more than one bottle. | One whole bottle is about my limit. | I could drink half a bottle. | Very, very drinkable. I could (and did) drink an entire 750ml bottle. |
| Notes | Lacks the rich and hearty attributes that I associate with the style | In my opinion, this is the quintessential Belgian Strong Dark | Rochefort 10 is very well thought of, but just doesn't suit my tastes and borders on too sweet for the style | I absolutely love the craftsmanship of this ale. |
| Score |
If you're new to these styles, let me make a note about drinkability. These are big, hearty ales that fill your belly and satisfy the taste buds. While technically they are all beer, they have about as much in common with a session beer as a Great Pyrenees does with a Chihuahua. These ales drink more like a glass of rich wine than a glass of Budweiser.
In closing, all four of these brews are good examples of fine Belgian ales and all four are well respected. While I can enjoy them all, St Bernardus 12 and Rochefort 8 are especially magnificent ales that leave little room for improvement. St Bernardus 12 was influential enough that I had to change my Sweet 16 and give it nearly top honors.
Mike, this was a great Mission, one that I throughly enjoyed!
Eis Igian,
Randall
