Trappiste Rochefort 8 – a Cistercian Classic

. Only 7 breweries in the world are allowed to genuinely call their beer – Trappist. The most prominent of these is undoubtedly Chimay, but Trappiste Rochefort is probably the second most prominent. The formal name of Trappists that brew the trio of 6, 8 and 10 is the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance. These monks follow the Rule of St.Benedict, which was written in about 500AD. THe Rule is pretty long, but the summary is pray, pray some more and engage in manual labour. Because this order was around in the early days, the manual labour needed to result in food and drink to keep the monks praying. For whatever reason, beer was the drop of choice.

The Rochefort Abbey is still home to a brewery operated by monks. The commercial nature seems to be a contradiction, but like an RSL Club, as long as the proceeds are plowed back in to the monastery – it’s cool. The monks are very protective of the brewing process and not much is known by beer geeks about the ins and outs.

I’m not a beer geek – I just know that this is a super beer. The 8 is actually less meaty than the 6, which I had in Beijing. An old style dark beer – its colour is wonderfully deep, almost ruby. The taste is concentrated without that thick, almost viscous, feel that the 6 definitely had (not that that was bad). Even though it is a hefty 9.2% alcohol – this is not an overwhelming beer. The pleasant bitterness remains long after it has slid down the gullet – and it is a pleasure to drink a glass over a long time.

Only the 10 to go.

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