Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru Belgian Special Brown
330 mL crowned bottle, 9.5% abv. After uncapping, a slow, steady stream of foam snaked its way out of the bottle. A murky, reddish mahogany colored beer with a thin sandy ring inhabits the oversized wine goblet into which it was poured. I tried to avoid pouring the thick protein globules I could see floating in the bottom of the bottle, but they all started glugging out the mouth of the bottle, even with a slow pour, so I just said, "fuck it," and emptied the thing into my glass. Long story short: there's a ton of floating protein-yeast chunks in the glass. "Good," I guess? Anyway, aromas of cherry soda and prune juice predominate; a slight yeast scent and a scant vapor of alcohol show themselves as well. Cherry-prune juice blend with caramelized sugar added as an additional sweetener! Aftertaste of Bing cherry skins. Alcohol is mildly detectable in the taste, but the flavor profile is so big that it's most noticeable as a buzzy numbness on the tongue afterwards. Near the end, a characteristically "Belgian" yeasted flavor comes in as well. Mouthfeel is thick: syrupy with expansive carbonation that lightens it up a bit. Still pretty full-bodied, though, and not because of any slimy floaters! Although sweet beers are usually less drinkable on my scale, this one has enough funky Belgian yeast character to keep it extremely interesting. "Best Before End of 2008." A couple more years in a cool, dark place would probably meld the alcohol a bit more, making this one truly sublime. World class, and then some.