Trappistes Rochefort 10
Trappistes Rochefort 10. 11.2 oz. bottle. Appearance: Poured at 55 degrees into an Ommegang chalice. It's a dark, deep, rustic cigar brown with a murky, swirling vortex of lethargic carbonation. A 1.5" clumpy, fragile mocha head plumes casually. Thick lacing coats the side of the glass. It's brooding, captivating, and just a little bit foreboding. Unfiltered dregs hang below the surface, suspended in the viscous substance. Oddly, I imagine it as a sort of fertile swamp -- lush, decaying but beautiful. And beneath the surface crocodiles and dangerous things lie brooding and alert. The drink almost creates its own ecosystem. Aroma: Dark, full brown sugar is prominent. Cocoa, raisins and herbal phenols. Thick and mesmerizing -- a canopy of heavy, warm, sweet aromas hangs inches above the dark brown pool of murky liquid. Taste: Peppery and medicinal. Alcohol warms on the tongue and transforms into a thick maltiness of dark bread and brown sugar. Hops are weathered and subtle -- grassy notes pull forward most noticeably. The alcohol is there -- warming but slightly hidden. It takes a while to notice its potent effect. The experience ends on a raisin and brown sugar note with a nip of carbonation that tickles the tip of the tongue. Flavor develops majestically in the background of the palate culminating in near perfection. Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy and slick. Rochefort 10 is medium to full-bodied and lush. Clearly, the exquisite mouthfeel was crafted by skilled hands and tempered minds Drinkability: At 11.3 % it would be dubious at best to recommend drinking too many of these. And yet, the alcohol is subtly sublimated beneath the transfixingly deep, sweet flavors that pervade the liquid. I want another, need another, and yet know I should not have another.