After all this way, at last I manage to try out The Westvleteren Trappist beer. This beer are always in my bucket list. I have goose bump opening the bottle. My heart is jumping up and down, that’s how excited that finally I’m able to try this beer!

Trappist Westvleteren 8
Nose:
Can smell the complex malty with herb/spice and light sour plum.

Taste:
The entry is carbonated with herb sweetness. Light grassy and have that dot of finishing of sour plum. As you drink a long the bitter of grassy hops do stand out a bit. A complex flavour and vapour of sweetness that come with light herbs kinda way.

Verdict:
Interesting flavour combination. This beer have been kept for 3 years, the beer is balance with flavour and aroma which really make it a good beer.

Trappist Westvleteren 12
Nose:
The nose is complex with sweet and pleasant fragrant of bouquet. Bubble gum like with petrol. Sound weird but this is how I felt.

Taste:
The carbonation of the beer is lovely. The entry have this biscuit/cookie like sweetness with nice carbonation. Can taste a light alcohol at the end. The beer character is complex with changes of taste. Can get a nice bouquet of after taste.

Verdict:
At last, after all this year I able to try it. I start to understand why all this beer is best kept for few years before you drink it. I think the 12 can keep for few more years to make it more rounded and balance. The taste and flavour are good.

I still have 1 bottle of 12 at home. Now I know what I’m storing and know the potential of the beer when it fully mature. Surprisingly the flavour will be more balance and the taste will be great. The next pose about this beer will be few years from now. By then I believe this beer will still give me the goose bump when I drink it. Thanks to Eiling for sharing this awesome beer with me! Cheers!

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Rochefort 8
Origin: Belgium
website: http://www.trappistes-rochefort.com/
Tried: 7th NOV 2009, dinner
With: fried udon

Strange about getting what you wish for.. after reviewing the chimay and orval .. i was thinking mm.. maybe something lighter than the chimay so it could go with food but sweeter and more flavourful than then orval would be good… so came the Rocherfort 8 ..

It is strong beer and brewed with 9.2% alcohol- if you want to laugh at it. the first impression was that it was not as thick as the chimay and and more bubbly like the orval.. I don’t know if this is supposed to be so, or I did not keep the beer well but there was relatively no head at all… maybe when it is bubbly it has less head.. mmm.. (let me know if you have the answer)

and what can I say, it is precisely in between the other 2 beers. Just like a good compromise. It is not overly thick so you can have it with food, it is strong and fruity but not overwhelmingly strong… and it is bubbly and thus gave you less of the creamy “filling” sensation but more of a thirst quenching feeling. BUT still thick compared to a pils or lager!

The spoiler however is my udon (wishes are never perfect!!). It was a tad too salty.. ok, it was too salty.. so I was gulping down the beer which was strong and my over salted udon and as if fighting on who tasted stronger.. it was –blleeehhh, so I decided to just finish the udon, drank some milk and went back to my beer.. Would have been much better with some milder food like sushi or really strong snacks like the wasabi peas or similar.. it is just again one of those beer that you stand on a bar, drink and chat.. because it has character of its own- food just kinna spoils it.

I still would say, I’d prefer the Chimay because I like them thick and creamy but if I had to eat or the weather is a bit warmer I think Rochefort is a far more flexible beer.

I like the label btw, love this sort of “made at home” feel.. hahaha it has that unconventional not made for mass market, professional feel (aka something I designed when I was 13).. and I mean it in a good way.. Long live quirky self-designed beer labels!!

cheers!

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