Resonant Constellation

Okay, my March beer review is a little late, but well worth it. This month saw many great beers imbibed, including Dechutes Brewery’s Hop Trip, Newcastle Brown, and Delirium Nocturnum. The beer I chose, however, for this month’s review is the Rochefort Trappist 10 °C.  This is an abbey Quadrupel brewed by the monks of the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy near the town of Rochefort.  15 monks live at the abbey and produce the beer through their incredibly secretive process.

Now to the beer itself: it has a dark brown hazy appearance with a substantial light brown head. The head took a while to fade and left nice lacing. The aroma is very complex with hints of various sweets, dried fruits, yeast, and a bit of alcohol. Flavor follows suit, but is much more intense with pronounced fruits and perhaps a hint of licorice. I’ve had other beers this complex, but none are nearly as well balanced as this-they just do it right.  In some respects, drinking this beer is like taking a huge bite out of a wonderfully moist fruitcake, but a fruitcake better than any fruitcake you’ve ever had-the One Fruitcake to Rule Them All.

My rating:
Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Flavor: 8/10
Palate: 5/5
Overall Impression: 17/20
Final Score: 84/100