Family Belgian Ale Style Dark Belgian Ale
Country Belgium ABV 9.2%
Price $$$$$ Packaging 11.2oz/330ml, 25.4oz/750ml bottle
Characteristics Bitter, strong, unusual, yeasty

Overview Belgian brewers seem to love bottle caps. Rochefort uses a different cap color for each beer (this is the green cap; Rochefort 6 is red). Ultra-rare Westvleteren does away with labels entirely, using caps as the sole source of external information.

Flavors and aromas This is a difficult beer to assess, with two of three bottles exhibiting a deep, sour funk—our third bottle finally showed some of the dark sugars and spices one might expect from a traditional dark Belgian ale. Dark caramels, sassafras, and light fruity esters mingle with moderately apparent alcohol and very mild cider vinegar notes. The finish is a bit hot and has a touch of sweetness not present in the palate. Spices outweigh esters here, and this is an intensely warming beer.