Rochefort 6

THE REVIEW REVUE OF TRAPPIST ALES
REVIEW#3: ROCHEFORT 6 (Red Cap)

• Product Reviewed: Rochefort 6
• Brewed By: Brasserie de Rochefort, Abbaye Notre Dame de St. Remy
• Form Reviewed: bottle
• Date Reviewed: December 1998 & January 2001
• Style: Trappist ale
• Originally posted to Usenet: February 9, 2001
• Added to the Tasting Notebook: February 9, 2001

Initial Impressions:

This is the third review in my intermittent series on Trappist ales.  If I were organized, I would have moved on from the pair of Westvleteren 6’s to the 8 and 12, but I don’t have any available at this moment.  While I have notes taken on those two bad boys, the writing is a bit sketchy, leading to the obvious conclusion that my palate was not at its freshest.

The Rochefort 6 is difficult to find on both sides of the Atlantic.  Most places that serve Rochefort concentrate on the 10 and 8, but not offering the 6 is an oversight.  Like Westvleteren, Rochefort names their beers after the strength on the Belgian metric.  Also like Westvleteren, different colored crowns also distinguish the product line, with the 6 having a red cap, the 8 green, and the 10 blue.  Unlike Westvleteren, Rochefort has labels on the bottles.  Until recently, these were screened directly on the bottle.  Now, I find these only rarely, with traditional labels dominant.  The bottle that I am drinking as I write this review was purchased last Saturday at Bierkoning in Amsterdam.  I do not recall the price, but I am able to find the Rochefort 8 (f 3.10) and 10 (f 3.75) at the little market on the campus of the University of Twente.

Like most Trappists, this beer is highly carbonated, so once poured a foamy, rocky head immediately appears.  Head retention is excellent, and the inside of the glass is coated with its remnants.  The beer is hazy, and reddish brown in color. 

Nose:

Plums, malt, raisins, and hints of alcohol compete for attention in the nose.  A light spiciness is also evident.

Flavor:

A fluffy, moderate maltiness opens up the flavor profile, which then fades into some light plum and raisin notes.  Additional, more generic fruitiness is also evident at this stage.  The beer is highly carbonated, almost spritzy, which tends to dry out the overall profile, but if you pay close attention to your taste buds, you will notice a slightly sweet and plumy flavor that lingers for an exceptionally long time.

Final Analysis:

Maltiness is difficult to get a handle on.  Often, especially in the States, a strong malt component comes across as cloying.  Not so a well executed Trappist.  For lack of a clear description, the maltiness of beers like Rochefort and Westmalle comes across as fluffy and nuanced, not cloying or sticky.             

The perception of dryness combined with the delightful complexity of the flavor leads to a perilously quaffable beer.  Perilous, because at 7.5% ABV, this beer is a bit strong for a session beer.  But a session beer it aspires to be.

Rating:

 
(Quite excellent on my 5-star scale)