Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Hearty yeasty amber appearance with a thick finger of foam. Aroma is deeply fruity, with lots of raisin, plum, peaches, pears and dark chocolate. The body is robust though spritzy. The flavour is sweet, with chocolate, raisin, caramel, and many of the same fruits mentioned above. Lots of esters and residual sugars. Very rich and warming with a splash of alcohol at the back.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Crystal clear dark golden colour. Thick white fluffy head. I thought 'blanche' meant 'white' in flemish, but I guess not. This one looks nothing like a traditional white. Strong aroma of coriander seed, spices and wheat. Light-bodied; Very strong carbonation; Light in flavour, only a bit of the spice showing up, and hardly and malt. The alcohol is definately more noticeable than other whites, and the flavours are more sharp and one-dimensioned. Aftertaste is fairly bittered from the spices and malt. Overall, this beer is pretty good, but completely different than any other White...so don't expect a normal beer for the style. I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Norm's in Vienna, Virginia and sampled it at cellar temperature.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Spices and peaches on the aroma. Milky orange-yellow, big creamy head. Sweet wheaty flavors dominate, some spices - peppery aftertaste. Light body.
Sloefmans (15389) reviewed Grand Cru from Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Huge light-brown head, very creamy; muddy light-brown beer with a lot of flunky UFO. Nose of hops, roasted malts and nutmix. Very bitter taste with an outspoken nutty flavour, like nut-butter (hazelnut, pecan, sweet walnut, very oily). Thick mouthfeel, nearly oily. Long roasted aftertaste. Nice, thick, filling, syrupy. But - is it really that exciting and complex? I wonder about some rates equalling this to Westvleteren...
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Brune-Bruin from Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Pours a murky caramel brown, however, there are some drab brown tinges in there as well. Pretty dark stuff. Smells fairly stiff and pungent, but not overly aromatic (wow, i guess I am on my own here, though I did have a cold, I'll have to sniff some more of this soon!). Alcohol noticeable. Small fizzy brownish/yellow head. Bubbly and moderately clouded. Initially was quite carbonated and that added a harsh element to the palate. Beer begins with big hops flavors mixed in with lots of dry caramel and lush raisin. The caramel malt flavor continues to build up on the palette, growing sweeter with some chocolate covered cherry appeal towards the finish, maybe some raspberry in there too. Finish is soft and warm, some small hops flavors detectable, and a very unique roasted peanut flavor is faintly detectable. Moderately astringent flavor up front is my biggest problem, but as the beer warms and breathes, this dies off somewhat (though it never really loses its dry, loose initial flavor). More hops would help out up front, though the main body is medium full and perfectly malty. As I finished the bottle off over the next hour or so, it just got better. No cloyingness, great depth and still tastes great at almost room temperature. I definitely need to try terrible and then rerate the des Rocs Grand cru as well.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9.5
Pours with little head, but a nice lacing none-the-less, and an attractive amber color - extremely inviting aroma of flowers, perfume and fruits (cherries mostly) and candy - big time malt flavor, but not overly, sweet or cloying - fruit flavors of cherries and strawberries - chocolate, toffee, caramel and coffee - complex is an understatement - finishes with a touch of hops and a bready toastiness - deservedly in the top 50, but I'm not sure if it's any better than the Grand Cru.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Amber colour with a large dense tan head. Smells of sugar, caramel, fruityness and definately some cola. Full-bodied; Tastes of pit fruit, plentiful malt, residual sweetness and a definate alcohol kick. Aftertaste of malt (a bit bittering) and spices (most notably): nutmeg and anise. Overall, a great beer that I wasn't expecting to find, but was pleasantly surprised. Worth trying if you can find it...or if you are in Washington at the Brick! I shared this 12 ounce bottle with good friend Jon (JonR888710) at the Brickskeller in Washington, D.C. on 26-August-2003.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
A clear orange beer with a beutiful cream colored head. The aroma is dominated by sweet fruit with coriander notes. The flavor is prickling fresh in the beginning, then it conains notes of oranges, yeast, and coriander on a nice sweet background. It ends on a prickling (alcohol?) slight bitter note combined with a wheaty dryness. A lovely wit. I'm definately coming back for this.
jgb9348 (11828) reviewed Brune-Bruin from Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Finally, this one is mine...after tasting the Grand Cru and loving it, seeing that this one is rated higher, I expect even more from it! The pour was very nice...a very hazy brown colour with a thick slightly off-white head. Typical of the good belgies, tons of very small bubbles rise from the sides of the glass. The smell....simply stated, phenominal. Slightly musty, toffee, pit fruits, caramel and even pepper are noticable. The flavour is musty, malty and pretty sweet. Not the depth and complexity I really expected, but the flavours I do pick up are pretty good. Some sugars (both caramel and chocolate) are noticable as well as some spicyness. The aftertaste is a bit drying. Definately a top 50 beer, but I don't know if I would classify it as a top 10. Either way, a good beer to be sampled by all of you guys! I had this in a 750 mL bottle (i'm sure its the only way its available), which I bought from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York.
jgb9348 (11828) reviewed Grand Cru from Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
The beer pours a nice dark brown colour, with a thin off-white head. The aroma is fantastic...very complex with mostly fruit smells and also sugar ones. The tastes was equally as good...very sweet taste with very strong notes of ripe fruits and caramel flavours. The aftertaste was complex as well, showing signs of heavy malt and even a subtle spicyness to finish out the beer. A medium-bodied beer which has a moderate amount of carbonation. I'm glad I got to try the 'Grand Cru' out first, so I can see where the normal Abbaye Des Rocs rates compared to this. Definately one worth picking up though!