BEER REVIEW: 416

BREWER: Abbaye N-D De Saint-Remy, Namur, Belgium 

STYLE: Belgian Ale 

ABV: 9.2%

VESSEL: 33cl brown bottle

DATE OF POST: 26th September 2025

 

JYMI SAY’S…

There is too much to mention here for me to go into a long elaborate made up (maybe) story. You’re here for a good time, not a long time, so I’m just going to get straight into it, as it were.

I was expecting great things from Rochefort 8 as it does come with a sound reputation, however, it did not quite hit the heights that I was expecting.

The nose – FANTASTIC! Spice, dark fruits, cherry, chocolate and that Belgian yeast!

The pour – now this is not something that I usually think about too much let alone write / report about. But TR8 made it so that I could not not mention it. This was a noisy pour! Very un-monk like! The carbonation on the forming head as the liquid made it’s journey from the brown bottle to the tulip glass was nothing short of wasps in a box. Most most odd I thought to myself. The loud two finger head that formed then dissipated in a matter of seconds. Curious, most curious, I thought to myself.

The sip – fizzy, but then totally uncarbonated in mouth. Not necessarily a bad thing but what the fk was going on here, I thought to myself.

The swallow – cloying (not in a bad way), with the continuation from the nose sensation. The spice, dark fruits, cherry and chocolate carried on to deliver in a big way. Now, though there is certainly a complexity to TR8 I’m not sure it really took me on a journey necessarily. It’s kinda like all the amazing flavours were there but they didn’t meander, intertwine or overlap.

The aftertaste – fine, good in fact, with the prominence of the aforementioned flavours still doing their thing. But it did not dance… and I wanted it to dance.

Good beer for sure but Jymi was expecting more.

 

FOOTNOTE: Once we had both tested, scored and written TR8, Sammy and I had a chat on the phone (as we do after completing our review of most brews) to discuss our views. I asked Sam what he thought about the noisy pour and quick to vanish head. This hadn’t happened to him. So, I’m wondering if I possibly had a bit of a duffer of a bottle. I don’t suppose we’ll ever truly know though, eh.

Jymi’s Rating: 76%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

There’s a hush to this pour, as if the bottle itself has been blessed. In the glass, it settles into a deep mahogany—almost opaque, but with a garnet glint if you hold it to the light, like stained glass catching dusk. The head is modest, tan, and fleeting, like the breath of a monk reciting vespers.

The nose is gentle but evocative: sweet malt with a dusting of cinnamon, like the scent of warm bread cooling on a stone sill. It doesn’t shout—it beckons. There’s a quiet promise of depth, of stories told in low voices over flickering flame.

On the palate, it opens like a velvet curtain: dark fruits—fig, prune, and raisin—unfold with the richness of a Christmas pudding left to steep in brandy. Subtle spices linger at the edges, never overpowering, just enough to evoke the memory of cloves tucked into orange peel. As the glass warms, chocolate notes rise like embers—soft, smoky, and bittersweet.

Mouthfeel is full and rounded, a gentle weight that encourages slow sipping. This isn’t a beer for chatter or clinking glasses. It’s for solitude, or quiet company. Imagine a tavern carved into stone, candlelight dancing on wood beams, a fire crackling low. Rochefort 8 belongs there—warming your hands, your chest, and something deeper still.

It’s not a session beer. It’s a ritual. A strong brew, yes—but not brash. It carries its strength like a monk’s robe: heavy, dignified, and woven with purpose.

Sammy’s Rating: 88%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 82%

MOB review next weekend: LONGLEAT BEST BITTER by STONE DAISY BREWERY

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2025