The Smallest Rochefort Still Strides Like a Giant

Rochefort 6
Abbey St. Remy, Rochefort, Belgium
333 mL
Sampled: April 23, 2008

The most rarely-seen brew in the Rochefort triumpherate is also the lightest.

However, light in this family of ales is a relative term – it weighs in at 7.5 percent ABV, more than enough to kick the ass of most mass-market beer drinkers.

Of course, compared it its brethren, the 8 and 10, that practically makes it a session ale.

The Rochefort 6 pours less deeply brown, although its initial foamy head condenses nicely with the wispy lace.

Slightly effervescent, the nose is loaded with cherries, oak and dark chocolate (in that order). A blunted molasses covers the pepperiness of the alcohol that really wants to break out, but fortunately, fails to. Raisins and prunes make their presence known with the chocolate. Don’t expect the taste of a double chocolate stout – it’s more a mix of baker’s chocolate and the dark, flavanoid rich types. Those dark fruit and dessert flavors dominate right up to the finish, when the chocolate comes back into the picture, albeit with an amped up bitterness.

Since all the Rochefort ales are variations of the same recipe, this doesn’t drastically differ from the others. Given their track record, that’s a plus.

The Rochefort 8 will produce a warm belly and decent buzz on eight ounces. Rochefort 10 contain enough alcohol to tranquilize an agitated rhino. Rochefort 6 makes a fine nightcap. While lighter than the others, its nose is much more fragrant and aggressive.

Even with a 6, you can’t go wrong with Rochefort.

Rating: 9/10

FDR's greatest contribution

You can have Social Security, his public works program, the SEC and his whole laundry list of accomplishments, but none were more critical during the Great Depression than ending Prohibition, which officially concluded 75 years ago today.

An America without any legal alcohol is hard to fathom. But it last for more than a decade, fueling speakeasies and organized crime, the end result of suddenly banning nearly any commodity.

Roosevelt even said, "It would be a good time for America to have a beer." This was unlike his predecessor, Herbert Hoover, who was known to stop off at the Belgium embassy, where he could imbibe legally while no one else could (embassies are technically territory of their home country, so it was subject to Belgian law, not American temperance).

So if you're drinking tonight, remember that it wasn't always so simple.

April Ales Tell Complex Tales

Triple Your Pleasure with Gouden Carolus

Het Anker Brewery, Mechelen, Belgium
9 percent alcohol by volume
750 mL corked bottle
Sampled: April 5, 2008

I only knew this brewery from its phenomenally strong, dark seasonal Grand Cru of the Emperor, but my love of Triples drew me in. What a passionate nose – literally. Banana, mango, burnt orange, tangerine and other fruits emanate from this orange-gold ale with its thick spongy head and creeping lace that hugs the glass all the way down.

Late great beer guru Michael Jackson was correct – the orange dominates, but an odd mix of ripe fruit, mainly fig, infiltrates the body character. The finish is mostly medicinal; its strong coriander tones mingle with a root bitterness indicating licorice.

The stiff, dry orange and spice bouquet have a chaste quality unusual for Triples – the passion fruit backs off, save the orange and banana, then the dryness rules the flavors until the herbal finish kicks in. It’s a different richness, but this Triple is better for it.

With the standard deceptive Triple alcohol content – 9 percent by volume – this monster can stealthily approach the unaware drinker.

The strong herbal presence in the finish, deeply complex nose and dry orange-spice character merge into a Triple on par with the best Trappist versions, such as Westmalle. Among secular Belgian brewers, this is a king among Triples.

Rating: 9.5/10

Pitch-perfect stout from Down Under
Cooper’s Brewery Best Extra Stout
6.8 percent alcohol by volume
Sampled: April 6, 2008

Cooper’s starts with a perfect stout nose – oak, vanilla and roasted chocolate tussle for elbow room, but manage to find a balance in which all gently coexist.

The roasted character will come back to dominate in the body, with already-introduced chocolate matched with nuts and toffee but none of the dark fruits that drive heavier stouts.

The finish comes slightly bitter and surprisingly effervescent. Maybe it’s a Cooper’s trademark – even though effervescence would be the only connection between the stout and the brewery’s powerhouse sparkling ale.

With the pleasant, oily texture, this stout simply cruises, possessing all the drinkability that lower-alcohol stouts offer.

Forget about Foster’s – if there’s any justice in this former penal colony, Cooper’s is Australian for beer.

Rating: 7.5/10