The beer from one particular country always goes straight to my memory cells and conjures up rich malty beer in dark poky wood-panelled pubs. So for this month's Session I'm going with one from this genre which I've never tried before.
The country, of course, is Belgium, and the beer is Rochefort 6. I was a little apprehensive that this baby Trappist might not offer the full strong Belgian ale experience, but the 7.5% ABV claim on the label gave me confidence. It pours a translucent ruby-brown shade with the very typical soft fluffy Belgian head. The aroma is spice, incense and violets, though with none of the heady alcohol vapours I was expecting.Even though the body is light and the flavour full of sweet fruit and candy rather than earthy malt, this still took me straight back to Belgium on the first sip. It's something about the soft carbonation, the long long plum aftertaste and the slow-burning alcoholic warmth that speaks uniquely of the country. Of course, the two higher-numbered Rocheforts offer the same only bigger, though not necessarily better. I could get used to this light every-day Trappist, especially at Belgian prices.
