Ok, woke up this morning in Rochefort after a good night's sleep, and managed to get by the language divide to have breakfast and then walked back to Jemelle and a train to Brugge. Then had lunch back at the place I had the amazing Flemish stew (it wasn't as good as when I was with you Jami, but still great with the gravy), then a Leffe 9 at the pub (Cafe Vlissinghe [est 1515]) JF and I didn't get to drink at on Monday (smell of light caramel and slight citrus with alcohol. Starts of fairly mellow with the caramel and honey but carbonation and alcohol soon hit your mouth. also getting floral hops making it close to a triple as far as I can taste. Decent texture but with but alcohol hit towards the end with a dry finish and get bubblegum as it warms).So after have a new beer in an old pub, I made it to the beer festival here in the Markt, and managed to get a Westvleteren 12 straight of the bat (light caramel smell with alcohol. as straightforward as the blonde but with darker caramel flavour. Pretty smooth but over-carbonation ruins it. alcohol pretty high with a bit of a dry aftertaste, but sweetens as it warms), then a La Trappe Quadruple that was aged in oak (smells and a bit scotchy with alcohol afterburn. Overly sweet caramel possibily heightened by hops [hmm, what oak was it in?]. Has some port aspects to it with dark fruit flavours, but does mellow a bit with warmth). At this stage a pissed english tourist called Colin got chatting to me...After that had a 2007 aged Rochefort 8 which was sedimentary but still had a good smell. Flavour only just starting to dull (or is it my taste buds, or is it that it is an 8, or is it the sediment?). Hope it would have a better taste without the sediment. Then the 2009 aged Rochefort 10 (lovely creamy caramel flavour with alcohol prominent. Of course not as good at the 2003 I had at Kulminator inn Antwerp, but still smoothing. The taste buds are dying but can still enjoy this beer for the flavour it has, but the 2003 was milder). It was time to get of the trappist and try a Chrissy Ale from St Bernadus, which had a slight spice nose. Some alcohol in this one too (10%) which converts to flavour but also caramel. taste buds have died but can still get some hop and alcohol aftertaste and hop on midpalate.
After Colin accidently smashed his glass, but managed to get a new one from somewhere, he also got us some more tokens and so decided a novelty beer was in order, so tried a Cookie Beer (sweet taste is all I can get from it at this stage). Colin and I decided one last beer was in order (though he didn't need it) so we went back to Brugs Beertje for a Hercule Stout. Then for a second night in Brugge I helped a tourist get back to their hotel before getting back to my own so I could write this now, while watching the movie 'In Bruges' (the older guy is about to jump off the building we had the beer festival in). So from Rochefort in the morning to Brugge and beers this arvo, been a pretty decent day. So now to get even more beers into me tomorrow.
Cheers,
Beef
ps: can you tell i am semi-pissed while writing this?
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