Trappist monastery Rochefort is number 4 of 6 on our Heart of Belgium tour.

The Heart of Belgium Playlist:
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--ROCHEFORT BREWERY--
Around fifteen monks live at Rochefort Abbey, where the first brewery was founded in 1595.[1] The water for the beer is drawn from a well inside the monastery walls.

Rochefort uses Pilsener and Munich-type malts, and Hallertau and Golding hops

---THE BEERS--
Rochefort 6 (red cap, brown beer, 7.5% ABV). Reddish colour, brewed only about once per year, representing approximately 1% of total beer production. This beer begins with a density of 16.5º Plato is 7.5% ABV. "Rochefort 6" is the oldest Rochefort Trappist beer and was brewed empirically until the end of the Second World War. Until 1958, this was the only Rochefort beer that was bottled in both 33 cc bottles and 75 cc bottles. It has a strong malt taste and is slightly bitter.

Rochefort 8 (green cap, brown beer, 9.2% ABV). Yellowish-brown colour, with more fruits and a slight amount of Demi-sec. This variety constitutes the largest proportion of production. Dates from 1955. Originally this beer was only brewed for New Year’s Eve celebrations. "Rochefort 8" begins with a density of 20.8º Plato and reaches a final 9.2% ABV. Due to the overwhelming success of this beer, the monks decided around 1960 to brew it on a regular basis. Sometimes this beer is also referred to as the "Special".

Rochefort 10 (blue cap, dark beer, 11.3% ABV). Reddish-brown colour, begins with a density of 24.5º Plato and ultimately reaches 11.3% ABV.

The beers are called Rochefort 6, 8, and 10, referring to their gravities in the obsolete (but quite practical) system of Belgian degrees, in which 6 corresponds to an original gravity of 1.060 (15 degrees P), 8 corresponds to 1.080 (20 degrees P), and 10 corresponds to 1.100 (25 degrees P).

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