This beer gets all thumbs up. It is really enjoyable.
Have you ever tried Herman Holtrop’s “clone” recipe for it? It’s astoundingly close. I make it several times a year.
This is Denny?
60 minute boil?
That looks in the ballpark. Here’s the original recipe with details and comments…
Denny,
Yes I tried Herman’s recipe. Definately close. The blind taste test I did here at the house with some
Genuine Rochefort 8, VS my homebrewed recipe using Hermann’s as a basis was preferred by blind tasters.
Freshness could be the deciding variable, that and the fact that my batch was lower in Alcohol than the monk’s
which I am sure reduced harshness.
Edit: I hate it when I fat finger type something wrong in the header…sorry, my bad …
We had the good fortune to visit Rochefort a few years ago. The brewhouse really is a brewing cathedral. The tour (given by the brewmaster, Gumar Santos) ended in the tasting room. He served us 6, then he served us 8, then 10, and then, “Which did you like?”, and more came around. Then, “How about some beer for the bus?” Plus everyone got a Rochefort chalice. Very nice.
Their fermentation process is rather unusual (at least to me). They brew Tuesday through Thursday, two batches each day, and one on Friday, all of the same beer. The first batch goes into the unitank around 11:00 AM on Tuesday, and the yeast is pitched. The second batch goes on top of that, followed by each successive batch through the week. After the last batch the fermenter is exactly half-full. (They did some experimentation, and found that the flavor was not the same if the tank was filled any higher.) The temperature is held at 24° C (76° F). That beer is bottled on Monday morning, so the last batch spends less than 72 hours in the fermenter. They never dump the trub, nor dump or skim the yeast. The bottling line is very state-of-the-art, and is massively oversized compared to most breweries. They want to be able to bottle an entire week’s production in one work shift, because bottling is a very noisy process, and they’re trying to minimize how long they disturb the monks. The bottles are conditioned from six to ten weeks, depending on the beer. The conditioning rooms are not heated or cooled. They look like oversized garages, and the temperature is controlled by opening or closing the doors.
Wish I could find some to try it. Guess I’ll have to brew the clone. 
I drive 3 hours to get the commercial ones…now, I brew the clone…it is the way to go until you get
to a supplier that has the commercial one and then you can try it…
Besides, at $5.99 + a bottle, you may prefer the homebrewed beer.
Ok, I’ll add it to the list at the top ;)
IMO, the more alcohol in this beer, the harsher and less smooth it gets.
Rochefort 12 does not exist, someone tricked you 
+1
At least in recent history.
LOL ;D
Yep its my lame ass attempt @ sarcasm.
Found the picture @
I took a similar tour a couple years ago. I did like the comment about having to be done bottling so as to not disturb the monks.
The tasting room session being able to sample young and old Rochefort bottles was a great experience. The young versions are so different than what we get here (as are Saison Dupont and Orval, BTW) but about 1 year old in the bottle is the sweet spot for the 8.
Tour trivia question would be, “What is the dog’s name?”
Wow, that’s a new one to me. I don’t remember any dogs. I guess you got the “celebrity tour”.