Now that the Rochefort 10 has joined the Rochefort 8 at the LCBO, we have a rare opportunity to compare two of the world's most respected Trappist ales (which both originate from the same monastery).

The numbers in the names indicate the style category that the individual beer falls into. Rochefort 10 is a Quadrupel, which is a relatively strong and new style (which some might say was "made up for marketing purposes") compared to abbey dubbels and tripels.

The Rochefort 10 pours a deep, dark brown when emptied into a wide chalice. The aroma features plenty of sweet, dark fruit (raisins and plum, especially) as well as complex, mushroomy notes. The flavour follows through with more of the ripe fruits, a touch of alcohol heat, and an interesting almond-like note in the background.

The richness coaxed from 11% of alcohol adds body and compensates for the limited carbonation.

It's not uncommon in the First Draught to say a word or two about cellaring the week's selected beer. Because the Rochefort 10 is such a good candidate for aging, this is a good time to expand on the "hows" of cellaring beer.

Darkness should be your primary goal. UV light will cause a certain chemical in hops to "go skunky," so consider sunlight and beer to be mortal enemies. Temperature is the next variable to consider: cool is best, but the critical objective is to avoid extremes.

The Rochefort 10 will only improve over the course of at least five years.

Rochefort 10, $3.65 for a 330 ml bottle, LCBO #374363

In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including his own site, Food With Legs. He is the author of the Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook; now in stores and available for ordering online. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter or get in touch at info@foodwithlegs.com.