St. Bernardus Abt 12

Brewed by St. Bernardus Brouwerij
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Watou, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass

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This beer is very similar to the Westy 12 in complexity and taste. It is however, much creamier and about half the price. An outstanding beer.Dark with rich aroma and complex flavors that dance in the mouth.

UPDATED: JAN 11, 2004 Ok aroma, with a brownish foam . Beautiful brown color. Nice flavor with a nice balanced alcoholic taste. The alcohol gives it a pleasant feel even though it gets a little to much after a few. Had this on tap and is going to drink it again.

My lable is a little different, but that might have something to do with labling in the US as opposed to everywhere else. First off, upon popping the top, there was severe bubble-over. Fairly dark mahogoney in color. Creamy, mostly diminishing head. Sweet aroma of yeast and cloves. The alcohol is noticable, but not overwhelming, warming on the back of the throat. Cloves and spice are predominant on the tongue. Another great Belgian Strong. Also, more accesible, at least for me, than Westy.

Murky dark brown with a hint of red. Big, long-lasting tan head. Tons of lacing. Awesome aroma of sweet (apples, raisins, plum) and spice (clove, liquorice). Some butterscotch and toffee in the flavor to go a long with the above mentioned things. Very creamy with a big body. Alcohol is well-masked, but with a slight warm feeling going down. Very complex.

Dark reddish brown color with a small but persistent beige head. The aroma contained raisins, plums, brown sugar, alcohol, sweet apples, and some spices. The flavor was very similar to the aroma, but with more emphasis on the alcohol...some toffee tones are present as well. Bubbly feel with a semi-dry finish...mainly alcohol. Very good.

Dark bread,fruit, caramel and spicey nose. Burgundy colour, with a very large, toffee coloured, meringue like head. Most lace I've witnessed. Butterscotch, caramel toffee, hint of chocolate, treacle, and raisins are all in the flavour! Complex, smooth, creamy, even the foam is creamy and rich, alcohol lends a soft, dry burn. An extremely fine rendition of the style!

UPDATED: MAY 25, 2005 Lasting beige head. Dark brown body. Sweet and dough in the aroma. Thick and creamy body. Taste is sweet, slightly spicy, rum, liquorice. Finish is a little bitter-sweet. The high ABV gives a pleasent warmth but is otherwise well hidden. Nice.

Muddy brown colour with a slightly tan head which is about 1 inch tall in my goblet. Slightly yeastie aroma with a very faint sweet smell as well. Trillions of small bubbles rising on the side of the glass the way a good belgie should. The first taste is great, very complex and very malty. Definate chocolate and malt undertones with some fruit and yeast flavours hitting in the very back of my palate. This is less malty than the Westy 8 and Rochefort 10 (which I prefer) and I would say is more complex because it isn't overriden by malt. I would rank this one lower than Westy 12 (still the best beer ever in my book) but higher than both Rochefort 10 and Westy 8. A great beer for a great price. Definately try to get your hands on this beer if you don't want to spend the money on those earlier named beers or if you've tried all three of them.

UPDATED: JUL 2, 2004 Thick, redish pour, with a bubbly, creamy tan head. Aroma of yeast and dough, with a slight wine scent. First taste is delightfully spiced. Flavors ot malt, fruit, chocolate, and bread dance on your tongue. Oh man. This is one fabulous Belgian Quad ale. I know that Westvleteren 12 gets higher marks from most people, but this beer is such a great price in comparison. This is definately a favorite of mine. I'm vey impressed. Purists may ignore it because it isn't a "real" Trappist ale, but it definately up there with the best. I'd certainly rank it up a notch above Chimay Bleu. It has at least the complexity of Rochefort, and the alcohol taste is better masked. It's especially important to note that this beer costs HALF of the price of Rochefort 10. I LOVE this beer. This beer really is the little brother of Westvleteren Abt 12. There is some good information about this beer on:
http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-0014 /> Evidently, the brewery in Watou produced similar beers for St. Sixtus in Westvleteren, for commercial distribution, until the monastery upgraded their brewery in the early 1990s. So, while it's not an "official" Trappist beer, it certainly stands up just as well to the best of the best.

Pours a dark reddish-brown with a very thick beige head. Thin lacing. Aroma is pleasantly fruity, with some malt, spice and alcohol as well. Medium-bodied and sweet, with flavors of malt, licorice, cherry and raisins. Flavor became more rich and easier to drink as it warmed. Pretty good Belgian.