St. Bernardus Abt 12

dark brown pour with nice head. smells malty and sweet. this is a big brew, rich flavor. sorta caramelized sugar taste, this is a pretty sweet beer, but has just enough hops to save it from going overboard, definitely a cold weather drink, i could taste the alcohol a bit, but definitely didn’t feel like 10%. overall I say this is for sure one of the best brew’s i have tasted. and would treat this as a special occasion beer, as even if cheaper, dont think i could drink all the time.

Opened a gusher that pours a deep dark brown with a foamy, off white head that dissipates a bit too quickly. Malt aromas are of dates, prunes, and sweet spice; I cannot detect any hop bouquet. Flavor is all fruity malt, mostly cherries and persimmon, without being too sweet and a hint of grain husk in the middle. Medium to full body. The hops make their presence known in the finish with a hint of cleansing bitterness. Overall very good quad that should be at the forefront of any Belgian diplomatic venture.

[330ml bottle liberated from Belgium by Lee - cheers mate!] Shared with Jus. Deep reddish-brown with a thick foaming creamy head. Tastes woody, vinous and bittersweet - very bitter and very sweet both at the same time, which is an odd, uneasy sensation. The flavour of an English bitter emerges after a while, followed by a creamy finish. For some reason I couldn’t help feeling I’d just drunk a strong English ale; this really didn’t have the feeling of a Belgian beer about it. There’s certainly a lot of flavour and depth here, but it’s a bit messy and I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as I hoped.

Aroma starts is faint but grows as the beer reaches proper temperature (served about 10 deg to cold). All the fundamentals are perfect. Waves of caramel followed by that funk that only those Belgian critters can make. The funk hangs around on the palate for longer than normal. The alcohol on this one is a bit intrusive, it does not taste like a 10.5% but its there and it kills some of the other flavors. A wonderful beer.

Pours cloudy dark brown with two fingers of a light beige head that sits on top of the beer for quite some time. Nice malt heavy and dark fruit aroma. Excellent flavor, spiced (cloves) dark fruits (dried cherries, dates and figs), sweet malt, the alcohol and yeast are noticeable in the background. Nice warming, medium/full body. Excellent beer.

From dainty bottle, pours nearly opaque brown with a velvety beige compact head. Aroma is pronounced dark fruit and some spice. Flavor is complicated. Orval cherry fruity plus dark fruit on top of kilned malt and brown sugar, plus moderate warmth (though no alcohol burn) and wafer cookies. Actually I prefer it at the colder temp of mid-40’s where the effervescent yeasty mouthfeel and the spicy brown sugar flavors are the most pronounced. Start there and take your time...changes along the way. (I can see why they added Grotten to their line-up).

Pours dark brown in color with medium head. The aroma is of fruit and malt with the alcohol also very apparent. Good palate that’s both crisp and smooth. Taste is sweet and very fruit forward with the high alcohol content barely noticeable.

Bottle from Byrne’s Clitheroe. Murky brown colour, large head that, disappointingly, vanished rapidly . Alcohol evident in the aroma along with sweet malt and rich fruit. Complex flavours: spice (pepper and clove), light vanilla, rich fruit, yeast and muscovado. Very pleasant warming effect from the alcohol. Very light palate for its strength. Lovely.