St. Bernardus Abt 12

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

Serve in Trappist glass

Pours hazy chestnut brown with soapy tan head. Nose and flavor are both quite spicy (cinnamon, ginger) with some fruit too. Flavor follows with the addition of some grainy and nutty (walnut) malt characters. So complex, the way a belgian should be. Smooth and creamy, medium body with dry finish. Just a little hot alcohol. One of my favorite beers. First time on draft.

On tap. Pours a reddish brown with cream colored head. Aroma of bread, yeast, and dark fruits. Smooth mouthfeel with good body. First flavors are rum raisin and plums. Alcohol is definitely present. Finishes with the fruit and burnt sugar.

UPDATED: FEB 6, 2012 In bottle; aroma was almost sweet and sugary (like root beer ...). Pours a nice dark brown color with clean cream head. Taste; first two sips weren’t very good so I let it warm up a little. After that, very good ... notes of plum and dark fruit, with subtle chocolate notes and root beer (maybe it’s just me). Considering the 10% ALC, very easy drinking ... I will definitely be buying this again

Bottle at home. Cork popped right off the bottle! Dark maroon copper, thick foamy head that stays with some lacing. Massive fruitcake, raisin, plum nose. Booze is apparent but subtle. Big rich fruit palate, subtle leathery yeast character, dry peppery hop, boozy finish. Super smooth but rich and complex. Amazing.

St. Bernardus Abt 12 has a medium, beige, root beer-type head, with an opaque, brown color, and lots of streaming bubbles. The aroma is of fruit cake, plums, sugar, caramel, spice, bread, and pepper. The taste is of fruit cake, malt, monkey bread, spice, fruit, fruit cake, plum, caramel, and a touch of hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is thick and syrupy, and St. Bernardus Abt 12 finishes mostly dry and profound. Overall, this is excellent and wonderful and complex. RJT

Bottle. Pours a murky brown with a nice fizzy head white. Smells and tastes of caramel, roasty, alcohol, banana, raisin, figs,banaana. medium sweetness, lightly bitter, medium body, slick feel, lively. Wonderful beer that is a go to when ever I want a sold beer for a good price. Finishes a bit dry but in a good way.

(bottle) Poured a murky ruby-brown. Quite a thin head for a Belgian which did not persist. Tasted of some spices and dark fruits. I drank this a little too cold so may have missed a lot of the flavours, but the main impression I got was of acetone and warm alcohol. A little bit disappointing, since I loved the Prior 8.

Poured a murky brown with a tan head that faded to a ring, but left great lacing. Aroma was raisins, figs, and a hint of alcohol. Taste was raisins, dates, and a touch of molasses. A good bit of carbonation and the alcohol is well concealed.