St. Bernardus Abt 12

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

Love the ’happy Saint’ on the bottle. Deep dark brown, looks almost like a stout. Thick foamy light tan head. Verry friuty and spicy scent. Bitter fuity taste that veries greatly. A bit rich but very pleasant.

The last in our "Weekend at Bernies" sampling. What more can I add to this beer by trying to explain it in words? I think it was summed up best by one of our tasters, a friend of mine who is atheist. He looked at the bottle, with the monk smiling happily at him, and said "You’re trying to convert me, aren’t you?" This has got to be one of the best beers on the planet.

Perhaps not as perfect as the La Trappe Quadrupel, but certainly delicious. It’s on par with Chimay Blue, although this beer is potentially better and certainly less well known in much of the US from what I can tell (unless you’re a beer fan). Sweet with some fruit esters but all flavors combine into a smooth, slightly creamy result that will make you forget your own name.

The Westvleteren brethren is truly evident in this one, in fact I’d put myself out to say they should share equal fame for the best ales available. This was a superb beer, and for me a far greater moment for quiet contemplation and easily one of the few wonders of the modern world. Tasted from the bottle and poured into a chalice around room temperature. Deepest garnet-ruby brown with a dense 1" rocky beige head. Head would not budge for the length and left an abundance of lace that webbed down the glass. Intense and robust, concentrated fruit nose; plums and earthy-vineyard wine grapes, toffee, caramel and ground spices, lightly peppery with a hint of forest floor hops. Strong and yet oddly delicate in the mouth, big in body and wonderfully smooth like a vintage port. Flavour shifted away from the enticing aroma to reveal cocoa, Belgian chocolate and a lot of malt. Very soft in carbonation, only heightened by the peppery alcohol that otherwise remained well-hidden. Plums and drying Merlot-like grapes came in just prior to a smooth, dry and warming malty and wine-like swallow. The hops remained inert, so immaculately integrated only a light earthy note was evident that they were added at all. It gets hard with all Belgian ales as they are so unique and I suppose this was as close to heaven as I would ever get. One was enough, in fact I feel good that one was all I needed. Perfect!!! (33cL, 18 months old, BBE 12/01/09, Int’l Beer Shop)
Re-rate:- Looks fantastic in the glass. Big, big rocky and dense, beige head that lasts. Intricate lacing follows it down. Body on this one is almost black, ruby shined through in the lights. Extremely spicy, herbal nose with a fungal yeasty note (mushrooms? [alarm bells are ringing!]) that doesn’t sit right atop layers of complex malts. Frothy in the mouth and the alcohol is now more pronounced than the 18 month old (aged a lot in six months). All other notes are the same, so it remains a super brew. Lovely after 18 months and two years so a fresh one would be nice. Sadly a couple of points lost for aroma, mouthfeel and overall. Still remarkably good. ( 33cL, 12/01/09)

Big sweet malty beer, loads of fruity esters wedding cake aroma and just gets better as it warms

Pours a dark brown color with an overabundance of thick creamy tan foam. The head dies down to a more normal 2" in several minutes. Excellent, stick-to-the-glass lacing throughout the glass. I first get the aroma when the cap is lifted, and it is very prominent while pouring the beer. I smell this wonderful, still-rising bread dough aroma. Very yeasty. This is followed by a very potent alcohol scent. The beer is sweet for sure, but absolutely not cloying. It is full of brown sugar and dried dark fruit, and there is a thick caramel maltiness to it, followed by a touch of raisin and rum. Faint spice in the finish - cloves or herbal/spicy hops, maybe. Fantastic full body, gently carbonated

750ml btl. Dark, nutty brown beer with a moderate head, nice lacing, and a brief release of gasses. Taste is well balanced: nuts, chocolate, overripe fruit, malts, cinnamon, anise, and alcohol are all noticable flavours. Amazingly creamy, smooth mouthfeel, especially when ’swished’ around. A damn fine beer for the price and availability. It’s my fourth fave beer, after westy 12 and rochefort 10 and 8. DRINK SOME NOW!

Can barely taste the alcohol, pours a dark reddish/brown with a light head and plenty of fruit on the palate. Excellent.