Westvleteren 12 (XII)

Brewed by Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Westvleteren, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

probably the best trappist to be found, though i'm not an absolute fan of the brown beers this is still a classic

Finally, I get to try the legend. Quite a bit going on in the nose. Everything from vanilla to lime. The alcohol is totally hidden. Probably the best smelling brew I've encountered. The head appearance of the first bottle differed from the second. The first poured from the bottle a cloudy dark walnut with a large amount of fixed particles and had a fully lasting light tan frothy/fluffy head with mediocre lacing. The second had an off-white fluffy head that diminished quickly. The overwhelming flavor is deep and pungent with a sweet start, warm middle and a balanced peppery finish that speaks of anise. Again quite a bit going on here. The heavy body is full, lively and dry. At close to $12 a bottle not something I could afford to drink often, but I'd drink it again for sure.

UPDATED: MAY 5, 2003 Bottled (off course). Today I went and got a cisk (by train, god, I'm lucky I live in Belgium :p) It has an magnificent almost black colour, and a 'brown' head. Complex aroma, little sweet, malt. Dito flavour, but also a bit spicy. In Dutch, we have a proverb for this: "It's like an angel pissing on your tongue." Dito palate. Just Excellent!

Thanks to Belgianshop.com I finally got may hands on some of this (8 of them to be exact). It's hard to add anything else to what's been said, except it is about the closest thing to an orgasm in a bottle. Absolutely wonderful!

This beer poured a very dark cloudy amber color and formed a light tan foamy head that disappeared quickly leaving some circular lace. An aroma of alcohol, raisins and yeast/grains. A flavor of malt, caramel and raisin with some elements of spices. The finish is creamy and a touch sweet with elements of the alcohol. A very great belgian beer, but will need to try some others to see if this is really the best out there.

1/12/03. Cloudy amber brown color with a tannish white head that was thick and lasting. Fruity yeast aroma. Flavor quite complex. It fit together like a scenic jigsaw puzzle. Sweeeetness, bready, figgy, vanilla, creamy, malty. Currants in the aftertaste. Medium carbonation. Quite enjoyable to sip on. Left me wanting more.

UPDATED: SEP 16, 2003 Call it part of the inherent education. I found this beer to be too thick and Vermouth like to call it balanced. It was enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but when compared to outher superior beers it simply was to thick, sweet and IMHO imbalanced.

OK, so this stuff really is something special. The aroma was unlike anything I've had - it reminded me of some variety of fragrant orchids. The appearance is appetizing, and interesting with what lookes like small particles suspended in mix. Thick and delicious in the mouth with flavors from all over the place, hearty multi-grained bread, fruits both light and dark, and wonderful chocolates. New flavors arrive several seconds into the experience as you let it settle on the tongue. It's really just plain fun to experience this beer.

This beer has so many things going on. It's fruity, slightly yeasty, very dark but yet not overly thick. Them monks sure know how to brew a beer. I only wish it wasn't $12 a bottle at the bar.

Nice rocky off white head with nice lacing.Spicey peppery nose. Hazey amber color with some yeasty beasty,s floatin around.Nice steady flow of tiny bubbles rising up at a constant pace.Carbonation is decent.Full bodied,fruity. Taste some anise/licorice flavors, maybe a little black pepper?I did notice the taste of alc on the first sip or two but not after that.As it warms up the yeasty, bready flavors and aromas are coming through, nice.Very slight astringency in the aftertaste. Overall a damn nice brew! They did do a fine job of hiding the alc also.The price will keep me from enjoying this brew more often. It seems a little bit out of line at $10 a bottle.