Westvleteren 12

A - Pours dark brown, a small amount of light peers through my Dogfish Head snifter. Small amount of off-white head that quickly disappears leaving a small amount of bubbles and a some around the glass. S - Smell is amazing...sweet candy, cherries, apples, plums, malt, burnt sugars. T - This beer is sweet, but not overly so. Lots of fruits, sugars, candy, all very balanced...for the taste, perfectly balanced and not overdone with a clean finish. M - Light (leaning towards medium) bodied, perfectly carbonated, and smooth. D- I am going to revisit this one as much as possible, but this beer is not something I’d consider going to a bunch. Every now and then will keep this one special.

In de Vrede, Great looking brown beer with little foam. aroma is fantastic and rich. It is sweet, complex and hoppy. It has taste of honey, caramel, sweet bread and hops. Fantastic beer.

Pours a light caramel color but sits dark brown/opaque in the glass, settling into a small beige head with good lacing. The first thing to hit me from the aroma is spice... nutmeg, cinnamon, molasses, vanilla...then grains, a bit of a yeasty/bready note with subtle hits of raisin and cherry. Notes of leather. In the mouth: bread, caramel, light cherry, finishing into darkchocolate/coffee, nuts. A perfect level of carbonation leaves the mouth warm and tingly. Not sweet, not bitter...excellent balance. Finish goes on forever. The finish really sells this. It is seriously ridiculous, rivaling my favorite 99pt Sauternes. Savor this.

Rich looking Nectar, warm brown, with small beige head on top. Aroma is like heaven, Honey, caramel, rich sweet malts, dried raisins and soft hops.Taste is very refined with touches of milkbread, agorn sirup, soft malts, carameized bread crust, raisind and soft hops. A fantastic beer, or even better, I do agree that this one is "The King of Beers".

My first beer rating! Thanks to bhops for a bottle he brought back from the original source himself. This is one of the beers that I assumed that I would not ever have a chance to try and I have chosen it deliberately for my first rating. The sweet maltiness of the initial nose gives way to a dry grain flavor that becomes the flavor of dates and currents (my wife identified the currents). The next taste is cherry hints and chocolate, and the finish remains dry and clean. This beer is true and complex, dynamic and a very happy experience. This is one of those food and drink experiences that make you realize what a wonderful thing human inventiveness and craft really is. Thanks again to a Texas pug!

This is not a beer, it is a mystical experience. We must thank and to infinitely bless the inventor of this wonder of colors, aromas, taste and the whole rest. Cheers to everybody.

best beer i ever had , and will have . hope i can get some crates soon ; first buy three crates at "the drive in" , then head for "de vrede" , get wasted in a blessed fashion. cheers god ! i hope they increase the brewing volume , so more beer fanatics can enjoy it.

Appearance: A deep reddish brown color, nearly opaque. A nice looking beige head of about 3 cm with good retention leaves plenty of lacings. Smell: A deep and rich smell. Plenty of fruity aromas (cherries, plums, overripe strawberries), raisins, wet wood. The malty backbone is thick and "dark" and is accompanied by a prominent spicy aroma. A hint of yeast. The alcohol is noticeable, but very integrated with the rest of the aromas. A great smell. Taste: The taste is nothing but fantastic. A noble and rich malty backbone and semi-sweet cherries converge with a prominent, but not very strong, taste of alcohol. At this point, the beer is quite reminiscent of a fine liqueur. Hints of chocolate and coffee. Raisins adds another sweet component. Earthy yeast and spices balance the massive sweetness. Faint nutty aromas, and perhaps just a minimal hint of tartness. In the finish, the alcohol is very noticeable and has a sweet and warming character. But the alcohol is very well integrated and suits the beer nicely. The finish is slightly bitter with notes of spices, iron and grass. Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with a velvety smooth texture. The rather high level of carbonation is well suited for the overall character. Drinkability: What to say about this legendary brew? Well, I think it’s almost as good as it’s reputation say it is. It’s just unbelievably tasty with an impressive complex character. This one comes really close to perfection. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)