Westvleteren 12

Pours hazy brown amber with a thick off white head. Aroma is very malty with notes of bread, spices, and fruit. Very intriguing aroma. Flavor is more maltiness, with hints of chocolate and molasses. Complex with a good mouthfeel. Lives up to the hype.

Another bottle from Ryan’s trip to Belgium, thanks. Pours dark golden brown with a thick cream colored head. Sweet apple aroma. Tastes like a blend of fruit and spice. It’s one of the best beers I’ve ever had.

***review posted July 1, 2008***
Just found this review. Dated late June ’07. Thx Brad for coughing up the dough for this... part of the Rochefort 10, Westy 12, St. B 12, Chimay Blue cellared blind tasting night. In 2007 this bottle was aged apx 1.25 years in the Beerium as I had a purchace date of May 26, 2006. Poured out a thick, cloudy dark brown with an incredible amount of fine and blobby sediment and a one finger thick tan cap. Excellent wide ropy lacing (it does disappear after awhile), retention at a thin surface cover. The aroma is awesome and never weakens throughout the tasting. A bit sweet, nice mild spice (main characteristic), slight caramel and dark fruit. Extremely well balanced but not overly complex. Touch of earth? The flavour is very well blended which has made it hard to distinguish standout tastes. Very soft yeast, absolutely no alcohol, mild mild plum, slight chocolate?, minor pepper, notable malt taste, slight peppermint / spearmint ??? I’ll correct myself as I’ve now noticed the alcohol. Man, this stuff is softer than fresh, supple kittens that have just learned to walk. A perfect amount of super soft carbonation, medium bodied. There is a back of the mouth bitterness that is very mild. The after taste is slight spice and a hint of alcohol. Excellence in a bottle.

No head at all. Wooden brown opaque beer. Creamy chocolate aroma with a fruity subtly alcoholic touch. Some hops and yeast and a creamy peachiness. Cherries too. A bitter malty taste with subtle sweetness. Quite refreshing with a mellow, warm subtly alcoholic aftertaste. There are hints of all kinds of things in the beer, but it’s less subtle and well balanced than the Westvleteren 8

Thx to Ralph at Volo. Didn’t take notes so this is from memory and won’t do it justice but if I don’t jot down notes when the hell will I have this one again. So here goes. Muddy brown with no head. Aroma hard to describe as it all blends so well. Raisin, toffee, honey, spicy, etc, etc. Flavour again hard to distinguish as it all goes together so well. As aroma indicates, toffee, raisin, honey, port. Sweet flavour explosion, tingles the cheeks and warms going down. Smooth as silk taste.

I love this beer...This is the perfect beer...complex and worth every bit of the hype..........................................................................................................................

With thanks to a trade with Blutt59 for sending me this long sought after beer. Shared with HogTownHarry. Appearance: Thick dark, murky brown with a wispy brown head. Aroma: Too much going on! Caramel, spice, yeast, leather, rosehip, ginger, malt, alcohol, cinnamon yet somehow very muted and understated - like a torpedo, just tremendous. Flavour: Wow, spicy, malty, like a well worn leather jacket. Whiskey and woody, sticky & toffee. some spilled on my my fingers and they were sticking together. Just so much dark fruit, figs, xmas pudding, cherries, red wine, ginger again, tingling my tongue, long sticky finish, just tremendous! I can’t believe I’ve finally got the chance to have it. Thanks to Blutt59 and HogTownHarry for bringing me on this beer journey. Beer #1000

Murky brown, deeply fruity ale has overlying rough & bucolic character. Very textural with surprisingly grippy palate from the assertive hop bitterness, almost grainy malts and a touch of alcohol. Underlying sweet silky deep fruit adds countering smoothness - and solid weight. LOTS of additions in this brew. So many flavors, wine fruit java-roast honey and spice. This beer is fairly big and makes itself FELT - in ways reminding me equally of barley wine and porto, but that doesn’t really say it. Acceptably tough and demanding, while also soothing - will need to enjoy more samples when I travel locally in the region. Much less smooth than St. Bernardus Abt, this (Feb 2008 bottle) Westvleteren Abt is no doubt as variable as Rochefort but experience will tell me more. A Kudos to Ralph M for my #600.