Westvleteren 12

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

Serve in Trappist glass

Strong dark brown belgian beer, light brown head, medium sweetness, perfectly balanced, oily feel, soft carbonation. lives up to the ’hype’. The only negative aspect is the availability/price for non Belgians. (It’s not that easy to obtain for Belgians either)

This beer gets a lot of hype.. Obviously. Dark brown to mahogany color with a murky finish to it. Small off white head. Nose is dark fruity, light must, hints of yeast and prunes. Palate is rich and malty - bitter chocolate, cherries, figs, raisins, and the sweet toffee like malty character you expect in a belgian dark strong. Very nice, not my fav.

Fresh bottle thanks to Blafa. Aroma: Candied sugar, yeasty, banana. Taste: Pear, earthy, brown sugar, raisins, winegum, toffe and alkohol. Mouthfeel: Medium body, very balanced, nothing sticks out.

Found this Bottled at Against the Grain Tavern on Corus Quay in Toronto! Thank you thank you thank you! 10 years in the making, The beer pours a copper colour and sugar on the nose fluffy off white head accompanied by some sediment. An exceptional brown with a ruby hue. The taste is sticky candy sweet offset by date and only the subtlest influence of alcohol and lingering spice aftertaste. Amazing!

Aroma is raisins, grapes, malty sweetness. Slight yeast aroma. Poursa nice dark brown with a big white head. Malty center and a sweet finish. Again notes of raisins and grapes. Solid carbonation. Cloying sweetness. Tastes strikingly similar to Bernardus. Good...but you could easily just buy Bernardus. Either way, worth the experience.

UPDATED: OCT 29, 2011 Bottle. Cola brown pour with a monster tan white head. Aroma of dark fruit and yeast. Silky smooth mouthfeel. Taste is also dark fruit, toffee, yeast, maybe some nut. Killer. Had to trade aggressively to finally try this, and I’m glad I did!

UPDATED: JAN 18, 2012 Bottle into a Westmalle chalice... Aroma: Dried fruits, alcohol, toffee, coffee, dough, yeast, dark chocolate, fresh pastries and wine!? Yeah, wine. The aroma overall is very floral. St. Bernardus has the basics down but this is a little different. Appearance: Black as the LA midnight sky, like Rochefort 10. OK, maybe not, but it is a dark red with a cream colored head that’s very dense with fine bubbles. I can guarantee it’s plenty hazy with all the crap that poured out of the bottle at the end! 5/5 cause of the crap that came out which would put most people off. Taste: Taste is similar to the aroma. Get a ’bad’ one and you might think it’s just average. Get a good one and you will be blown away. Crapshoot! Price you pay for not buying it at the abbey....? Palate: Thick, oily, very creamy. The carbonation is intense but also very fine, and what I mean by that is that it’s like fine grit sandpaper in comparison, to say, a cola which would be much more coarse. Balanced well, alcohol is well hidden. Overall: If you want to know what I think about the hype...read the W8 review. It’s fantastic but, BUT, keep in mind it’s not magic in a bottle....only beer! Points off for being annoyingly evasive and revoltingly expensive...and when you crave it and want another...arrgh, I wonder if the monks at St. Sixtus are scheming up ways to drive up hype or if they happen to be sadistic. One can wonder.

Bottle at Craigs, thank you! The beer pours a copper colour with lots of blackcurrants , raisons and belgian candy sugar on the nose. The taste is of sweet fruitiness balanced perfectly with the alcohol and mild bitterness. An oily mouthfeel and lingering spice round out this lovely beer.