Westvleteren 12

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

Serve in Trappist glass

Got this gem from Trappistlover as an extra! Huge thanks Dave. A: Big fluffy off white head accompanied by some sediment. An exceptional brown with a ruby hue. Lots of "floaties." Heads S: Strong port wine, not sure if my nose is off but that is what I am getting. Bready with lots of dark fruits. I think that is where the port wine is coming from... T: Oh my word! This is far more than I expected. Big bread and fruit just like the smell. There are definitely some spices, not sure what it is though? Not getting much alcohol but this bottle has a little age on it. More robust flavors of bread and plum arise as it warms. Fantastic. O: I love this beer and will most likely be ISO more, a great treat. Glad I got to try this!

Shared bottle @ one of cgarvieuk’s legendary tastings. Reddish brown with a tiny bubbly top. Nose is huge blackcurrant cordial, liquorice, some chocolate. Taste is sweet, syrupy, lots of burnt toffee and berry notes. Alcohol is incredibly well-hidden, masses of complexity in a stunningly rich beer. Different with each sip. Incredible.

15 June 2011, bottle at one my last cgarvieuk tasting! rosy amber colour, serious sediment, thin lacing. alcohol is there but not huge. there’s a lot of red and blue fruits. soft sweet cherries a bit and lots of black currant. med/full body and slightly fizzy. very nice. grape soda, black currant syrup, wet bread. yeast is surprisingly subtle, almost not there. a bit of aggressive alcohol in the finish. vanilla comes out after a while. this is a super beer and the experience is definitely part of this. Hat’s off to Craig! Thanks for sharing!

I won’t have to tell a lot about this one. A lot of people have discribed it a lot better than i ever can. I do want to use my comment to say that this beer is hugely overrated. Isn’t much better then a Kasteel Donker, Maredsous, Orval.. I’m not saying it’s bad though.

Pours Dark brown with a hint of orange/red with little to no milk white head. Aroma is of malt, alcohol and what seems like raisins or plums with a hint of a licorice. The taste is wonderful as anticipated. Something is happening and I feel my training in beer has only begun. Despite this being my 3rd bottle in my lifetime it is still too complex for me. But I love the challenge. It tastes somewhat consistent with the smells, strong, sweet, malty and I feel like there is such a beautiful balance that the beer is a prime example of complexity being a good thing. The finish is amazing with a strong flavor remaining through what seems like a bubbly finish. The flavor lingers and I love this beer.

Without a doubt, best beer in the world. OK. I hoped the hype was....well just hype. But after tasting this beer, yes, it’s everything the top raters describe.

Pours very dark reddish-brown with a thin off-white head and no lacing. Aroma is creamy with notes of alcohol, over-ripe fruit, caramel, and red grapes. Taste is strong with alcohol, yeast, caramel, and raisin. Finish is dry, moderately bitter, and boozy. An extremely complex and dynamic beer.

Got my hands on 2 full crates of this beer.. Hyped or not, it’s just my favorite beer until now..