Westvleteren 12

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

Blank bottle with gold Westy 12 cap. Pours a cloudy opaque brown with sediment swirling about within. Little head on this one, but that could’ve been due to my pouring technique. The foam that does exist smells wonderful, of dark fruit, molasses, brandy and more. Pretty much smells like St. Bernardus. Flavor is sharp; Smoky, woody, boozy, not at all sweet or fruity however. Did I mention boozy?: It seems to have a very agressive hard liquor-like body. Overall, this isn’t the best thing I’ve ever had. Though very good, I prefer St. Bernardus, and Rochefort for that matter, in this style. Don’t get me wrong, this is excellent. I was just expecting more, considering the reputation. My final thought is that I don’t think this beer would have nearly as high an average rating if it weren’t for its exclusivity (and hype).

I got just over 20 bottles from a little shop in Italy, the best Belgian beer on the planet! Good times in C.F.! Very complex and lives up to the hype.

Thanks to trevor211 for sharing this gem! sweet, deep, light brown that is remarkably in the middle of Roche 10 and Bernardus Abt12. Carmel, anise, sweet-sour nose. Pretty mellow carbonation comparatively. hazy, malty, unfiltered? Incredible flavor, potent, concentrated. Brown sugar, yeasty. A religious experience, incredible. Probably the best beer I’ve ever had, but the effort and hype are just a tad exorbitant. In other words, this would be an incredible beer to have regularly.

Awesome beer, couldn’t believe my friend even wanted to open this. Lives up to the hype. What every Belgian quad wants to be.

I was skeptical at first, but this lives up to the hype - I can absolutely see why this is the #1 beer in the world. HUGE thanks to Bobby91w for including this as an extra - I couldn’t be happier. Pours a murky deep brown, with a smaller head than its SB brother, but it’s still really thick. Dark fruits abound - figs and dates - with a lot of brown sugar, caramel - even a bit of fresh (not roasted) hazelnuts. Very sweet, but my God there’s a lot to it. The palate is perfect - just enough carbonation to keep it clean, but the flavor lingers forever, and this is so delicious that I think I uttered "wow" after every sip. Aside from the looks (I thought it would be a bit darker), this is absolute perfection. I’m truly not sure I could enjoy a beer more.

Smooth, lightly fizzy and shifts from light to dark. Slightly fruity and fizzy at first, then goes buttery, deep and dense. "Meh" aroma -- sweet, but almost not there and too obviously molasses with no masking -- but beautiful to look at: dark brown at the bottom, becomes red and visibly clouded at the top. Small head.

Trappist Glass (Thanks kmweaver...gotta love relatives). Pours a dark mahogany color, looks gorgeous in the glass. Light tan head, huge and lingering. Delicat spotty lacing. Aroma of yeasty malts, hints of dark fruits, boozy promises. Flavor is explosive, huge boozy malt hits first, with some raisins, currants, milk chocolate, and sherry. Foamy mouth feel, smooth and thick. I kept putting off trying this beer...was worth the wait, just wish I had a few hundred more bottles.

Bottle at Beer Mania, Brussels. This is the holy grail. Little foam, heavy on alcohol but you can barely notice that. The brew is licorice colored. Then, the taste is complex, dense, carbonated and highly sweet. Finishes very softly and the taste remains for a long time afterwards. Perfection.