Westvleteren 12

First I would like to thank BitterBill for this awesome brew, thanks buddy. I would most likely not go thru all the hoops to get this, but now I just might, lol I believe the cap said 09/08 date, no label. A - Pours a dark brown/red color, lots of carbonation, nice small creamy head which leaves pretty quick, lots of nice lacing throughout the drink in forms of islands in some spots. S - Scents are very complex, lots of stuff going on, but could detect plums, raisins, toffee. T - The taste is very very nice, I believe I’ve had nothing like this so far. Nice tart/tangy/sweet flavor. Could taste plums/grapes I think. The finish is dry and clean. M - Medium body, well rounded, with a carbonated feel. D - Very drinkable. This is my first Westy, and what a powerful/excellent/awesome brew. Just might have to try and get some soon.

2 year old bottle from Capones in Norristown Pa. No label, no head. Large particles sunk to the bottom of the glass, smelled sweet and of alcohol, like a wine. The taste was noting like it, plums, raisins, bubblegum, prunes, dates, figs, it made love to my mouth. Not sweet or achoholic at all like the smell, this couldnt sit in my mouth long enough. mind altering. great. the heavyweight champion of all beer ive had. The monks in their quest for enlightenment of betterment must have acquired this recipie for the perfect beer by god himself and have almost made it realized. liquid gold. ive been laid by this beer.

This beer has a sterling reputation, which I assumed was unearned. It’s not. Granted much of its cache is due to its scarcity, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is world-class. Body was a dark red-brown with creamy white head with great staying power. Aroma was earthy, raisin-y, and distinctly cereal-y, but in a good way. The cereal-y of this and the other Westvleteren beers I tried had this underlying aroma that reminded me of the boiling mash smell that permeates the brewery when a boil is going on. Flavor is a bit like baking bread (that same malt-mash flavor) with raisins and a touch of sweetness and a noticeable alcohol tinge. Very balanced. At the top of the page, my notes say ’Honestly, this is perfect.’ I can’t recommend this beer enough. I had it at the Cafe In De Vrede, across the street from the St. Sixtus abbey that brews the beer in Westvleteren. Awesome.

Rating #500 for me. Big thanks to Matt Capone for hooking me up with this one! I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said about this beer. More than lives up to the hype. Perhaps the perfect mouthfeel meets an amazing taste. Smooth, robust, fulfilling. Amazingly long lasting head for a beer of this strength that leaves beautiful, delicate wispy lace. Why does it have to be so damn hard to get this stuff?

Poured from a bottle brought back from Belgium. Second tasting after sampling in Brugge. Dark murky brown with a thin tan head. Deep aromas of sweet dried fruit. Smooth on the palate and rich. Complex plum, raisin, and malt. Mild hops and trace alcohol warmth. Best Belgian quad I have had. Yum!!

With great anticipation I poured the beer from the bottle into a trappist glass. The aroma was a highly complex blend of deep and dark fruit scents. The most noticeable notes were those of raisin, plums, prunes, and some other figs. There was also a hoppy component, with some citrus tones, including a touch of grapefruit, and a grainy-earthy hop part; maybe a bit of wheat, and late-emerging toffee notes. The beer had a rich, dark brown color, with the slightest tint of dark copper. The head was a bubbly-foamy off-white/light tan color with a very big size initially. It lost its big head in the beginning, but leveled off to maintain a thin layer on top of the beer, with creamy edges., which remained until the end of the beer and left a lot of clingy foam on the glass. I was worried I might be disappointed going in for the first sip, but far from it... the flavor explodes in the mouth almost immediately. The first flavor to hit the mouth is probably the raisin-plum taste, with some sweetness, folllowed by a good bit of sour-bitterness. As it warmed a bit, some of the grainy-earthy flavors came forward; there was also a toffee malt effect in the taste. The beer has a hugely lively fizz feel along with the flavors, and leaves the mouth feeling full from even the smallest sip. It has a thick, lasting effect, and the alcohol content pokes through from time to time. The body was smooth and wet, yet still left the mouth feeling slightly dry. Before having this beer, and even in the first moments, I was worried that it would not live up to the hype... but it did. While the aroma and appearance were great (especially the retention of the cling and head), it was the flavor and palate feel that truly separate this beer from the pack. I have never experienced such a burst of flavor coupled with a majestic palate feel before. To date, this beer is the best that I have ever had, and in my opinion, deserves its status.

Bottle, thanks ekstedt. Dark brown with a light brown head. Complex aroma of caramel, port and fruit. Sweetish and salty. Soft and vinous mouthfeel.

Pour is muddy brown with small brown head. Aroma burns your nostrils with alcohol and funk. The flavor is terrible. Alcohol and bad sour was all I tasted. This beer did not live up to the hype at all. I’d take a Rochefort 10 any day over this one.