Westvleteren 12

Bottle 33cl. I managed to get a hold of one of these in Antwerp Belgium. I was very surprised to see it in the first beer shop I walked into so I was very pleased. Pours a clear red/brown colour. Has a great size head and good carbonation. Smell is chocolaty and can also make out raisen and fruits, excellent balance. Smell is very enrichning and satisfying on it’s own, just smelling this is a treat. Taste is very complex, but perfectly balanced, the many fruits can be found again, as also some nuts and the yeast with a lovely alcohol finish. Lies great in the mouth. Must say this rates up there with the Rochefort 10 and I have to say that it is slightly better even so!

This is a great beer but I enjoyed the wv 8 more. I found this a bit to light to its reputation and 10.2%. It contains a lot of flavour eg. raisins, bread.

Bottle. Hazy brown. No head. Sweet aroma of bread and yeast (not the typical belgian yeast aroma though). Sweet and fruity beer with a complex flavor. Bread. Raisins. Licorice. Etc. Very smooth.

Many thanks to my friend Troy who brought back two bottles of this from a recent trip to Belgium and was gracious enough to share. Poured a rich, dark brown color into a chalice. However, when the light hit it just right, it had a deep ruby/garnet glow. Wasn’t a huge head, but stayed around for a while. Also, we were sharing this among several people, so pouring this bottle into multiple glasses may have affected the head size as well. Aromas were good, but nothing really stood out. Rather fruity, like plums and brown sugar, with some sweetness as well. The taste was excellent. Lots of dark fruits, honey, some spice, and also a bit of alcohol bitterness. Mouthfeel was exceptiona, like drinking velvet. Just a tingle of carbonation to keep the palate fresh. Overall, this was a great beer. Did it live up to the hype--could it live up to the hype? Hard to say. I would love to have another full glass rather than the portion I had in order to really savor and explore this beer. But I can’t say that I was dissappointed, either, because what I did get to sample was awesome.

Had the pleasure of sharing a bottle of this wonderful beer with a group of friends the other night. Very well balanced. The taste is sweet and fruity with a very mild bitterness. The taste of raisins or dates or some other kind of dried fruit is very apparent with each sip. Very complex on the palate, but not overwhelming. Each sip leaves your mouth wanting more. Well worth the hype, but I wish it was more widely distributed. Cheers!

No beer is perfect, but this is damn close. Perfectly balanced. Sweet, malty, and slightly hopped. Every time I sip it I taste a new fruit. A complexity that keeps you drinking, and finishing the beer quicker than you’d want. The Abbey experience is one in its own as well. Everyone should try this beer at least once.

This is the very best beer I ever had All beer lovers should try it! too bad it is hard to get

Bottle. Poured deep dark brown with nice thick cream colored head. Aroma was raisins, dark fruits, and slight alcohol smell. Taste was complex, dark fruits, sweet, very smooth. finished nice and taste lingered but pleasant.