Westvleteren 12

Cap dated 29-04-06: I had intended to not drink this until I found another, but that may be awhile. Besides, this is my 100th beer reviewed. Into the requisite tulip it goes, with some effort needed to coax a slight foam, I wouldn’t even call it head. When held to a light source, the body is a beautiful cherry amber, clear save for a small number of floaties. The nose is a luscious blend of dark, dried fruits, and some wood. The taste is completely blended, there are no layers of individual flavors. The initial flavor is kind of sweet up front, but quickly begins to dry out. The woody, or perhaps leathery, character appears, and then a faint bitterness, as if from hops. The mouthfeel is barely carbonated, but silky smooth, and heavy. I drank three of these the last night of Marvin’s rule over Chalkies. It is to him that I owe many thanks for this bottle. I think that in Europe, the second number of the date represents the year, rather than the third, as in America. And I seem to remember reading in one of the forums that Westvleteran 12 is bottled three years before the date on the cap. As good as this was, I would like to try a slightly fresher sample. And my two cents is that this is head and shoulders above all other Quads, Trappists definitely included. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 11-11-2005 01:57:33

Pours a dark red/brown color with a fizzy beige head. Aroma is intense with lots of raisans,caramel,burnt sugar and som vinious notes. Incredible smooth mouthfeel. Flavor is nice and subtle with lots of chocolate,dark fruits and a nice malty touch. Alcohol is nowhere to be found. A really nice zipper!

caramel, floral, brown, sparkling, brown foam, light sweetness, medium bitterness, medium sourness,

Shared this with a friend who received it in a trade. Pours a very dark brown with a white head. Lots of carbonation. Very complex and delish aroma of sugars, bready goodness, malts, and fruit. Flavor is fantastic. Starts of with yeast and malts, and then the fruit and hops balance it out. Finish is very bitter. Alcohol isn’t very apparent. Is it worth the hype? Well, it may not be the greatest beer ever made, but it was very enjoyable and I would gladly drink it again.

Bottle, 6-7 months after being picked up from the abbey, courtesy of Filip!
Pours a deep brown with a big tan tightly bubbled head, fades to the edges and leaves a nice lacing. Huge fruity nose, figs, dates, candi sugar, some spicy hops are evident in the nose too. The aroma is rounded out with some big, bready yeasty aromas atop a fine malty base. Truly a magnificent aroma. In flavor, sweet dates, bready yeasts, spicy hops and surprisingly had a bitter finish. Hardly any alcohol shows through. Very balanced and delicious, just lush and smooth in the mouth. This was light and drinkable. Cheers again to Filip for sharing this!

A rich earthy brown, she pours delectably into my glass, a goblet of course. A generous body, she is a deep earthy brown leaving no room for light to peek through. Thick and luscious in my glass with a nice tight, tan head which fades into a light ring around my glass. Much yeast in the nose with fruits such as prune, fig, and raisin. Westy is thick, heavy, and meaty in my mouth. A light touch of effervescent which I find is typical or bottle fermented Belgian Ales, and I love it. The palate is sweet and yeasty and a blend of darkish fruits like the prune, fig, and raisin I got in the nose. The whole flavor profile seems to settle right on the center of my tongue, lingering with a hint of dryness. Like a good Belgian, Westy warms beautifully, bringing out even more of the tangy yeasty sour goodness. Westy 12 finishes beautifully, much to my sadness, because I really didn’t want this wonderful Belgian beer to end. A true Trappist quadrupel, bless those monks.
For a high ABV, Westy 12 is very drinkable, and I could easily put a couple of these away, maybe with some yummy gourmet cheeses n smoked salmon. I have had a few "religious experiences" over the last few years of my beer geekdom, and Trappist Westvleteren 12 is definitely one of those.

For my 700th rating, I decided to crack this one open on my 40th birthday. Two good numbers coming together, I guess. Pours a deep brownish red with a thick off white head. Nicely packed carbonation bubbles stream up the side of the glass. Aroma has a strong caramel malt sweetness, candy sugar, raisin, plums, and cherries all combined together, yet no one overpowering. Reminds me of a nice cognac where you just sit and savor the complexity of the aroma. Nice creamy body. Taste is thick and malty with lots of dark fruit notes, cherry, candy sugar. An amazing balance of so many flavors. With all of that going on, it finishes very clean with only a slight hint of sweetness. Yeah, it’s worth the hype.

Poured a dark amber/brown color with a slightly off white one-finger head. Aroma of belgian spices and malts. Dark fruits and spices in the taste along with malts noted. Worth the effort to obtain.