Westvleteren 12

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

Overwhelming beer with a very open taste. The aroma is ok, but the taste simply unique with its almost exploding character. Maybe it’s not as great as so many people tend to think, but it’s something very special and something you just have to taste.

Rating #100! Pours a beautiful deep brown with mahogany hints around the edges. The head is a rocky off-white two fingers thick which lingers for quite a while and leaves minimal lacing. Where do I start with the aroma? Sweet bready caramel malts with huge dark fruit aromas of raisins and plums up front. Big and complex with molasses, brown sugar, and some spices on top of that. Just a wonderfully aromatic brew. Just like the smell, the taste is just incredibly complex and wonderful. There is a prevailing sweetness that pervades the entire flavor with molasses, dark fruit, caramel, and vanilla. Spices are also present but perfectly balanced with the sweetness and malts. Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth but with a nice big carbonation that tickles the tongue. I honestly don’t think you could improve the mouthfeel...exceptional. Well, what else to add to the praise. I’m not sure if this is the best beer I’ve ever had, but it’s pretty damn close. It’s unbelievably complex but extremely drinkable and is certainly the best of the style I have ever tasted.

wow....I wanted to hate this beer but it smelled like dried fruit and tasted like really nice dried fruit and finished dry and super super drinkable......worth the hype.....but not worth the amount people are spending on this on ebay.....

Simply amazing what else can be said. Sampled this at In de Vrede. Found it at De Bier Temple in Brussels. Brought 3 cases back to the states. If you have never tried this beer you must.

[1173-20080302] Bottle. Mild fruity aroma has hints of malt and roast. Hazy, dark dark brown body with a long-lasting creamy light tan head. Flavour has some fruity malt but mostly is roasted malt with little bitterness. Full body. Impressive and muted like its brothers and still very nice, especially as it warms. (7/5/9/4/18) 4.3
(@ In De Vrede; Westvleteren, BE)

[1312B-20080419] Bottle. Mild vine grapes aroma has boozy green leaf grains and a strange oxo cube background. Murky, dark brown red body pours a big medium-lasting creamy off-white head. Sweet green twigs and fruity mild malt flavour has toasty grain sweetness and booooze. Medium body. Bonus for the experience in Canada. (7/4/8/4/17) 4.0
(w/ DuctTape, jerc, TheRoot)

My first Westy 12! Dark brown with a creamy tan head that disappears into a ring. Huge thanks to Old Style Cub fan! Huge and beautiful aroma of cherries, brown sugar, raisins, figs. Amazing flavor, fresh and strong, yet extremely complex. Has a strong vineous quality. Finish is beautifully smooth and sweet. There’s a lot going on in this beer. It’s worthy of its top beer titile!

Rating #500! It’s an honor to have the Unicorn of beers for this milestone. Bottle courtesy of Shyam. 33cl bottle has no label, engraved in the glass is the word "Trappist", otherwise the only identifying mark would be the bottle cap. Pours a deep, cloudy, nearly opaque nut brown with a head that was initially foamy and active, and settled to a healthy, creamy, tan ring with tight bubbles. The aroma is mild, all things considered, but if you search you can sense the complexity. There’s a deep, sugary malt presence, yeast, grain, bread dough, raisins, dried fruits, dates, figs and a touch of lemon grass. The aroma is good, the flavor is truly remarkable: brown sugar, chewy bread dough, raisins, grapes, butterscotch, cookies, biscuits, Belgian candy, coffee with cream, cane sugar, a little bit of earthy spice and a little bit of mild milk chocolate. Buttery and soft on the palate makes this so easy to drink with the kind of lingering sweetness that could make it a session beer. What a session that would be. Very well balanced and the consistency of the beer is probably a reflection of the care taken when making it. While not THE best beer I’ve ever had, it’s one of the best and certainly worthy of being labeled the best beer in the world.

Greatest beer ever..worth the crazy price. This is the best beer in the world. I would drink this exclusively if not for the price.