Westvleteren 12

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

Serve in Trappist glass

Rating # 300. Bottle. Pours a cloudy brown body, with a small, but forever lasting off-white head. Aroma is belgian yeast, molasses, dark fruit and notes of alcohol. Flavor is yeast, malt,, sweet dark fruit, dates, raisins and notes of alcohol. Warming finish from the alcohol. Nice lacings. Fantastic beer.

UPDATED: JUL 20, 2011 330mL 2003 ed courtesy of glouglouburp. Thanks Dany! Pours very deep brown almost black looking in the glass with a thin tan head that leaves some nice bubbles and a faint protective layer. Really wants to lace well. Aroma is outstanding. Loads of rum raisin, malaga gelato, light cognac, dates, figs, mulled apple cider. Whoa. Taste is similar: tons of gourmet dark fruits, cognac, milk chocolate, ganache, chocolate mousse, mulled red wine. A little warming from the 10%. This is seriously good. Beautiful creamy, rich palate. Just destroys all other Trappist beers. Especially St. Bernardus 12. 2/10/2010 94/9/5/17=4.4

330mL 2007 ed thanks to Travlr. The pour is perfection: massive, thick, pillowy cinnamon tan head erupts with precision and towers out of the Westvleteren trappist chalice perfect poise rising straight out of the glass but not toppling over like a miracle. Massive retention and sheety, full lacing. Nose is rich milk chocolate, cinnamon, dates and figs. Taste is ultra rich milk chocolate, cinnamon apple butter, raspberry compote and ganache. Mild spicy calvados adds alcohol warm and sharpness. Effervescent carbonation and present hoppiness cut the sweetness. Very rich and aerated palate. Insanely easy to drink with less dark fruit character compared to St Bernardus 12 and more cinnamon, chocolate, and apple brandy. Awesome. 7/17/2011 8/5/9/5/17=4.4

Rating #1000! Bottle from a trade with Boutip. BB date 25/08/12. Pours dark caramel color with tan head. Aromas of Belgian candy sugar, dark fruits, bread dough and molasses. Flavor is sweet raisins, figs, plums, candy sugar, molasses, licorice, some dough and a touch of alcohol. Medium body with moderate carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel. Great beer. Thanks Phil for hooking me up with this world class brew.

Bottle (best before 02/08): Hazy, lots of UFO’s visible, small stable off-white layer; gorgeous complex nose: dried fruits, bisquits and huile de noix de Dordogne; solid sweet-bitter flavour, medium to full bodied, oily; distinctive wal-nutty traces in the swet port-vinous and malty finish. No reason to get excited, just a great beer.......

Bottle (in NZ). I never rated my first experience, as it was so underwhelming considering the hype. Unfortunately the reprieve was not deserved, as the second tasting was much of the same. Lots of caramelised sugar in the aroma, along with wet bread, and some methanol. In the mouth it is sweet, along with tart fruit, and oranges. The heat from the alcohol comes a bit later, and then a dryness in the finish. Drinks like an English Old Ale, but nothing special above that. Though it was wonderfully smooth. I feel like the only guy in the room that doesn’t get a joke....

BIrra scura dalla schiuma bianco crema.Aroma di malto, caramello cioccolato e liquirizia.Il gusto è di cioccolato,liquirizia,caramello ,frutti scuri ,ma anche luppolo nel finale che rimane in bocca ben impresso. Unica , la migliore!!!

Bottle, 33 cl. Brown beer with a red shine, starts with a white creamy head that becomes soon a little head that lasts. Aroma of dried fruits, caramel, some chocolate and malts. Taste is a wonderful combination of dried fruits, caramel, chocolate and roasted malt with a light sweet touch and a light hoppy, bitter finish that stays a long time in your mouth. There are so many tastes in this beer, but all the credits certainly go to the fanstastic pallet which brings one taste after another to the foreground. Excellent beer, one of the best, but to my opinion not ’the best’.

UPDATED: FEB 8, 2012 Describing all the tastes that you get when you absorbing this beer is almost not possible. There are so many tastes mixed all together to a very nice beer. Even the looks are great with foam that looks like a cloud and stays for a very long time. Maybe a bit over-sweet fruity, but good moderated spices, and some nice caramel touch makes this one very drinkeable. Edit retasted at 31/1/2011 a bottle from 2004, more then 6 years old. Very soft fruits, raisins and prunes, spiced, light yeasty. Nice fruited. This beer can age even some more I think. Had to give it some better score after re-tasting multiple aged bottles for sure. Let them rest for a while!