Westvleteren 12 (XII)

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

Serve in Trappist glass

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Picked up two cases in Westvleteren. Fantastic beer, looks great, nice dark colour, wonderful taste with a nice bitter. Amazing beer, reminds me of Rochefort.

Dark brown with a red shine, full tanned and stable head. Smell of spices, berries, fruits, caramel and honey. Tastes like coffee, caramel, malt, a bit fruity/berries, plums.Full body, fizzy, a bit alcoholic/fruity aftertaste, medium bitterness. Very long lasting intensive mouthfeel.

Clearly one of the best beers I’ve ever tried.. Full of flavour, has a roasty floral aftertaste... It feels full in mouth and has some caramel flavours in the palate.. If this can help the ones who would like to try the beer, have a look on : westvleterenshop.com .. I had a great experience there, and found out the best prices.. Good luck

Yeah, I gave it a 5. You know what? This beer easily earns that score. Gift from Sergio, thanks a million man! Dark brown pour with a big tan head that lasts forever. Aromas of dried fruit, yeast, malt, and brown sugar. Big malt character on the palate with the brown sugar and dried fruit notes coming through in the finish. Lighter on the palate than you might expect but the flavor is all there. The abv is completely hidden as well. A true work of art.

Bottle (of course). Amazingly drinkable big beer; lighter than expected on the tongue, not too sweet, but still full-bodied. Apple overtones. Excellent carbonation--best I've had in a beer. Probably worth the trip to Belgium. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Rating #2000. 330ml brown bottle - a gift from verticalbaconstrips the night of RBAG 1. I’m not really sure how old it is, or how it was acquired, I’ve had it for over a year now. The cap has a date of 24.09.13. Brown pour, orangey highlights, hazy, some sediment. Dark beige head that fades to a small tight bubbled cap, some creamy edges and ok lacing. Nose has rich plummy fruit notes, sort of winey, a bit of rich alcohol, chocolate. Taste has chocolate malts, toffee, and dark fruit (plum and black cherries, raisin), a bit of late bitterness and some alcohol. Aftertaste has light hops, rich chocolate and toffee malts, lingering dark fruit notes. A lot drier than I was expecting. Mid to full body with pretty active carbonation. Overall, the Westy expresses everything I would like to see in the abt/quad style, it certainly stands up to, but does not surpass my favourites in this style. It was/is an excellent beer, and I feel like a true rater now that I’ve had the Westy.

As an american who has wanted to taste this beer for some time, I found myself lucky to have recent moved only a few hours drive from Westvleteren. I recently made the trip and bought several gift packs of XII and also sampled in the cafe. If you love this style, the XII is a real treat. This strong has an extremely pleasing bitterness with chocolate and burnt sugar flavors - it is complex, and, depending on the day, i would also say marzipan, caramel and citrus as well overtones as well. I think that the key to enjoying this beer is to drink it at the right temperature. I store at approx. 50-60 degrees and put in the fridge for 20 min. before drinking to settle the yeast. If you drink immediately after opening, the taste is much more sharp. I like to leave it to sit for 20-25 minutes, at which time I do believe this is a very close to perfect brew! Highly recommended if you like the style. On a side note, I also love the Rochefort 10 and put it on par w/ the Westvleteren, absolutely. They are equally amazing.

Lived up to it’s hype. Got this bottle from a colleague while visiting Leuven, Belgium. Drank it while watching a soccer game in my hotel room. Wonderful beer from start to finish.

---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle to celebrate my rating #1000 :-) Pours cloudy coffee brown with frofuse and stable off-white head. Dark aroma of malt and caramel with very subtle notes of dried fruit and alcohol. Sweet flavour of caramel malt, spreading all over the palate and lingering for a long time. Warming alcohol presence, notably in the finish. Notes of coffee and nuts in the aftertaste. Great! I know some might say it is snobbery, but it does deserve a 5! With a personal expression of gratitude to all who have helped me reach the first thousand ratings, especially MiP, yespr, Ungstrup, Piwa Swiata in Poznan and my own dear old Mum. Thank you! Cheers!