Westvleteren 12

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

Name: 12 - yellow cap
Date: 02/20/2001
Mode: Bottle
Source: www.belgianshop.com

dark brown, whispy head, rich sweet chocolate and licorice aroma, rich complex malt flavor, big body, hints of chocolate, low bitterness in the finish, very smooth and drinkable, no hint of alcohol, surprising for a 10.8% beer.

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 9/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 19/20
Rating: 4.3/5.0
Drinkability: 10/10
Score: ***4

Chestnut brown. Aroma shows alcohol, wood, hint of smoke. Flavour notes highlight raisin bread, allspice, deep fruitiness (apricot), demerara. Long, sweet, silky malts in the finish, with dates and light bready notes. Ultra smooth.

Ruby-amber ale; wonderful thick head., Strong malt and hop aroma. Full body, some residual sweetness, strong malt, caramel, light liquorice, low alcohol in the mouth, warming, smooth, well balanced. Palate long, aromatic, sweet and bitter, malty and hoppy.</br> <font color=’#FF3300’>My favourite one, of course.</font>

Pours dark brown with small beige head. Very complex aroma with notes of malt, plums, raisins and chocolate. I get toffe, plums, raisins and chokolate in the flavor. Finishes of with warming alkohol. Perfect balance.

(10/13/05, bottled 5/22/02) Given the greater experience and context I have gained since joining RB, it definitely is time to revisit the true king of beers. Small off-white head dissipates fairly quickly (no doubt due to the age of the beer), giving way to an opaque dark brown-red body. Aroma is medium sweet, raisin/prune, vinous, cookie dough, some cherry, light oak, orange. The flavors are bursting at the seams -- moderately sweet, cookie, raisin, floral, cherry, some orange, chocolate, molasses, herbal, faint vinous. The alcohol is nearly invisible. Smooth, even creamy, medium-full body. It will be a very sad day should I no longer be able to obtain this masterpiece. (8/4/10/5/19)

(5/27/02) Absolutely wonderful beer. Very malty, rich & complex. Alcohol warmth adds to, rather than detracts from, the wonderful flavor. (9/4/9/5/18)

Bottle at In de Vrede, Westvleteren. Dark ruby in colour. Thin lasting beige head. Intense aromas with lots of different fruits including interestingly raisins and bananas. Almost syrupy with touch of vanilla to go with the dark fruits. Some alcohol heat in mouth with coffee and sweetness. Still hoppy to balance with sweetness. Warming finish. Excellent beer that will age and release even further flavours.

Bottle at the Prince Of Wales, Foxfield 16/09/2006 Some carbonation. Slightly sour fruit aroma. Mid brown amber coloured strong in alcohol and slightly rich on the palate. Fruity with a little dryness. Bitter and warming malt finish.

Bottled (Helsinki Beer Festival 2004)
Dark brown. Murky hazy color, like "home beer". Very small brown head. Aroma is smooth and pleasant: prunes and yeast. Taste is very complex: prunes, raisins and yeast. Aftertaste has bitterness and alcoholic flavor. Warming, great beer and goes to my ranking #1 (9/4/8/5/18 4.4).
Re-rated, bottled
Dark ruby red, almost opaque. Huge steady tanned head, lace. This bottled had quite light aroma of yeast, plum and licorice. Palate is outstanding: balanced marriage of malts and hops. Wineous with fruits and licorice in the medium to full body. Bitter long aftertaste of hops, alcohol and licorice. I really would like to try a matured one! (7/5/10/5/19 4.6)