Westvleteren 12

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

Holy Moly! Only had the # 8 before which was divinely balanced. This however, is evidence of divinity wrought by the hand of man. Poured a 4 oz sample in a belgian glass. Nice light tan head with some lace. Very aromatic with lots of dark ripe fruits, berries, chocolate, malty, some spice, molasses, damp forest, earth. Even sex. Bless this beer. I drank it and feel blessed myself. Plush velvet texture. Reminds me of certain beautiful women whom I can’t recall unless I’m dreaming. . I want to regurgitate this beer for another go ’round. Cheers!

In the fall of 2003, I took a trip to Belgium and sought out this beer. When you hear so much about a beer, your expectations are through the roof. I found it at a small beer shop in Brugge and brought it back to the hotel. My first sip made me a believer. It’s hard to know where the hype ends and the truth begins, but with this beer, I think the brewers have truly come up with something special. I understand that St Bernardus is basically the same beer, but I’ve had that beer on several occasions, and while I find it delicious, it has not quite impressed me in the same way as the original.

A truly remarkable beer and the best I have ever tried. The color is a rich reddish amber-brown with a thick, creamy, rocky, tight-nit, beige head. Head duration is nearly fully lasting with Belgian lacing. Malt is the dominate aroma with bread, toffee, and a hint of roast. In the background are sublte hints of orange, pear, cherries, dates, a touch of smoke, and a bit yeasty. The flavor is a symphony of tastes. Sweet malt greets the palate but is tempered with the hop bitterness and a slight touch of fruit. The finish leaves a hovering of maltiness on the palate that gently fades away. I highly recommend that everyone try this at least once. Without a doubt this is the best and worth the wait until I got to my 1000 rating.

What an incredible beer, brewed by incredible people, in an incredible place. We visited St. Sixtus recently and it is well worth the visit. At Peace, the little pub on the monestary site itself serves the beer for a pittance and it is a wonderful place to sit and enjoy beer brewed with care and tradition. Do yourself a favor if you visit Belgium and go and visit this very special place.

Bottle sampled with Beerded_one. First I must thank belgianshop.com for this beautiful beer. Pours Dark with a two finger thick light tan head, that lasted until the last sip. The aroma is heavenly, belgian spices, yeast, citrus (orange peel), slight fruit, and alcohol. The flavor is ungodly, god damn smooth, spices, fruit, citrus, sweet, with a slight hoppy bitter finish. Oh then as this beer warms the flavor changes, i started to taste wood (oak), then vanilla, and nuts. I thought this beer was going to be all hype, yet still good, just not as good as it was rated, i was wrong, this is the best hands down.

Complex in flavor starting with sweet fruits - plums, raisins - but ending with a peppery alcohol and a slight bitterness. There are also notes of toffee, licorice, raspberries. The flavor seemed to shift as the beer warms. The pour was brown with a thin head that gave way to floating bubbles and nice lacing. Nose filled with fruits - strawberry, plum, raisin. The palate was sticky and the finish long leaving a slight musty, yeasty aftertaste. Wonderful beer.

FINALLY! Had mine at the Taphouse in the Ghent section of Norfolk, VA with gputty. Even brought my own glass for the occasion. Many things in life do not come close to matching their "hype". Fortunately, I feel this one goes beyond the considerable buzz surrounding it. Pours into my trappist glass a deep mahogany brownish red. Somewhat murky, a slight, off white head crowns the top, a foreshadow of the weblike dense lacing. Initially, the nose is rather vinous, like a medium red, with some cherry notes peeking through. As it warms, a far more complex aroma emerges. Notes of dark fruits - raisin and black cherries - shine through. The cornucopia of scents is almost overwhelming, too much going on to pinpoint all the complexities. Finally, I lift the glass and draw my first sip. Light Muscatine grapes cascade across my tongue to start the show, followed by a textbook quad fruitiness, highlighted by black cherry, prune and some light molasses. All this flies by you as the finish approaches, a lovely sweet, slightly tart mildly dry epilogue. All too soon, I see the tiny logo at the bottom of my glass, signaling the beginning of the end. Fully warmed, the alcohol becomes just slightly more apparent, and some of the initial winelike notes have faded to a warm, sweet end. Sad but sated, I give this my first 5.

The best beer i ever drink. It’s a dark beer white a bite. It’s sweet. It’s tast to drink more. The aroma is the best i ever seen before. sixtus brewers i come soon for to buy your beer again.