Gaverhopke Den Twaalf

Brewed by ’t Gaverhopke
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Stasegem-Harelbeke, Belgium

This is the strongest beer of this small artisanal brewery located at Stasegem near Kortrijk in Belgium. Westvleteren yeast brewed and this can be tasted. Dark brown refermented in the bottle. Creamy longlasting to small layer. Lactic acid in perfect balance with hops and malts. Without the lactic acidity a perfect copy of Westvleteren 12 ! Mighty beer this is...

Sampled at Darkness Day 2009. Pours a copper brown with a nice tan head. Aroma is tart, dark fruits: raisins, dates, plum...caramel malts, wonderfully complex. Flavor is sweet and sour. Palate is smooth but has the sour tang, very nice. Overall, excellent beer.

Had it once in very rural Flanders 3/4 years ago. I believe the tiny brewery’s ownership was about to change hands. Seems unavailable in the midwest. From my notes: Murky, brown with some alcohol bite. Fruity mix sneaks in behind the very sour start. Giant head and nose. Malty, should make a good "big meal" beer. My memory may be a bit incomplete, but I loved it.

Bottle pours medium brown with some haze to it. Again, very carbonated, Sweet malt aromas with some breadiness in there. Medium sweet body with some chocolate and caramel. A good bit of sourness to this one. Really 12%? Way too easy to drink for 12%. One of the better quads I have had.

Bottle. Malty and farty aroma. Hazy brown colour, gets a little muddy towards the bottom. Small light brown head. Nicely sweet flavour, very malty with lots of dried fruits. Vinous, alcoholic notes as well. Very nice and complex beer. 6 3 9 4 19

Bottle, 12%. Sweet malty aroma, dried fruit. Cloudy red amber colour. Very sweet flavour, also quite sour. The alcohol does not show much, perhaps the nasties have ruined it all. Infected. x x x x x

Bottle at Kulminator. Copper brown with a huge beige head. Complex tart fruity aroma with caramel. Sour notes. Milky chocolate, sour fruit, semi-dry finish. Rather smooth, full-bodied. This is something different. A beer that runs in all directions. Maybe not the most elegant, but definitely exciting.

Warm brown coloured beer with small light beige coloured head. Aroma is warm with a smooth roundness off malts, some bread, fruits, spices and hops. taste is rich with some caramel, malts, fruits and hops.

(Bottled) Hazy dark ruby red (muddy medium brown with yeast) with a smallish, but firm and tanned head. Very malty, nutty-toffee-hoppy aroma with berries and some grainy alcohol feel. Grainy-malty, toffee-caramely, nutty-hoppy, slightly anise-orangey flavor. Slightly ashy and stuffy with yeast. Hides the alcohol very well. Quite full-bodied with soft carbonation. A pretty enjoyable and balanced quadrupel, and very true to the style.