St. Bernardus Abt 12 Special Edition

Formerly brewed at St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Watou, Belgium

Pours dark mahogany with frothy off-white head. Nice malty aroma of caramel, candied sugar, slight dark fruit, vanilla complimented by belgian yeast and some really great floral hoppiness. As it warms, notes of maple, yeast, candied sugar, spice and fig begin to dominate the flavor. A nice bit of citrus and floral hoppiness is also present in the finish. To make this even more complex, I am now getting notes of berry, banana, and a bit of apple- I could go on and on. Flavor starts a bit mediciny, but it is otherwise near perfect. Palate is creamy and full but not sticky or cloying and has the slightest insinuation of a dry finish. Another stroke of genuis from the brewers of St. Bernard.

classic dusty abbey yeast aroma with candied sugar. cloudy dirty brown below frothy creamy head. looks gritty like you could filter out the sediment. wood and fig dominate, more dust and depth. gets much more full and complete as it warms up

Bottled. Hazy mahogany colour with a rich and dense tan-coloured foam. Sweet and yeasty aroma of fudge, nuts, berries, coconut and figs. Full creamy flavour of figs, spices, nuts and red berries. Full and creamy body. Long warming finish of nuts, figs, prunes, mild licorice and yeast.

Sampled 6-21-2007. Oh my God, what have I DONE!? On a whimsy I pop open the ol’ 60th anniversary edition here. As I pull the cork out I think to myself: what the hell am I doing? Pours a clear dark brown with ruby tints. Minimal head. Nose is very clean and vibrant. I am getting raisins and stronger bananas. Dough is there as well, but it seems to be on the back end. Over continual sniffing, bananas seem to rule the day. Flavor is smooth and beautiful. Sweet of course, but those bananas are right back up at me. Mild wood tones hit me. Yeast doesn’t show up until the aftertaste kicks in, in which case you get a thick amount of that. Feel is smooth. biting carbonation. Overall I am going to say this has a perfect level of drinkability. A smooth drinking quad? Who would have thought. Amazing.

Bottled, thanks kmweaver! Dark amber, dense head. Grassy, caramelly nose. Medium sweet, soft and seemless. Full bodied with intricate caramelly malt flavours, notes of everything from tropical fruits to perfume and hay, as well as candi sugar and yeast. Powerful, yet complex and elegant. Beautifully balanced.

Bottle. Dark amber colour with a huge mostly lasting head. Lots of aromas and taste in this one. Great beer.

This beer has a very nice texture. Lots of complex flavors going on in this beer. Hints of bananas, molasses, and spices. Aftertaste is pleasant also. Worth every penny!!

Bottle courtesy of golubj; poured a brownish color with small to medium to head. Aroma was of brown sugar, yeast, spice and a little bit of hops. Flavor was ok; not quite as good as the original. This one was a little more hopped. Overall it was good, but not quite as enjoyable as it is rated in my opinion.