St. Bernardus Abt 12 Special Edition

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

Finally opening one of these after at least 2 yrs of cellaring. Half a bottle down, no supper... feeling wobbly! Dark brown with ample murkiness after the sediment dump. Each pout has produced a very large foamy light brown cap that leaves endless lacing and good retention. Nice aroma, exactly what I expected here: raisin, plum, ample soft spices (cloves mainly), candy, dates, brown sugar, salt, yum! And the taste... very very good! In no particular order: caramel, brown sugar / molasses, obvious sweetness, nutmeg, raisins, light smoke?, touch of alcohol that is no distraction, tasty! Somehow I drank 750ml of 11% beer in under an hour and neglected to review it until the final glass full. Mouth feel is very smooth, ample bubbly carbonation early on, light bitterness after drinking the sludge. Looks like I will need a re-review when I open one of the other ones that are still sitting after all this time. Excellent brew, next time I will put it up against a St. Bern 12 ABT of the same vintage to compare.

Bottle, thx to henrikb. It pours a cute amber to copper body with microfloaties and a creamy beige head. Cellar, dried fruits, sugars and spices blend nicely in the aroma. It’s sweet, smooth and warming in the mouth, full-bodied and nicely carbonated. There’s flavors of white sugar, dried fruits, some alcohol and caramel sweetness, with a nice bitterness in the finish. Just really lovely. 090724

Bottle.Pours dark brown with an almost beige head.Aroma of caramel,spice,bread/grains, some alcohol and a kinda earthy sent.Flavor is caramel, a bit fruity,sweet,some spice with a bitter finish.Full bodied and oh so nice.

Thought I rated this one already? Oh well, found my notes. I prefer the regular 12. Tasted very similar but a bit too much alcohol heat/bite.

750ml bottle 8/12/09 (Shared with BeerandBlues2 & RSRIZZO)-Pours a hazy amber with a small off white head. Aroma of roasted malt, grains, yeast, and slight alcohol. Taste of malt, yeast, and caramel. This medium bodied brew is well balanced and tasty.

(Bottle, thanks mybestfriend) Pours brown with a creamy off-white head. The aroma is big, soft and complex with typical St Bernardus yeast profile. Tones of vanilla ice cream, wild strawberries, over ripe pears, plums, caramel/candi sugar, grain, cookies, cement and subtle/mild belgo-ish spices. Undertones of mild smoke, clove and band aid-like phenols. Bit floral. Fantastic and perfectly balanced nose. The flavour is near medium sweet and light bitter with tones of vanilla, spices, wild strawberries and other berries and fruits. Quite malty with caramel, cookie and grain. The mouthfeel is soft, creamy and round with a light to medium carbonation. Lingering aftertaste. Medium to full bodied. This beer is my new best friend!

Rating #1100. Pours a deep mahogany with a loose, beige head that diminishes to a thin cap. Some small sediment is kicked up as well. On the nose: dark fruit, figs, brown sugar, mincemeat and a nice, slightly boozy, vinous quality. Medium-bodied and softly effervescent with spicy, lightly woody and alcohol character at the finish. The flavor follows the aroma, with a solid mincemeat spice note that stands out even more than it did on the nose. This is a pretty tasty beer, but I prefer the "regular" Abt 12. Considering this anniversary version is nearly impossible to find anymore and the Abt 12 is available at any decent bottle shop, I can’t say I’m terribly upset about that.

Bottle courtesy of BeerandBlues2. Color is a deep dark amber with good carbonation and a big fizzy head. Aroma is a sweet and spicy yeast scent. It starts with a medium body that goes down crisp with a slight fizzy feel. Finish comes in sweet with flavors of raisins, dried cheery and yeast, then a little hop spice taste and very mild bitterness. After taste has the fruits lingering on with just a touch of alcohol. This is a brilliant Belgian, big complex and well balanced flavors.