St. Bernardus Abt 12

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Watou, Belgium

What a fortune! I can taste a sample of this fantastic beer! Poured dark brown into a Westvleteren trappist glass...The beer has a superb tan.beige head what never disappears...Complex aroma with lot of dried fruits, spices like clove, cinnamon and vanilla, fine roasted perfumes, chocolate-cocoa beans, coffe perfume. The flavor is thick with a smooth mouthfeel. Bomb of tastes: fine dark chocolate-cocoa beans, nuts, roasted aromas, fine spicy vanilla, cinnamon and clove feeling with fine dried fruits like plum or raisins. Excellent!

A nice beer that pours with little head, which matures to just a touch of a head. Not too foamy. Very intense fruity attack which fades to an almost wine-like finish. A very enjoyable beer.

Pours a murky mahogany into the glass, with a nice froth of creamy tan that retains well and leaves thick soapy lace down the glass. The aromas are of Belgian candi sugars and dark, dried fruits. The flavors, following much similarly follow in tow, contain sugars, sweet malt, a touch of alcohol, spiced raisin bread, and hints at clove and banana. The finish brings a hint (nicely) of diacetyl butter to the tiny pepper of alcohol in the mid-back palate. A truly wonderful brew, and is extremely complex and substantial. The mouthfeel is thick, yet smooth, sliding down very well, especially considering the ABV. Overall, a offering to cherish on any special occasion.

Poured opaque earthy garnet with a thick frothy sandy head that eventaully subsided but produced nice lacing. Aroma produced spicey apple esters, nutty, candi sugar, and obvious alcohol. The flavor was similar but slightly citric after the initial yeasty-apple character and finished dry. Overall quite sweet with mellow complexities. Pretty good but I’ll stick with Rochefort 10 over it.

11.2oz bottle. Dark ruby/brown with an amazing creamy white head. Aroma of sweet malts with fruits and nuts. Complex flavor of chocolate, dark fruits, nuts, and vanilla. Smooth and velvety with a hint of carbonation. High alcohol is well hidden. An excellent beer and one of my favorite Belgians.

To be able to pack this kind of punch in ABV and keep the drinkablility this high is a credit to the brewer’s art. My hopes were high when I first poured the beer into the glass. The dark color complemented the creamy white head, and the sweet malt aroma kept me from being distracted by the alcohol. It was there, but not overwhelming. It was pleasantly thick and velvety on my tongue, and it soon had me smiling.

dark brown pour with nice head. smells malty and sweet. this is a big brew, rich flavor. sorta caramelized sugar taste, this is a pretty sweet beer, but has just enough hops to save it from going overboard, definitely a cold weather drink, i could taste the alcohol a bit, but definitely didn’t feel like 10%. overall I say this is for sure one of the best brew’s i have tasted. and would treat this as a special occasion beer, as even if cheaper, dont think i could drink all the time.

Opened a gusher that pours a deep dark brown with a foamy, off white head that dissipates a bit too quickly. Malt aromas are of dates, prunes, and sweet spice; I cannot detect any hop bouquet. Flavor is all fruity malt, mostly cherries and persimmon, without being too sweet and a hint of grain husk in the middle. Medium to full body. The hops make their presence known in the finish with a hint of cleansing bitterness. Overall very good quad that should be at the forefront of any Belgian diplomatic venture.