St. Bernardus Abt 12

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

Bottle. Poured into a trappist glass. Poured a dark brown color with a huge brown head that persists. Aroma was sweet malt, dark fruits and alcohol. Flavor was mainly dark fruits with a little warming alcohol on the end. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Great beer.

Pours a deep plum color from the bomber with gorgeous lacing and an obscene brown head. Absurdly cavernous in it’s aroma and flavor, not to mention the SEDIMENT, which makes this brew look like a robin’s egg when held to the light. A beer to behold.

Pours opaque chocolate brown with a beige foamy head that persists. Nose is very mild, but I detect malt and faint ethanol. You can taste the hops; it’s the perfect amount of bitter. Finishes with a slight alcohol tingle that is promptly quenched by the next sip. It is easy to see why this beer is highly rated.

Bottle. Pours a nice walnut brown with a thin tan head that has no staying power. Smell is earthy, dates, rasins, sweet malts, and hints of wood. Taste is very mellow, sweet yet not overpowering with all the things that you can smell playing nicely in the taste. Mouthfeel is soft and enjoyable with light carbonation and a slight alcohol burn.

Bottle. Brown colour with a beige head. Aroma is fruit, malt, yeast, spices. Flavour is fruit, malt, yeast, spices, dried fruit, alcohol. World class beer.

2008 Bottle. Gorgeous brew that is dark brown with a VERY long-lasting cream-colored head. Smells of cinnamon, caramel, and perhaps wine? Tastes of dark roasted malts, alcohol, and a sweet nutiness that conveniently graces most good Belgian ales. Palate is very even, though the alcohol tends to bite a little bit in the aftertaste. A world-class beer--highly recommended.

Interesting brew. Pours medium brown with soft fluffy head that just hangs around nicely. Aroma is malt and fruit. Taste is similar but alcohol is pretty apparent. Other than the alcohol shining through, it is not overly bitter. Flavors are fruits, malt, and some underlying nut flavors. Not my favorite style and I’ve not had enough Abt’s to review this fairly. Will revisit this eventually but these are my impressions.

Bottle at Beer Bistro, Toronto, July 2007. Pours a dark reddish brown with a generous foaming head. I smell wonderful aromas of dark dried fruit, apple, caramel. This thing is loaded with flavour, complex: raisin, prune, licorice, sugar, alcohol.