St. Bernardus Abt 12

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

Updated rating: 330 ml bottle - side by side with the newly released 21st Amendment Monk’s Blood; dark brown and almost a gusher before a quick pour; off white head remains as thin film; wow, i’m not sure how they do it (the water?) but nothing quite smells like a true trappist quad; musky sweetness with dates, raisins and sugary goodness; rich texture and decadent, silky mouthfeel; creamy, yeasty goodness; it’s not just the flavors, but more the textures in your mouth really push this over the top; i certainly under-appreciate this brew and need to revisit more often like I did tonight

Original rating 3/8/09 (3.9 overall): 330 ml bottle - clear dark brown with rising off-white head; thick aromas of fruit, dates and sugar; medium to light body becomes slightly creamy; flavors are strong yet smooth; alcohol is hidden; slightly dry aftertaste with a lingering nuttiness; will be drinking plenty more of these down the road

From a 750ml bottle. This pours a cloudy dark brown with a nice white head. Initial taste is a variety of fruits followed by maltiness and some bitterness.

SLC tasting bash 12-11-09
Appearance: Pours a cloudy brown with no head or lacing
Aroma: Raisins, candy sugar and malts
Taste: Dark fruits, raisins, candy sugar, and sweet malts
This was a very good beer

A cloudy reddish-brown, with pine, alcohol, demerara and dried fruit on the nose. A big chewy fruity palate with a little banana, a little prune, a hint of oak, and a slightly dry and salty finish.

(br-btl bu-lbl, 750ml, $9, 10%)

lct-mhgy, foamy-cm-hd, ^eff, full-bod,

bread dark-sugar bright-earthy §fruity-vodka aroma,

T1 ^co2 mnrl
T2 mnrl fruity crml-malt alchl
T3 mnrl bright-bitter §sour §lobster

too ^co2 for session, less cmplx than other abbeys, needs age

Pours dark brown with a beautiful frothy, fluffy, off-white head. The nose is yeasty with hints of citrus and spice. The taste is yeasty and spicy with only a little bitterness. I’m sure others would rate the taste highly, but I’m still refining my appreciation for this type of Belgian. It feels great in the mouth and the head lasted throughout the whole glass.

750 ml. bottle. Pours a a slightly red brown with creme brulee / khaki / gray white head. Small amount of bubbly froth lingers on the top. Soft nose, very fruity, banana, guava, plum, boysenberry, fig. Taste...where to begin.....a procession of fruit flavors with subtle but nice spiciness, complexity without any particular flavor overwhelming, slightly yeasty but crisp, long finish leaves breathe fruity but tongue dry. This beer seems to be doing everything, it’s a balanced mix of flavors, hard to describe with any particular one. After tasting it it’s no wonder the Abbot on the bottle looks so merry.

750mL mag --> trappist glass @50. Clear dark reddish brown - beautiful. Thick bubbly tan head slowly settles to a thin veil. Lacing is amazing - pretty sure I saw a Brontosaurus. This ale brings apples, flowers, cloves and bread to the nose. A swirl of the glass brings out earth and wood notes. The taste is almost as complex as the aroma. Sweet molasses, dried fruit with a salty juniper finish. Alcohol is present and warming but masked by the flavors and lively carbonation. This ale has medium body and, thankfully, is not oily. St. Bernardus has my full attention. Bravo.