Westvleteren 12

Brewed by Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Westvleteren, Belgium

A great big thank you to Adrian for opening a bottle of this. I was very excited about finally trying this brew, which has achieved near legendary status. And I must say that it is very good, but not one of the best things I have had, and definitely not worth the exorbitant prices some people are asking for it, or the #1 rating it gets in some polls. It could be that the bottle we had was a little dated, since it was from 5 years ago, but Adrian says there was nothing wrong with it. Wonderful aroma of blossoms, plus some tang and malty sweetness. The aroma was something special, and the best thing about it, i.m.o. Dark pour with a little foam. Plain bottle. The taste was surprisingly sweet, with a sugary, dried fruit flavor dominating, along with some cola, clove, and cinnamon. There were some tingly hops in the finish, but this creamy, sweet ale was very much a dessert treat type of beverage. Good, but overrated. I am not sure what makes people think it is so superior to other fine Belgian ales.

Sweet dark fruit aroma, raisins, figs, spice. Pours dark brown with cream head and nice lacing. Medium body, with soft carbonation. Spice and sugar are very well balanced. hint of alcohol.

I am one of few lucky ones to have a couple of crates at home. Remark : tastes better in winter. The sheer complexity and deepness of flavours makes this an exceptionnal beer : caramel, dried fruits, .... It should not be compared to St Bernardus, as this is the original. It is not as wheaty and has more complexity to it. Best beer to compare it with is Rochefort 10

I drank this from a bottle in brussels. This is a great beer very similar to R10, but I would say its a notch below Rochefort 10. Great deep amber appearance with a nice head. The flavor of coffee and alochol. This is a great beer, but probably given more props because of lack of availability.

330ml bottle
10.2% ABV
This is my 400th review. I tried this beer on June 25, 2009 at ’Cafe Volo’ in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Several Toronto beer bars have banded together to get several cases and sell it - and I grabbed the chance. The beer poured an opaque dark brown with an off white head...not near as dark as the St. Bernardus or Rochefort quads. The aroma knocked my socks off....fresh figs and plums, with warm yeast and sweet malt. More than satisfying. The mouthfeel was full-bodied, with mild carbonation - yet a bit thinner than other quads. The flavour again was quite complex and full of flavours when compared to St. Bernardus, and didn’t have the alcohol taste and feel I get with the Rochefort. The bitter aftertaste was even pleasant after the sweet malt and fruit tones. On aroma and taste alone, this is the best beer I have ever had. I’m knocking off points for appearance and mouthfeel as the beer was ’lighter’ than I was expecting.

Liquid Sunshine VII Tasting – Kirkland, WA
Aroma: Belgian yeast aroma was sweet like molasses.
Appearance: Brown in color, Hazy with a thin head.
Flavor: Sweet Belgian yeast flavor with a dried fruit. This was very sweet in flavor.
Palate: Dry Sweet finish, with a Good Mouthfeel.
Overall: A Totally awesome Belgian Quad.

It poured a dark liquid with some tones of red and brown. The foam was small and left no lacing. After a closer inspection I also noticed that there where some yeast in the liquid. It had an aroma of chocolate and something fruity, some red berries and something else which I couldn’t distinguish. It was also spicey with some alcohol that was fairly well hidden. The first sip was very fizzy. So fizzy in fact that I didn’t sense any flavor at all. After waiting a bit and let the fizzyness reside a bit I started to get a better grasp of the beer and it improved allot. The flavor had nuts, chocolate and red berries. It was not as intence as Westvleteren 8 a bit smoother but I actually prefered the roughness and spices in the 8. It was all very round and well balanced with a warm alcoholic finish.

Pours hazy brown amber with a thick off white head. Aroma is very malty with notes of bread, spices, and fruit. Very intriguing aroma. Flavor is more maltiness, with hints of chocolate and molasses. Complex with a good mouthfeel. Lives up to the hype.