Westvleteren 12

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

Rating #1000 Bottle generously donated to "the cause" by mreusch. Pours a deep mahogany with a creamy, beige head. The nose is of dark fruit, red grapes (grape skins) spicy/peppery yeast and light alcohol. The mouthfeel is very nice: on the medium side of full-bodied with a soft creaminess that transitions to a spicy, slightly warming finish. Dark fruit, subtle brown sugar, spicy red wine and a slightly woody, lightly drying spiciness at the subtle yet lingering finish. An exercise in balance and beautifully blended flavors, this beer disappeared from my glass far too quickly. A beer truly worthy of all the accolades that it has received, I can’t thank you enough for the bottle, Matt. Amazing stuff.

tried this alongside the westy 8 and blonde dark brown pour, thin off white head aroma is sweet, raisin-y, lot of white wine, not much malt flavor is fairly sweet, but well-balanced, strong alcohol flavors, estery, figs somewhat chewy, with a dry, very long-lasting finish, but not as dry as the 8

[Bottle] Shared with MatSciGuy - Pours a murky brown with some fermenation floaties. Lasting tan head that nicely laced the glass. This beer is complex and for me there was a pronounced raisin aroma and flavor mixed with malt, dark fruits and caramel. Smooth, medium body mouthfeel. It was a truly wonderful beer and I am appreciative of the chance to give it a try. Thanks man.

Bottle shared by alexadad06. Poured a cloudy brown color with a large frothy brown head that lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate to heavy dark citrus, ginger and caramel aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth sticky texture and flat carbonation. Heavy bittersweet flavor with a heavy sweet finish of moderate to long duration. This is a standout complex brew.

I waited a lot of time for this and I found it in the beautiful Brugges... Appearance: Dark brown color. Great head, beige, rocky, with good adherence at glass and very lasting. Aroma: complex-ripe fruity aroma, several fruits in my nose like, plums, cherries, prunes, figs..... Underlying caramel notes, vinous and with reminiscences of tart and marmalade. Flavor: vinous profile and caramel malts in the start, that vinous touch never disappear and remember me a carmenere and, perhaps, a sweet rose. The fruitiness is even more complex that in the nose with the same reminiscences as well of cassis, blackberries and semi-fermented red apples. Woody touches and a very slight hot note similar to chocolaty tobacco. A lot of secondary notes like marmalade, roasted sugar, vanilla and lightly is possible to feel the hops given even more balance. Palate: medium to full body; semi-oily and silky texture. Low carbonation. Remark: this is a excellent beer with a lot of attributes and complexity, but in spite of that complexity and variety of flavors is incredible its balance, in fact for me four adjectives resume the Westy12: "noble, harmonious, very balanced and elegant".

Pours a beautiful burnt caramel color with big yeast chunks and a nice creamy brown head that lasts and laces throughout. Aroma is fantastic, with loads of dark ripe fruit, spice, deep roasted caramel malt, yeast and alcohol. Flavor of dark roasted malt, toffee, plums and figs, yeast, sugar, and a big alcohol bite. Nice and sour lingering finish. Soft carbonation with a full, smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Wow, this is truly amazing. I drank part of the bottle side by side with a St Bernardus 12 and Rochefort 10. This was definitely the best of the three. The St B was much lighter than the other two. The Rochefort and Westy had many similarities. The Rochefort was a bit roastier, but the flavor in the Westy was just a bit bigger, deeper and more complex. Very close, though. This is a great brew. Worth the hype!

Finally made it to Westvleteren heaven after a long wait. Make no mistake, this beer is AWESOME. Hazy brown color with a tan head. Heavenly aroma of dark fruits, sweet malt, and Belgian yeast. Flavor is sweet malt, candi sugar, dark fruits, Belgian yeast, and spices. Incredibly full-bodied and smooth on the palate. Gives you an excellent warming sensation. Remember it’s still just a beer though, it won’t transport you to a magical fairyland (the stuff that does that is called "acid" I believe).

Bottle @ De Kelk, Bruges (thanks Jeroen!) Pours hazy, ruby red to brown. The head is thin but creamy. The aroma is very complex. It is intesively malty with a huge punch of dark fruits (prunes, raisins, riped) and slightly hoppyish and yeasty finish. Alcohol is barely noticable. The flavor also has great complexity. Huge malt character with sweetish fruitness of prunes, dates and candy. It is mostly sweetish and mildly bitter in the finish. The finish is very long and powerful but not alcoholic or unfresh at all. The palate is full bodied, supremely soft and silky. Very rich, complex and perfectly balanced.