Westvleteren 12

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

BB 12/18/10

hazy auburn brown pour with a monstrous tan head. cinnamon cream colored yeast hits last and creates little designs in the fluff. very vinous aroma changes every time i go back for another sniff... white wine, brown sugar, milk chocolate, malt powder and vanilla all show up. the palate is quite spicy and has a ton of yeasty bitterness... earthy, woody, real maple syrup, concentrated malt powder and lots of chocolate chip cookie dough flavors. pleasant perfume before the dry spicy finish. it*s only mildly sweet though dry at the same time. medium body seems a bit thin considering how much is going on, the abv% and how NOT sweet it is. creamy texture is rich in the mouth but not heavy.

i really enjoy the balance, alcohol and complexity yet the sugar level is kept low making it crazy easy to drink and enjoy. sure it smells alright and tastes ok... but it*s the whole package that makes it great! now i*m ranting and at a loss for words... 9/4/9/5/19/4.6

330ml bottle - 2007 bottle, drunk 2008/12 - Birthday gift from Anna - thanks!
Blind tasting (alongside St. Bernardus Abt, Rochefort 8 and 10, and Chimay Blue)
Deep reddy brown, creamy beige head. Grainy aroma, not as sweet as other dark trappists. Maybe it is even dry and a little woody. Soft carbonation, velvetty in the mouth. Some warming alcohol. Almondy bent, and the bitterness appears to come from the almonds. Some graininess and almost huskiness in the body, and liquorice too. Lovely hops in the finish. Adding the yeast, the liquorice builds, and over time the lovely buddy hops come over more.
3.9, but came equal 4th (with St. Bernardus Abt) out of the 5. Yes, this is a fantastic beer, but looking at most peoples comments, their numbers are complete bull inflated purely by the rarity of the brew, and by the fact that they already know in advance what the beer is.

This is an awesome brew. Lots of candi sugar and not heavy on the annoying clove corriander like some Belgians. Highly and dangerously drinkable.A true find worth searching out for those who have yet to try it..Best in the world? But worth seeking for sure..I must admit though this is a must try! Cheers

great and overwelming taste.. Wonderful malts. And the difficulty to obtain it seems only to add to the flavour. However, besides the rarity, I cannot objectively say that it is much better than rochefort blue. Or maybe not YET, since I never tasted them next to each other. Next time I can obtain a larger amount of bottles I will try to make a blind tasting of the two to really compare.

Thanks cigarcitybrew for the share. It is great to review this beer, but I am ambivalent. I did not notice the heavens opening when I drank it, but it was a cloudy night. Pours a hazy brown color with a wicked complex aroma of dark fruit, cinnamon, spice, apple, malt, candy sugar, and yeast presence. Flavor is very similar with a nice lively sugary finish. It is hard to get and it holds its own against the other trappists, but the quest for 1st is highly contested and contestable.

Thanks to cigarcitybrew. Finally, got to taste enough of the holy grail of all beers to write a review. Does it really live up to its name. It is a great beer, none the less, I would not give it the credit of being the end all be all of all Trappist beers. However, it does deserve a high spot on the podium of wonderfully crafted beers. Pours dark brownish with white head. Aroma is delightfully fruity reminded me of the crisp fresh apples and yeast. Taste has plenty of dark candi sugar, fruits and good notes of caramel. Excellent sipper, wonderful when paired with a good cheese. A review cannot possibly do this beer justice.

Best girlfriend in the world got me 2 for my birthday!! Tasting my first. Bottle dated 22 01 11: Perfect pour, an almost black copper with a tall beige head full of tiny, frothy bubbles. Wonderful rich aroma of cherries, vanilla, caramel, and toasted nuts. Wow, what a huge flavor palate. Very sweet and rich flavors of cherries, dark fruit (grapes mainly), port, and apples at first but the body into the finish is a smooth, mellow vanilla with hints of alcohol and Belgian yeast. Huge flavors that come at you wave after wave and a bold but smooth mouth feel. Incredible... Not a bit disappointing even as #1.

Hate to say it, but it is highly overrated compared to the unbelieveable amount of great Belgian beers....its scarcity does not qualify it for its number one rating