Westvleteren 12

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

Well its time to crack this one open I won this particular bottle in a LIF hosted by Life is good major Karma goes her way. I figured this was the perfect time to celebrate this brew the last weekend of summer, the working mans weekend, and all truly life is good. Bottle served slightly chilled in my favorite chalice. The pour produced a good two fingers worth of Brown head that goes to a great lace. The body was brown to a dark red in color The nose has tons of Malts and dark fruits It is a little less Intense than expected But it may be just reality catching up to expectation. There was a hint of spice and alcohol as well as it warms. Flavors of sweet dark fruits filled my mouth raisins figs and such. As it warms more of the alcohol is present in its bite but so does the spiciness in the flavor as well .Great mouthfeel and perfect carbonation for its style For this holy grail of all brews this was a pleasure to drink, highly drinkable. The rarity of this brew aside. I do think it is close to a few of the other Belgian Quads I have tried St. Bernardus comes to mind. Don’t get me wrong this brew was better balanced in the flavor department but I think if it comes down to it St. Bernardus is a close second. Thanks again Life is good for sharing such a rare brew as well as another buddy who will remain nameless for trading me one to put away for my son when he is legal age. Who knows I may even split it 60 /40 LOL

Thanks mcbackus such a pleasure to enjoy this with you As far as being the best beer in the world I am not completely convinced but as far as being the best belgian to ever pass my lips that it is a fact. Does live up to the hype. rate 180

Finaly got my hands on 2 bottles :) bought them in bruges from another zythos member(belgian beer consuming delegation) i took my own westvleteren chalise and watchet it how it behaves when pooring, when there is a little bit in the glass it has a red-ish colour but as u fill youre glass even more it becomes more darker. The glass is now full and i hold it into the light to look at the colour, dark brown/red-ish with a little bit off foam, looks kinda pretty and smells kinda sweet with a little bit off bitter, after a small sip fruit is the first thing to pass my mind. FAB taste and the palate is very refreshing and last long. this convinced me to drive up to st sixtus and buy a whole crate :)

bottle from belginbeergirl, and mcbackus shared. poured into a wide mouthed duvel glass. nose is full of candi sugar and fresh fruit, like a young old ale. alcohol is also present and increases as it warms. slight molasses feel. Much thicker mouthfeel than most belgians. seems to lack complexity. spicy notes are evident as it warms. mouthfeel is velvet-like with not carbonation bite. very little carbonation overall leads to a slightly chewy factor. nice lacing for so much alcohol.

bottle from belginbeergirl: purs a very murky brown decent tan head that lingers into a swirling film. aroma is a very nice sweet fresh fruit (fig i believe) and a candi sugar, slight yeast spice and a very very small alcohol. flavour is a great almost candy gumballs start the flavour then a great ueast with hints of spices, awesome malt and slight vinous, extrememly smooth and near perfect in flavour.

33 cl bottle bought 2005. Well, I shared this with my dad and two brothers, and they asked, "Was this everything it’s cracked up to be?" Gotta admit it was not quite. Then again, the actual beer could never match up to its rep. Even as a Belgian Quad, I’ve ended up being more excited about Delerium Tremens or Atomium. Or maybe a family gathering is a little too stressful to actually enjoy a beer. I will say: Beautiful smooth brown pour with a short head. Smell of figs, raisins and Belgian brown sugar (not too much of the latter). Taste bring out those fruits, with the added sensation of fruit leather and Belgian malts. What I realize is that this is not a great "extreme" beer: there is nothing going over the top for the sake of bragging rights. No, the Trappist brothers were never into that. What I have instead is a well-practiced beer that balances in almost every respect instead of overwhelming the senses. If I ever spot another bottle (got this at Cardinal Liquors in Frankfort, IL, but that was a few years ago, so I’m not adding that place here), I will re-try by myself.

A wonderfull brew full of flavor with an well defined head. Pours smooth and is very refreshing. It has a slow linger on the palate that compliments the start and the finish is incredible. This brew rivals the big names in Color, flavoe, finish, and overall score in my book.

Same as with the 8, had this @ in de Vrede with a massive hangover from my trip to Bruges, so this rating needs revision someday. Great deep dark brown colour, beige head. Aroma of dark fruits, raisins, malts, caramel, alcohol. Flavour is sweet, alcoholic at first, raisins, malty, a bit yeast, slightly bitter finish. Very fullbodied, creamy palate.