Westvleteren 12

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

The infamous. Thanks to a very generous friend who brought this back from Belgium (without even knowing what it was). We were all pleasantly surprised. Here we go. Murky muddy brown color with a nice off-white lacing head. Aroma and flavor are dominated by dark fruits--plums and raisins--and candi sugar. The alcohol is very well hidden. Overall: a very solid beer, but certainly not MY #1.

Bottle purchased from Bier Tempel in Bruges. Sampled following a Rochefort 10. High carbonation in bottle led to losing some beer on opening. Slight aroma of sherry, but little other noticeable aroma. Pours a murky dark brown with a thin white head. Pleasing flavour, although not as sweet as expected. Slight Acidic aftertaste, although all in all very pleasant. Possibly expecting slightly more (due to exceptionally high expectations), but overall a fine beer.

Got two of these in a trade. Thanks Brad! Popped this open after my last exam of the semester. Poured in trappist glass a murky brown with a pretty thin white head. Immediately smacking you in the face is an aroma of dark fruits - grapes, figs, plums, and most of all, dates. I didn’t get much malt but there was definitely a bit of spices in there. Taste was about the same. Huge dark fruit explosion. Dates were the prevailing fruit taste in the beer. It was smooth and had a pretty dry finish. The alcohol came through on the palate but not in a bad way. What an awesome brew. I wish I had a case of this.

33 cl bottle via trade with franksnbeans in August 2007 - Not sure how old this bottle is. I can’t read the date on the cap. Oh well, no biggie. This has been hiding in the back of the frig for almost 2 years. Pours a hazy brown color with a two finger thick fluffy light tan head. A good dose of floaties too. Shit! I hate floaties! Nice lacing. Not much to the aroma. Esters, light spice, and a hint of perfume. Flavor is lightly sweetened fruity esters and light brown sugar. The alcohol is notiveable in the finish. Medium body. What I like the about this beer is that it’s not yeasty like so many Belgian ales. With that said, this beer is nowhere close to being a top 50 beer for me. This beer is way over hyped. I guess I need to try a fresh bottle. Thanks Jacob.

Bottle thanks Brett. Pours cloudy brown with red hue and nice creamy lasting head. Warm malt/alcohol aroma. Complex spice, fruit, malt flavors. Very nice. Smooth dry finish.

got a 2004 bottle of this and decided to drink it. when first poured it poured with a purple color with no head. smelled of grape juice, apple juice, apple vinegar and sweetness. tastes caramel, grapes, yeast, spices, molasses, and very good at hiding the alcohol flavor. very smooth. first drink i didnt think it lived up to being number one but as i drank more i appreciated more and more.

Finally got my hands on one of these. Aroma is where its at with this beer. Best I’ve ever smelled, or imagined smelling from a beer. Complexity is the key with this puppy, it’s got cocoa, dark fruits like figs and dates, and carmel but none overpowers the other. The scent of this beer will forever be ingrained in my brain. Pours a nice dark brown with a thin head that swirls and lingers. Taste is also extremely complex....glad I waited to get a number of beers under my belt before diving into this. There is toffee, caramel, a bit of tobacco, a bit of dark fruits, an amazing yeast strain flavor and once again no one dominates the rest. This is super smooth and nice to have in your mouth, an absolute pleasure to drink. Stands on its own in the category, Roch 10 is comparable, but absolutely nothing like this at the same time.

Bottle thanks to BelgianBeerGal - THANKS!! Aroma is dark fruit: kandi sugars, plum, figs and pluots. Definitely aroma of fig. Pours an opaque brown with moderate head that recedes. A bit hot on the palate, which is surprising. Fairly sweet flavor, but not cloying, finishing on a dry note. I would definitely get this again.