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Westvleteren 12 4.48 1644

Westvleteren 12

Percentile
100
overall
Brewed by Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus
Style: Abt/Quadrupel

Westvleteren, Belgium

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
16444.49/5.04.48/5.010.2%100Trappist glass
Commercial Description:
Westvleteren has the smallest output of the Trappist breweries, with only a small part of their production available outside of Belgium.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 darkguardian (506), Florida, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/105/517/20

Oct 16, 2009  
12oz bottle HUGE thanks to Daknole for bringing this elusive and revered beer for me to finally try. And fitting that this is #500 because I’ve been after it for awhile. Pours a rich mahogany with a densely packed khaki head. Nose is tons of crazy alcohol soaked dark fruits, cherry, yeast, and caramel. Flavor is just wild, with tons of yeast exuberance up front but big plum, raisin and cherry notes throughout. Caramel and toffee flavors battle. Light bitterness keeps the crazy sweetness in check. Like a fine port with its decadent intensity. This is a masterpiece of a beer but it is not the best I have had, deserving of the hype. This is truly one of the best the beer world has to offer.

 502Flavors (629), Louisville, Kentucky, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/516/20
Dec 21, 2009  
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.


NutRoastBad (7), Greater London, England
does not count click to see why this rating of Westvleteren 12 does not count
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/517/20
Dec 19, 2009  
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.


SpencerDB (99), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/59/104/519/20
Dec 17, 2009  
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.


 cbkschubert (2010), Cochise Co., Arizona, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/516/20
Dec 13, 2009  
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.


 gotbeach (138), San Diego, California, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/105/519/20
Dec 12, 2009  
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.


 drseusszb200 (214), Florida, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/59/104/519/20
Dec 12, 2009  
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.


 ruggedman (626), Portland, Maine, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/58/105/518/20
Dec 11, 2009  
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.


 Taverner (866), San Ramon, California, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/59/104/518/20
Dec 10, 2009  
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.



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