Trappist Westvleteren 12 (XII) - Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren)

ViveLaChouffe

Georgia

4.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Notes from a tasting in 10/08

Bottle ordered and consumed at In De Vrede, the abbey cafe.

Poured in to a Westvleteren goblet, opaque brown with a frothy tan head that left fine lace on the glass. Lots of dark fruit in the nose, ripe currant, dark cherries, run-soaked raisins...yes, it smells boozy. Some breadiness too.

In the mouth, the first thing you notice is the alcohol. Having this beer fresh, at the source, has its advantages and its drawbacks and the heat of this beer when so young is one of the drawbacks. But once you get past the alcohol up front, there is a wonder of flavors. A rich maltiness, velvety smooth and all the dark fruit comes through. Raisin, currant, plum and dark cherry, underpinned with sweet spice, a breadiness and sweet finish that is promptly made clean by the strong alcohol. A velvety mouthfeel though. It's pretty damn good.

A beer that lives up to the hype. The only drwaback was drinking it so young; I would imagine that having this with 6-18 more months of age on it would make it heavenly. As it is, the heat of the alcohol is the only flaw.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2010 19:54:57 | More by ViveLaChouffe

StlHopHead77

Illinois

5/5  rDev +7.8%

06-19-2013 14:34:51 | More by StlHopHead77

dsterbed

Illinois

5/5  rDev +7.8%

06-19-2013 02:09:38 | More by dsterbed

GoodOmens

Virginia

5/5  rDev +7.8%

06-19-2013 00:30:01 | More by GoodOmens

dvmin98

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev -3%

06-19-2013 00:09:05 | More by dvmin98

taylor714914

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -35.3%

06-18-2013 23:02:57 | More by taylor714914

Scalawags

Illinois

4/5  rDev -13.8%

06-18-2013 16:08:41 | More by Scalawags

Leinie

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%

06-18-2013 00:48:54 | More by Leinie

Scalzo

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -3%

06-17-2013 20:51:06 | More by Scalzo

beans923

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -35.3%

06-17-2013 18:06:31 | More by beans923

jefe2

Texas

5/5  rDev +7.8%

06-17-2013 17:15:56 | More by jefe2

BradtheGreat7

Ohio

4.58/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

11.2 oz(?) brown Westvleteren Trappist style bottle with a spot raised midway a lot like the Westmalle bottle. Absolutely no label here. Yellow Gold/Black cap on top. Bottle really reminds me of authentic Belgian abbey style. A sleek and to the point bottling.
Poured this into a Westvleteren Trappist goblet that was almost as difficult to acquire as the 12 itself.

A - Hazy dark brown with lighter golden brown highlights around the top edges of the glass. Head was cream colored and sat just long enough to take a few photos before it vanished into a thin ring of lace. Pretty normal Trappist stick to the glass Which isn't much at all.

S - fresh bread and a nutty character. Cinnamon rolls caked with gooey icing, dark fruit with figs and raisin. Baked dates and A nice Belgian yeast aroma with some booze, but not bad booze. This aroma is sweet and complex with multiple layers and spice. Very pleasant whiffs as every note is noticed and appreciated.

T - more cinnamon rolls and fresh bread. Nutty with a lot of dark fruit. Fig, dates and raisin. Biscuity and a perfect yeast strain. Ripe banana and dead on spices. Light cloves and cinnamon notes. Small flavor of sweet chocolate in the background that's noticed as the ale warms a bit. An abbey booziness in the finish that only adds to the flavor. Flavor has a Real brilliance about it.

M - pretty smooth and almost velvety. Coats the every inch of the mouth with so many different flavors its almost crazy. Smooth and delightful feel despite its booze and abv. I'd drink this all day every day if I could get it and had nothing else to do of course lol.

O - some of these authentic Trappist ales make me think to myself that if I didn't have 2 beautiful little boys at home I'd move to Belgium and take up a life of prayer, a life of work, and a life in a community while wearing wool robes. Just as long as I got to drink stuff like this everyday. But hey I wouldn't trade my family for anything so I quickly come back to reality. Anyway, this is the God Father of all the Trappist brews and the King of fine Belgian ales in general. It has a rep that's nearly unmatched and often great Trappist brews are overlooked due to the mystery and the need to know that comes with the Westy 12. It's definitely one of the best crafted brews on the planet, but aren't all Trappist ales? It's the world's best quad, but is it that much better than the Rochefort 10? Yes to me it is, but its not on a whole different level. Both are in that top tier of best quads. What the Westy 12 does offer are flavors no other quad provide and an experience every craft beer lover deserves to have. In fact an experience everyone deserves to have over and over again. It's a shame this thing isn't easier to get ahold of. Bc its easily not only one of the best I've ever had, but would be one of my favorites to pick up throughout every year. Ill definitely be paying close attention for my next experience of this Belgian gem.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 13:51:35 | More by BradtheGreat7

jaxon53

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev -3%

06-17-2013 08:38:56 | More by jaxon53

peteh2112

Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%

06-17-2013 02:36:39 | More by peteh2112

Rocklobsterbrew

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev -3%

06-16-2013 18:19:01 | More by Rocklobsterbrew

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

5/5  rDev +7.8%

06-16-2013 15:25:51 | More by TheBeeraholic

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4.93/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

330ml bottle, with labels signifying its US import status, shared with a bunch of BAs at a birthday tasting last night, 6/15/2013.

Aroma: I was really wowed by the nose on this beer. Super pungent, sweet dark fruits- figs, raisins along with a little bit of blueberry sweetness. There is quite a bit of Belgian yeastiness that I've come to associate with dubbels and quads- really complements the sweetness very well with its spiciness. Smells incredibly delicious, quite sweet, and keeps getting better as it warms up. (5)

Colour: Dark brown, not quite black but more like a mahogany brown. Pours a thick (a bit thinner than super thick and viscous) body. Its not quite motor oil but this is quite viscous. The head is a 1cm white, perhaps slightly tan, head that becomes a somewhat thick film on the beer. Looks delicious, like a dessert. (4.5)

Flavour: It was an incredible beer. A tasty melange of Belgian spiciness of cloves, maple syrup, figs, raisins, blueberries, and caramel. The yeast and hops mellows out the sweet malt. I think that compared to some of the other quads I've had, this puts together a great bit of flavours high in complexity that is incredibly mellow and pleasing to drink. (5)

Mouthfeel: Thick bodied, very viscous and incredibly chewy. Carbonation was solid, nothing special. Aftertaste is the spiciness of the yeast, which was incredible. Smooth and incredibly easy to drink! It's too bad there's only 33cl of this beer in a bottle. (4.5)

Overall: Incredible quad, one of the best beers I have ever had. I thought it was all hype and came in with a jaundiced eye, but this one really blew me away, which was an incredibly nice surprise. It's not that the specific flavours in this beer were especially great compared to other quads that I've had, but it all came together incredibly well. I think that's the difference between this beer and all the others. (5)

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 13:49:10 | More by Stevedore

stogirelli

Florida

4/5  rDev -13.8%

06-16-2013 01:06:50 | More by stogirelli

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%

06-15-2013 23:01:41 | More by IchLiebeBier

Leazk

New York

3.75/5  rDev -19.2%

06-14-2013 20:09:24 | More by Leazk

StevenSpringer

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%

06-14-2013 14:17:40 | More by StevenSpringer

mjh0527

Virginia

5/5  rDev +7.8%

06-13-2013 21:07:01 | More by mjh0527

djre4orm

Virginia

3/5  rDev -35.3%

06-13-2013 18:40:50 | More by djre4orm

Prager62

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%

06-13-2013 07:31:54 | More by Prager62

JammyV

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%

06-13-2013 03:17:39 | More by JammyV