Westvleteren XII expectations.

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by jpfromb, Dec 17, 2012.

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  1. jpfromb

    jpfromb Aspirant (246) Apr 9, 2010 Oregon

    Now that the dust has settled and for those who might actually open and taste a Westvleteren for the first time. Do you think the reviews will be higher or lower as expectations are exceeded or perhaps not met?
     
  2. Daemose

    Daemose Maven (1,407) Oct 3, 2011 Texas

    Lower. It's just a quad. meh.
     
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  3. TWStandley

    TWStandley Pooh-Bah (2,092) Jan 15, 2008 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I challenge everyone who purchased the Westy bricks to side by side it with a Rochefort 10. Matter o' fact, do a blind tasting.

    Not discrediting Westy at all - it is phenomenal. Just curious as to what others think.
     
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  4. feedmechili

    feedmechili Initiate (0) Jan 1, 2010 Kansas

    Three of us did a blind comparison of Westy XII, St. Bernardus 12, and Rochefort 10. None of us had previously had Westy.
    One person chose the Westy as best. One tied it with St. Bernardus. One picked St. Bernardus. Rochefort 10 finished a distant third side-by-side with the others.
     
  5. Grohnke

    Grohnke Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2009 Illinois

    lower, the signature beer advocate "rarity premium" is eliminated
     
  6. itsthepleats

    itsthepleats Initiate (0) Mar 19, 2012 Ohio

    The hype should improve the flavor significantly, right?
     
  7. meanmutt

    meanmutt Grand Pooh-Bah (3,679) Feb 6, 2012 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'm doing my blind tasting next weekend...the main reason I wanted the Westy was for this exact purpose. I love Rochefort 10 and I'm curious to see which one I like better.
     
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  8. JulianB

    JulianB Initiate (0) Feb 1, 2012 South Carolina

    We did a blind tasting of Westvleteren XII, Rochefort 10, Pannepot 2011, Straffe Hendrik, St. Barnardus Abt 12, and a friend's homebrewed Belgian strong dark ale. Of a dozen or so people, only one preferred the Westy XII. My clear favorite was the Pannepot, with the Westy XII in 2nd.
     
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  9. joeebbs

    joeebbs Initiate (0) Apr 29, 2009 Pennsylvania

    The problem with this is that someone will undoubtedly say that the Westy in the packs is not the same that you pick up at the brewery. Which may be true. I remember when these packs were supposed to come out in the spring, then summer now its December. It's possible those packs have been sitting around somewhere they shouldn't have been for a long time.
     
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  10. JulianB

    JulianB Initiate (0) Feb 1, 2012 South Carolina

    Did anybody else's Westy bottle gush upon opening? I had some foam hit the table as I scrambled to get it poured into the glass.
     
  11. Crookdrain

    Crookdrain Initiate (0) Jan 13, 2010 New York

    Tasted side by side with a St. Bernardus 12 Abt. I actually enjoyed the Westy more, but my friend swears they were pretty much indistinguishable aside from the physical characteristics.

    Worht $85 ($92 w/tax) - no. But Glad to have finally tried it.
     
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  12. MusicaleMike

    MusicaleMike Savant (1,220) Mar 17, 2008 Pennsylvania

    Haha, your profile pic is amazing....
     
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  13. mcaulifww

    mcaulifww Initiate (0) Aug 18, 2011 Virginia

    I don't know that westy can sit around for too long judging to 20 year old "oh face" bottles that show up all the time
     
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  14. Photekut

    Photekut Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2006 Tennessee

    Lower, now it is only a shelf wale.

    More people will realize they WAY overspent when they could have bought a shit ton of St Bernardus 12 instead.
     
  15. drgarage

    drgarage Initiate (0) Aug 19, 2008 California

    I see these derogatory posts about Westy XII all the time. I've had all the big quads, including all the pannepot variants, and Westy XII is my favorite, with Rochefort one of my least favorite. It's for a very simple reason: Westy is drier, which helps both mouthfeel and flavor, while Rochefort seems to have a really high SG that makes it too sticky. Just one man's opinion.
     
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  16. meanmutt

    meanmutt Grand Pooh-Bah (3,679) Feb 6, 2012 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Fair enough...but it will have to do, as I am probably never gonna make it to the abbey.
     
  17. TWStandley

    TWStandley Pooh-Bah (2,092) Jan 15, 2008 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    What "derogatory" post are you referring to?
     
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  18. digita7693

    digita7693 Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2010 Germany

    Did this on Friday, with 3 Bas, maybe the 6th time I have done this.
    St Bernardus 2010, Westvleteren 2010, Rochefort 2011.
    All 3 picked Westvleteren 12 as their favorite, we did the tasting at The Commons brewery, and let someone do the blind taste afterwards, we left him on his own, heard no comments from the 3 who had done the tasting already, and he picked Westvleteren as well.

    Personally, I think St Bernardus is a bit sweater, Rochefort a bit spicier and Westvleteren nicely balanced between the 2, after a year or 2 especially. Though I might prefer Westvleteren 8 to the 12 and I definitely prefer Rochefort 6 to the 10.

    cheers
     
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  19. Zhiguli

    Zhiguli Initiate (0) Jul 12, 2012 California

    Didn't buy into the brick as i've had it once before and didn't think it warrants the price for me. Probably would have bought it if i'd never had it and would have drank it with tears in my eyes as hype and rarity sure does taste otherworldly. Immediately after I would have thought that I should have bought two charcoal grilled steaks at Musso & Frank instead.

    That first experience is a must though i suppose as we're al overly curious mfers.
     
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  20. GodlessWatermelon

    GodlessWatermelon Initiate (0) Apr 12, 2012 Maryland

    It was a good Belgian quad, about what I expected. A few coworkers and I were given a bottle which we tried the other night. If it was sold as a single, I would have probably dropped the ~14-15 bucks to try it, but I don't think I could justify $85 for a six.
     
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