St. Bernardus Abt 12 Special Edition (60th Anniversary)

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Bottle from DeCicco's in Ardsley, NY. Will keep the tin to hold incense or crack or something. Chalice. Hazy, muddy dark brown pour. I let it settle for a month in the fridge dammit! Smells of stuffy/yeasty euro malt, macerated raisins, sourdough & leather. Tastes incredible yeasty. Subtle, dry fruit. Rum. Too much candied sugar. Lots of ugly floaties. Too clovely & estery in general. Disjointed & itchy when compared to the standard Saint Bernie. Still solid, but it just fell apart way too early.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottled (thanks drewbeerme!). Amber colour with particles floating around. Mediumsized beige head. Aroma is grass, parfume, some caramel, alcohol, earth and spices. Flavour is caramel, toffee and grass with some mild fruityness. Quite different from the normal Abt 12, and sadly not as good as the normal either.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I bought this bottle in 2007. Had the pleasure to enjoy this bottle with my good friend Issac. Came in a neat looking tin case. Poured a dark and murky body. Had specks of yeast floating on top. Smelled doughy, alcohol, raisins, malts, sweets. Tasted bready, malty, sweet, smooth on the palate, dry. Had an enjoyable experience.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

lots of dark fruits and brown sugar in the aroma and flavor. perhaps a tad more assertive than the regular St B 12. I like it a tiny bit better for the simple fact that it's not overcarbonated, as i think the 12 usually is. maybe the age? i dunno. solid malty complex goodness, with the hops and yeasty dryness making a brief appearance at the end.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Finally opening one of these after at least 2 yrs of cellaring. Half a bottle down, no supper... feeling wobbly! Dark brown with ample murkiness after the sediment dump. Each pout has produced a very large foamy light brown cap that leaves endless lacing and good retention. Nice aroma, exactly what I expected here: raisin, plum, ample soft spices (cloves mainly), candy, dates, brown sugar, salt, yum! And the taste... very very good! In no particular order: caramel, brown sugar / molasses, obvious sweetness, nutmeg, raisins, light smoke?, touch of alcohol that is no distraction, tasty! Somehow I drank 750ml of 11% beer in under an hour and neglected to review it until the final glass full. Mouth feel is very smooth, ample bubbly carbonation early on, light bitterness after drinking the sludge. Looks like I will need a re-review when I open one of the other ones that are still sitting after all this time. Excellent brew, next time I will put it up against a St. Bern 12 ABT of the same vintage to compare.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

This beer poured with a muddy dark brown colored body cornered by ruby highlights and topped off by fluffy golden brown colored head that left nice lace down the sides of the glass. The aroma is sweet roasty malts, belgian yeast, plums, black cherry and other dark fruits. The mouthfeel is full bodied and rich. Flavor is sweet and sticky with raison, fig, plum, spice with a slightly more alcoholic flavor than the regular Abt 12.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Bottle sampled on 8/30/2008. This quad pours a deep brown color from a caged and corked 750ml bottle. Medium sized white foamy head with good retention and nice lacing. The aroma is dark fruit, brown sugar, yeast, some caramel and chocolate. A full to medium bodied Abbey Quad. The malts are very fruity, with some caramel and brown sugar. Lots of dark fruit flavors. The hops are slightly spicy and earthy. Nice lively carbonation. Lots of flavors in this beer. They tend to mix and match differently with each sip, sometimes its the chocolate that’s more evident, sometimes the yeast and others it’s the dark fruits. This one has been aging in the fridge for nearly 2 years. It seems to have not suffered any ill effect, but I did not try this one fresh, so I have no comparison. Very full and smooth tasting. The 11% alcohol is not very evident. Mouthfeel is full and round. The finish is clean and smooth. The aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

Nice, smoke poured out from the top bottle after popping the cork. Beer pours a mercy brown with a small crown, the crown disappeared only a few seconds into the pour, well that’s disappointing. The aroma is very yummy, sweet toffee malts, tasty alcohol, a mild sourness, I think I smell some fresh squeezed orange juice, and what seems like a lot of red wine or oak its switching min. to min. Mouth feel was to thin and had too much stinging carbonation for me. What was that I swore I tasted cat food on my first sip. Flavor seems very metallic and empty, I am noticing some fake cheery, and red wine but its mild there doesn’t seem to be a rich complex malt character I was expecting. I will say now that I’ve been drinking this for 45 min its tasting better but that probly because I’m wasted. Taste is good but lacking for the style in my opinion I much prefer the regular 12, hoping my second bottle that I’ll crack a few years down the road is better.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

The emphasis and very elusive 60th anniversary, I finally spotted at Green's off Ponce in the heart of Atlanta, was the last one in the cellar room and I am happy to have seen it. Aroma on this Belgian ale is of dark prunes and spice with Belgian malt coming through as well as some caramelization and yeasty overtone with some nuiances of pepper you find in quality saison. Appearance is a murky brownish to burgundy-amber in color when held to the light with a very full head on top that is light-tan and well-carbonated and leaves amazing lacing on the glass that coats the entire glass fully. Mouthfeel is full-bodied and strong with amazing complexity of spice(more so than the regualr Abt 12) and has amazing balance with a palate that is wet-like and coats very well and is thick and good. Flavor is of maltiness and sweetness with dark, ripened fruits and some spice with yeasty overtones and has an aftertaste that is a bit oxidized and a finish that is full of spice and warming with some alcohol coming through. Overall, a very fine ale here as expected and I would love to age a bottle and then re-try after some ageing...

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Hazy mahogany colour with a rich and dense tan-coloured foam. Sweet and yeasty aroma of fudge, nuts, berries, coconut and figs. Full creamy flavour of figs, spices, nuts and red berries. Full and creamy body. Long warming finish of nuts, figs, prunes, mild licorice and yeast.