Westvleteren Abt 12

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

2007 rating. Sampled at the O-Town throwdown and a big thanks to Kevster for bringing this puppy along. Pours murky brown with almost no head. The aroma is a mix of caramel, figs, dates and alcohol. The flavor has a big caramel component with some dark fruit notes like figs, dates and plums. Also some roasted malts also show up for a moment with a bit of alcohol in tow. Ends on a nice even keel requiring another sip. Wow, no sense of the ABV.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours a huge foamy bubbly beige head but doesn't stay very long, dissipates to a thin layer. Has a hazy, murky brown appearance. Thick sediments clearly visible throughout. Aromas of raisins, bready malts, some fairly strong yeasty notes. Flavours of raisins, grapes, prunes, dark fruits all around. Lively carbonation. Great retention and full bodied mouthfeel. Alcohol is subtly noticeable and not offensive whatsoever. Aged an extra year from time of purchase (thanks to Chopz for acquiring this bottle for me). Pretty darn good.

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

Pours a deep amber with a very thick buff head that likes to hang around. Aroma has strong notes of pear, apple and sweet malt. Rich flavor has a fruity core that seems to be a "tutti fruiti" of apple, cherry, pear and banana plus something else. Malt sneaks through wit. A bit of almost honey sweetness. Firm, smooth texture has some good fizz. Like nothing I have tried. One more beer off my bucket list!

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

Clear dark ruby with light brown foam head, lacing to glass. Aroma is light caramel, some sweet fruit tones. Taste is appealing mixture of light sweet, little bitter, grassy and floral notes. Long lastng aftertaste. (Velp 201304)

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

For starters: It's tremendous. Who am I to sit here and pick apart such a world beating beer? But I will... I was startled to find this in the Firefly Ales. It took a serious double take to realize what I was holding. Soon, I was holding several. It's everything they say. Figs, bread, dough, D-180, all kinds of candi sugar. And so ridiculously smooth. A legend. In the future, I'll stick to Rochefort 12, preferably aged, a very comparable, and cheaper quad.

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

C: solid brown, red edges, creamy light brown head
A: candy sugar, plums, raisins, yeast
P: full bodied
F: sweet malt, fruit, molasses
O: Easy to see why it is so highly sought after

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

Just had my fourth one and still had not reviewed this! Best beer? Not for me, but it may have been 6 years ago when I hadnt had aged Rocheforts and Sours and Tokyo and a whole host of other incredible creations. This beer, touch of anise, lots of fig, no raisin, dried cranberry and dried apricot. Slight brown bread and maybe even a bit of chocolate. Plums, some banana and clove like yeast. Good. Well put together, and been doing it for longer than anyone else by far...

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

I wish I could review this the first time I had it as it was almost surreal to me then - but I'll add this review from notes I took while sharing with a few friends. Bottle pour is a sharply carbonated murky brown with a speckled foamy white head. Aromas are just mesmerizing, running the gamut from figs, raisings, and bread dough and morphing into a caramel sweetness I noticed right before taking a small sip. Initial flavors of belgian candy sugar dominate, mostly since the beer was a touch too cold. I let the beer open a bit over ten minutes - warming and smelling to see how it changed. It became very bready as it warmed towards 60 degrees. Flavors still start with candy sugar, but it's not as dominant as when it's chilled. Dark fruits, figs, and cherries dominate while it finishes with a yeasty funk of bananas and bubble-gum. The best quad I've had - I much prefer it to Rochefort 10, but to each his own. Truly a beer to expereince, to savor among friends and loved ones, and to sip.

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

The date on the bottle cap looks to be "18.11.14" and I chilled it for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, then poured into a Chimay goblet. I'm comparing this to Trappistes Rochefort 10, since most people can get that beer. The appearance in the goblet is very similar. Dark body, long-lasting, thick foam. Aroma - bready, malty. Rochefort 10 has a different yeast smell, less malty, and there's a fruity smell. Taste - I can taste the yeast, it's nice and smooth. Rather than the usual funky off-the-wall tastes that many good quadrupels have, this Westvleteren 12 has a mellow, balanced taste. Reminds me of a good, dark coffee candy, with just a slight sweet taste. As the drink got to room temperature, it had a little more flavor. Overall a nice, smooth, bread-and-coffee flavored quad! Personally, I prefer the Rochefort 10 for its taste, price, and availability. This is worth seeking out for those of you looking to try the world's top drinks. If you can't acquire this, seek out the Trappistes Rochefort 10. Recommended, but after a bottle, I'll just enjoy my Rocheforts :) It's now July 2014, and I have a few of these "18.11.14" bottles aging, but I'm not tempted to drink these at all. I'll most likely gift these to my friends as they learn to seek out this beer. Personally, I was underwhelmed, and consider Rochefort Trappist 10 a much better experience. Rochefort 10 is my number one beer.

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

As my friend and I were packing up and getting ready to say goodbye to the remaining crowd at Jackie O's on a wonderful afternoon, Mr. Random comes up to our table opens a Westy 12 and pours me a sample without hesitation. This is a mere sliver of the good vibes experienced during their Anniversary Party, and a perfect example of the sunny side of craft beer. The beer itself was lovely, not mind blowing in all honesty though. Great dark plum/brown colored pour with a lasting brown head and more than enough lacing. Dark fruits, licorice, toast and a strong earthy Belgian yeast all abound with minor notes of light chocolate, honey, and spice. Medium to full bodied, smooth and lush. All in all a grand surprise to close out my afternoon and a really tasty beer. I hope to obtain a full bottle some day and develop this review further, but as it stands I'll take the $4.50 St. Bernardus 12 at the local stores over this and I am happy with that.