Saint Brewis

A St. Louis Craft Beer Blog

By

Brouwerij Westvleteren – Westvleteren 12 (2012)

Brewery: Brouwerij Westvleteren
Location Vleteren, Belgium
Style Belgian Quadrupel
 ABV 10.2%
 IBUs 38

 

Best Quote During Tasting

Can I smell your fourteen?

Justin:

Aroma - It smells vinous and I'm getting a little grape juice too. There's also some raisin and there's a general sweetness. Not getting any of the Belgian yeast that you associate with the style. Then again, the beer is 4 years old so it can't have it all.
Score: 10/12
Appearance - There is some yeasty sediment from the pour but the beer itself is a medium brown with a thin tan head that lingers.
Score: 3/3
Flavor - You can tell this beer has aged because the sweetness of it make the caramel notes in it gigantic. There is a bit of an alcohol burn but at 10.2%, I'd be more surprised if it wasn't there. The same vinous character is here and it's big. The same notes of grape and raisin are at the top of that list but the undeniable toffee and caramel are leading the charge on this one.
Score: 19/20
Mouthfeel - The carbonation is medium+ which was  surprising based on the age of the beer and the body is medium+ for an easy-drinking creamy texture.
Score: 5/5
Overall Impression - To say this was a treat would be an understatement. It takes a lot of patience and restraint to age a beer like this for four years and we're lucky that our friend Allen was able to do that. I was pleasantly surprised with how lively the beer was after 4 years. While the yeast was not as big as it should've been, the caramel, toffee and raisin notes made this one a pleasure to drink.
Score: 9/10

 

Westvleteren 12 (2012) Final Score
  • Aroma
  • Appearance
  • Flavor
  • Mouthfeel
  • Overall
4.6
User Rating: 1.1 (9 votes)
Sending
Justin Phelps

Justin Phelps

Co-Founder at Saint Brewis
Justin Phelps is a Certified Cicerone® who was born and raised in St. Louis. His passion for beer goes beyond just drinking it as he is also an award-winning home brewer. While he may be a marketing professional by day, he's a blogger, brewery hopper, and beer enthusiast by night.
Blake Fehl

Blake Fehl

Co-Founder at Saint Brewis

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rating

Beer Lovers Share