St. Bernardus Abt 12
Bottle: Unfiltered
The St. Bernardus Abt 12 is the pride of our stable, the nec plus ultra of our brewery. Abbey ale brewed in the classic ’Quadrupel’ style of Belgium’s best Abbey Ales. Dark with a full, ivory-coloured head. It has a fruity aroma, full of complex flavours and excels because of its long bittersweet finish with a hoppy bite. Worldwide seen as one of the best beers in the world. It’s a very balanced beer, with a full-bodied taste and a perfect equilibrium between malty, bitter, and sweet. One of the original recipes from the days of license-brewing for the Trappist monks of Westvleteren.
The St. Bernardus Abt 12 is the pride of our stable, the nec plus ultra of our brewery. Abbey ale brewed in the classic ’Quadrupel’ style of Belgium’s best Abbey Ales. Dark with a full, ivory-coloured head. It has a fruity aroma, full of complex flavours and excels because of its long bittersweet finish with a hoppy bite. Worldwide seen as one of the best beers in the world. It’s a very balanced beer, with a full-bodied taste and a perfect equilibrium between malty, bitter, and sweet. One of the original recipes from the days of license-brewing for the Trappist monks of Westvleteren.
4.1
4574 reviews
Watou, Belgium
Community reviews
Dec 2022. Small bottle, unfiltered. Unlike Westy 12, this is sold everywhere. Same recipe though. A little more fizzy than Westy 12. And a little cruder as well. A narrower range of flavours - perhaps. And, sadly, less of the magic of being made by Trappist monks, and only available directly from the brewery on random occasions. Anyway, still a bloody great brew. And it makes a glorious change from the run of the mill "craft" (who are they kidding?) lager and lime type beers I've been drinking in my two advent calendars made by modern brewers who don't seem to understand that beer is about that divine marriage of malt and yeast. [4.5]
March 2019. Bottle: Unfiltered. I've had this a few times since 2002, but it seems I have not bothered to note down my thoughts. I like the way that Belgium makes beer. The folks in this part of the world have a certain taste for strong, malty beers, re-fermented in the bottle. And they do it very well. The "Trappist" thing is just a side show, as the development of these strong beers runs parallel between the commercial and the religious breweries. This is a decent beer. Strong, malty, dry and chalky, and with a rather too obvious amount of raw sugar in the mix. For me that's a weakness. Some of the older British breweries do it as well. I don't mind a bit of sugar in the bottle to keep the yeast alive, but I don't like sugar as part of the ingredients in the main fermentation. It kills some of the character, and adds a rough note to the flavour. But that's a a quibble. The beer is sound. I like it. [4.0]
Dec 2002. The Westvleteren brewery in the abbey of St Sixtus decided to contract the brewing of its commercial product to the St Bernardus brewery at Watou from the end of WWII until 1992 when it took back the rights to the term Trappist and now brews the commercial brands itself. Until that date in 1992, this was a Trappist beer, after that date it became an Abbey beer. When it lost its Trappist status the name St Sixtus was removed from the label. It would be interesting to drink this with a bottle of Westvleteren 12 to see who really does make a better job of the recipe. From what I understand St Bernardus has the original yeast so Westvleteren had to get their yeast from Westmalle. The alcohol is well used to add depth and flavour to a very creamy, smooth, sweet and fruity brew. Quite delicious. [4.3]
Prachtige schuimkraag, heerlijk vol in de mond. Moutig, stevig, fruitig.
Bevuta in bottiglia. Bel colore ambrato scuro. Schiuma persistente. Molto corposa e ben equilibrata. Molto buona.
Donkerbruin helder bier met een licht bruine schuimkraag met fijne tot gemiddelde structuur. Geuren zijn van gedroogd rood fruit, vijgen maar ook licht banaan. Smaak is combineert op een mooie manier het fruitige van de gist met de mouten en een licht bittere afdronk. Zit nog net een scherp randje aan van de alcohol.
Somehow this one was really lacking in flavor. Not boozy, not sharp or yeasty or wheaty, really just bland. Not sure what happened here.
Vidange
(Bottle) Pours clear deep brown with red highlights and big pale caramel head. Lovely complex aroma with interesting yeasty notes, dark berries, dried fruit, port. Full bodied, smooth with lovely prickly carbonation. Great taste too. Complex and rich and so well balanced. There’s some initial fruity tartness which quickly gives way to toffee sweetness which is slowly and steadily joined by a nice bitterness, for a long complex finish. There’s a lot more going on. There’s banana and ester notes in the mid palate. There’s a port-like booziness in the finish. Excellent.
Wygląd: kolor ciemnobrunatny, nieduża piana szybko zanikająca. Zapach: kolendra, suszone owoce karmel, estry
Smak: goryczka dość spora, lekka słodycz, suszone owoce, ciasto, goździki, kolendra. Alkoholu sporo.
Podobne w tonie do Delirium Nocturnum. Mi nie podeszło.
bottle. Finally got my hands on one of these amazing beers. So intense - the color, the flavor - the full bodied, damn fine Quad. I love it!
Сильно - Мощно.
Полнотелый, ароматный, яркий и так далее и всё в таком духе.
Когда слышишь бельгийский крпекий тёмный эль, то это именно он!
Bottle. Dark brown pour with a big beige head that slowly recedes. The aroma is quite strong with dark fruits, cola, earth and some kind of umami that I can't really identify. The taste is more colas, raisins, dates, plums, earth, biter grains and biter walnuts. The palate is full and viscous--just wonderful. Finishes long and dry. Overall: Decent. What a great beer. Pairs well with some Reggiano shavings.
Just like Westvleteren
Świetne piwo w aromacie mega owocowe takie bardzo dojrzałe owoce. Bardzo mocno musujące. W smaku nuty karmelowe z dużą owocowością koniecznie trzeba wypić raz w życiu
Butelka. Ciemny mahoniowy kolor. Piana w kolorze kości słoniowej, średnia, opada powoli. W zapachu i smaku ciemny słód, banany, lekkie goździki i przyprawy. Nuty suszu owocowego, daktyli i fig. Wysycenie w dolnych rejonach, słodycz w górnych. Upamiętniając wygranie ligi w futsalu
From Tesco Dover
Cerveja marrom escuro. Aroma floral, doce, pão, toffee, leve álcool. Sabor floral, doce, maltado, pão, caramelo, lembra algodão doce. Excelente
20.05.2022. On tap at Henrik Øl og Vin, Bergen. Dark brown colour wit tan head. Fruity aromas with dark malt. Very eich and strong. Fresh bitterness. Good beer.
Duft af jern, kandis. Dejlig dubbel med dyb smag og kompleksitet. Smag af blomme og brun farin der bliver godt opvejet af de 10%
Aroma of forest fruits and yeast, sweet taste of dark fruits, raspberry with a bit of spicyness. Long lasting aftertaste. Great beer.
Dark brown with lasting tan head. Fruity aroma. Taste starts rich and sweet, then finishes with fruit sweetness and crisp, dry alcohol flavor. Hint of earthy hop bitterness.
Full body, strong taste. Can feel malty, hoppy, sweety, sour taste. Pretty good abbey ale with great quality.
Dense dark brown, small tan head. Aroma of red berries, caramel, citrus. Taste of fermentation, varnish, recin, caramel. Dried fruits, figs, caramel, coffee.
Trappiste très bonne, douce pas très alcoolisé au goût. Épicé
ripen fruit, spicy, some bitterness. Typical of a Belgium beer. Full bodied, viscous beer.
Ampolla Hopt. Clàssic belga imprescindible, per beure amb calma. Notes de caramel, malta, pruna, fruita madura, panses. Molt bona
Super cool Belgian beer. Funky label since it looks 60-70 years old.. great tasting hi ABV
A rich sounding pour that foretells of depth. Notice quickly this genuine almost edible dark cream head over floral scents. Fruit sweet? Profound. Opaque muddy amber cola in the Trappist glass. Distinct, “one of a kind” taste. Bitter that includes a fizzle of borderline sweet. Serious tingling on the tongue and back of mouth. The warming of the 10% ABV, is soothing and makes for an extraordinary brew experience. A carbonated belch is included in the super smooth finish. Ethereal.
Dark brown in colour, opaque. Very smooth. Tastes like a Sweet brandy pudding. Does not have a a very long lasting aftertaste.
Buying this bottle at the bootlegger, Paris. Opening this bottle yesterday, at home, Epalinges, after a day spent at the urbakids, Orbe. The body is brown, orange and troubled, regular carbonation for the style, whitr and brown foam, best before 07/2021. To be sincere, I was not disappointed with this beer, a great beverage, a grand cru for the palate at a smooth price. This one is subtle, well balanced, you don't have the impression of the 10 degrees of alcool. You get notes of malt, really smooth and sweet with notes of sugar, plum, cherry and toffee, a bit woody, discreet hop at the final, to repeat, same happiness than a rochefort 10.
Birra da degustazione visti i 10 gradi.. ma odori e gusti piacevolissimi! S