Game Day Beer Review: Trappist Westvleteren 12 (XII) - Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren) Quadruple

Introduced to much fanfare around the United States in December 2012, a very limited amount of Westvleteren XII was sold through select number of retailers on a one-time-only basis to raise money for the construction of a new abbey in Belgium.  Not just any beer, Westvleteren XII just so happens to be the number one rated beer in the world -- not because we say so, but because reliable sources around the world say so.  We reviewed an aged version (2006) of the beer a few weeks ago, and recently we found some time to take a peek at the monks' latest effort:

The beer was poured into a Westvleteren goblet at the home office, to celebrate Correspondent Ed being out on the road.  Westvleteren XII was a dark brown, root beer color, with a massive, uneven head of foam that stuck around and around.  And around.  One of our tasters commented that the beer's head reminded him of the ungroomed terrain of a alpine ski resort.

The beer's smell was rich and boozy, with a slight sour yeast undercurrent. Upon taking a sip, we found the beer surprisingly well carbonated at the outset.  Gradually, however, the carbonated mouthfell morphed into something decadently rich, even creamy, as the bubbles settled down.

We could tell you that it was rummy, with dark fruits and spices, but we'd be underselling it.  The taste can perhaps best be described in one word: complex.

Get some -- if you can find it. A+

Game Day Beer Review: Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren Trappist Quad XII (2006)

It's rare to talk about vintages when you're reviewing beers, but it's also fairly rare to find yourself drinking the number one rated beer in the world, produced by a very small Trappist Abbey in Belgium.  We drank the 2006 vintage of Westvleteren XII at a soiree thrown by Correspondent Ed the other night -- hey, that's just how he rolls -- and it didn't disappoint:

Westvleteren XII (2006) was poured into a Chimay chalice, and appeared prune juice dark with massive amounts of loose sediment floating around.  There was no head whatsoever on the beer.

The smell was of prunes, figs, raisins and other dark fruits.  The nose was boozy, almost like an aged rum.

Upon tasting the beer was very complex: there was just a lot going on.  It was all dark fruits and extremely complex, but velvety smooth at the same time.   The taste was malty sweetness, but mellowed, fruits with brown sugar, like a Christmas rum cake come to life in liquid form.  World class: A