Westvleteren 12

Style: Quadrupel

ABV: 10.2%

I am ridiculously excited about this beer. It is one of the top rated beers in the world. So let’s get down to it.

The bottle is completely bare, with a thick ridge around the neck with the word “Trappistenbier” embossed in the glass. It is no frills, simple and practical – it lets the beer do all the talking.

I’ve always loved that about Westvleteren. Every time I’ve seen a picture, it’s been dark, unassuming and mysterious. Unless you were looking for it, you might never spot it, and that only adds to the legend which precedes it. Is this the world’s best beer?

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Visual: Very dark ruby brown, with a bubbly lightly tan coloured head. It dissipates after a minute or two, leaving a rim of bubbles clinging to the glass and a small, tight string of lacing from where you sip it.

Nose: A musty but sweet dark fruit smell – very much like Xingu beer, blackcurrant prevails. Vinous. Caramelised cereals creep through with faint earthy notes, but it’s dark fruit which dominates. Hops aren’t immediately apparent, but the more you sniff the more you realise that they are contributing to that tart blackcurrant aroma.

Taste: Very complex and difficult to describe. Dark fruits up front, in what I can only describe as a sweet buttery note – like figs, plums and currants caramelised in butter. Like a good thick jam. It’s tempered a little by an earthy, musty, almost mushroomy flavour, with a caramel malt flavour. There is a very spicy element too, similar to rum, with a distinctly woody flavour. Green notes that are not quite resinous but not quite fruity come through, with an treacle element along with it. A little wine in there too, more like Champagne, with a sour spiciness at the end. A hint of menthol to a dry, green finish, with the sweet, boozy rum character coming back as it goes down. A little gaseous flavour from the slightly heavy carbonation.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied, but not at all heavy. There is a lot of carbonation to this beer which gives it a big lift, very much like champagne, but it is a lot of fizz. It is sticky, ever so slightly syrupy, and with boozy warmth. Good dry finish.

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I’m stuck in two minds with this beer. It has a delicious, complex flavour – jammy, sweet and sticky. Dark fruits bring very rich flavours which really excite my palate and they are cut through nicely by the sour spice and a little tinge of earthy malts. That slight meaty mushroom note is the only surprise and the only thing which really keeps it interesting. It’s the only thing stopping it from tasting like a dark rum and champagne cocktail.

But all of those subtle nuances are a little overpowered by the fruit and the sweetness. Hops provide minimal bitterness or flavour. The cereal notes are fleeting. The spice compliments the fruit well, but it provides for a slightly monotonous taste. It’s complex, but all at the same time. The flavours are all tied up, and hit you in one fell swoop.

I guess the flavour seems a little flat in that regard. At first, you try and untie the several flavours which you know are there, but they are knotted too tight and you can’t unravel them as much as you like. It makes it feel a little underdeveloped, like there is more to gain. It’s a bit too much hard work.

As for the mouthfeel – I was a little disappointed. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. It was light, with a syrupy stickiness without the weight of a thick liquid. Not viscous and not watery – just right. But the carbonation was a little too much for me. It made it feel too excited in my mouth, like I’d poured beer onto popping candy. Not what I expected from a beer of such renown – but maybe why it’s rated so highly.

Overall, I’d say this is a great beer. Perfect? Not by any means. Maybe its reputation precedes it simply because its reputation has outgrown it. I’m glad I had the experience though, and I glad I can say I’m a Westvleteren veteran. I’d have it again, but not regularly.

It’s been a pilgrimage of sorts I guess. But like all miracles, they’re eventually revealed to be less than they seem.

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