Westvleteren 12

It's not the hardest in the world to come by, although getting a bottle isn't so easy.  Someone has to go to the monastery that the beer is brewed at and pick it up.  Thanks to the wonders of the internet, my fiance was able to pick up a bottle on ebay that she purchased from someone in Belgium.  It's also not the most expensive beer in the world, that title is generally given to Samuel Adams' Utopia, which originally retailed for $100 a bottle, but now goes for $400 or more.  However, it is generally considered to be THE best beer on the planet.  It's voted as #1 on both Rate Beer and Beer Advocate, which I think says quite a lot.  The fact that it's also somewhat attainable should be pretty exciting for beer lovers.  While you're likely to pay upwards of $20 a bottle, it's something that pretty much anyone can do at least once in their  life.

Like the 8, it comes in a fairly unassuming bottle, plain brown with no label.  The only markings it has are a ring in the glass neck of the bottle that simply says Trappistenbier, and a bottle cap marking it as the Trappist Westvleteren 12.  The beer is a Quadrupel, which is a strong Belgian style, usually in the 10% range.  It's also supposed to be stronger in flavor than either the Dubbel or Tripel.  I haven't had a lot of this style.  In fact I think the only other Quad I've tried was Ommegang's Three Philosophers, which as I recall I didn't enjoy all that much.

Pouring the bottle into the glass was a little whiff of Belgium.  The smell was fruity, of cherries, apple, and candied sugar.  Around the edges of the smell there's a bit of round hops that have just a bit of bite.  It's a fairly strong smell, but mainly sweet, with little bitterness present.  Underneath was just a touch of roast, but it's faint.

The beer poured a deep brown color, fairly cloudy, and with quite a bit of sediment in the bottom.  There's nearly a finger of yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle, in large white flakes.  There's almost no head, just a slight dusting of off-white head.  The ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass left a touch of lacing.

The taste was initially of chocolate and fruit, with a good candy sweetness, but still some tartness in the mouth.  Towards the back of the tongue, a smooth hop bitterness took over.  The malty chocolate flavor sat just in the middle of the tongue.  I noticed just a hint of alcohol flavor as well, not nearly enough to indicate the 10.2+% that this beer contained.  The flavor was very strong though, absolutely filling the mouth, and leaving a fruity and bitter aftertaste for quite a while.

It's a very full bodied drink, absolutely thick and syrupy.  There's quite a bit of carbonation though, much more than I'd expect from such a thick beer.  It left a filmy coating on the teeth as well.  The beer warmed the throat going down, a much better indicator of how strong it is.

It's definitely a very good drink, and well worth getting your hands on one.  I didn't like it quite as much as the 8, but it's probably more a style preference than anything else.  I'm not sure exactly how old the bottle was, at least 4 months, and probably older.  It would be interesting to see how the flavors change between a fresh bottle and one that's aged.  I can see though why it's earned the reputation it has, although it's not the single greatest beer of my life, it's one that I thoroughly enjoyed, and am very glad to have experienced.

- Adam

Westvleteren 8

I didn't want to put off this post any more for fear of letting the memory of this beer go to long to do it justice. Westvleteren is the final trappist brewery that I had yet to try. Due to it's lack of distribution in the US, or anywhere in the world for that matter, the only way to get it is to go to the abbey in Belgium, or find someone to ship it to you. For Christmas, my girlfriend Julia did just that, and had someone from Belgium ship bottles of both the 8 and the 12 to her. Not much is know about the abbey other than the huge reputation of their brews, both the 8 and 12 are the top rated for their styles on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer (the 8 is a dubble and the 12 is a tripel). Because of their reputation and the difficulty in getting them, they're considered the "holy grail" of beerdom. I was worried that the beer wouldn't live up to the hype, or I wouldn't like it, or I'd get a bad bottle. Fortunately this did not seem to be the case. I'm not sure how old the bottle even is, all I was told was that one of the bottles was at least a year old as the abbey only brews one style of beer at a time.

The beer poured a deep murky brown, like dark chocolate. It was strongly hazy, as can be expected with a bottle fermented beer. The head was airy and a light tan color, about a finger thick, and dissipated to 1/4 finger. After that the head stuck around for a while and left moderate lacing on the glass.

The aroma was strong, I noticed it even while pouring. There was a predominant fruit quality to it as well, some cherry and some apple in the scent. Underneath were smells of chocolate, roast, a hint of coffee, and other dark fruits. It's very similar to the smell I remember Westmalle having, but much stronger, and very sweet. There's also a harder to describe earthen quality to the smell, of old wood or clay pots.

The taste was not nearly as sweet as I expected from the smell. Chocolate is present along with cherry notes, underneath is apple cider and a touch of nutmeg. There's earthy flavors as well, with a hint of smokiness and a bit of wood. I was getting a slightly bready quality to it as well, like a rye or whole wheat bread. A nicely rounded bitterness lingers on the sides of the tongue. I detected a bit of dark fruit, possible plum as well. Despite it's relatively high strength (somewhere in the 8% range or higher), I didn't notice any alcohol in the flavor. The aftertaste is equally pleasant, with smoked wood and grain dominant in the mouth. The overall balance and complexity of this beer is amazing.

In the mouth, the first thing that jumps out about this beer is the strong, sharp carbonation. Perhaps overly so. It has a good medium body, giving it just the right amount of substance. There's a nice smooth coating on the mouth as well. Going down it has just a bit of warmth, both from the spice and the alcohol. It's not wet enough to be considered refreshing, but it's not really dry either.

The drinkability of this beer is just incredible. It's strength is not apparent in the taste, just in the after-effects. I have no desire at all to drink this one quickly, but I feel like it's a flavor I'd never get sick of. Absolutely a drink to savor and enjoy.

- Adam

Westmalle Dubbel

I figured I might as well go ahead and finish up with the trappists. The final remaining brew I was able to get my hands on for this trip was Westmalle Dubbel. The brewery in the Westmalle abbey opened in 1836, but it wasn't until 1921 that they started selling it commercially. In addition to the brewery, the abbey also has a farm and a cheese making facility.

The beer's appearance is a deep reddish/purple color, kind of murky and slightly opaque. The head is tan but dissipates quickly and has no lacing.

The aroma is sweet. There's cherry and liquor scents. I think there's some chocolate as well.. maybe chocolate covered cherries. A very faint grassyness.

Taste is somewhat chocolatey. There's a mild cherry flavor as well. The beer is neither too sweet or too bitter. It's sweet on the tip of the tongue but I'm also getting a bit of alcohol in the flavor. The second bottle of this I had appears to be bad despite the freshness date of 2/26/10. There's a medicinal quality to it as well that's slightly unpleasant. Tastes like Vick's vapor rub smells.

The mouthfeel is thick and juicy on the tongue. It's a bit dry, but good. The first one I had was not very carbonated, but the second was overpoweringly so.

The drinkability of the beer was not too high. The first was so heavy that it was like a meal in itself. My second go at this beer was obviously bad, and I ended up pouring it down the sink after a few sips. I was severly dissapointed because this was one of my favorites of the entire outer banks trip. At some point I'll have to give this one another shot.

Actually what's most dissapointing is that this is the 2nd bad bottle of beer I've gotten from State Line in the last month or so. The first was Gulden Draak, which I've yet to review because I haven't had a decent sized portion of it that wasn't bad. I discovered that it was a bad bottle because they had it at their Belgium vs. North America tasting event and it was actually quite good. I don't think this was State Line's fault as the beer was clearly not expired, but I wish I knew how to avoid this in the future.

- Adam

Koningshoeven Dubble

As most of you have probably gathered, I hold a special place in my heart for the Trappist ales. Something about them really makes me feel like they should be better than other examples of the same style from a non-trappist brewery. I've also mentioned before that there are 6 Trappist breweries in Belgium: Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren. Of these, I've gotten to try something from all of them but Westvleteren, which only bottles a limited amount per batch, and doesn't get exported to the US. However, I recently learned about a 7th trappist abbey, this one in the Netherlands. Over there, it's labeled as Le Trappe, but in the US it's imported as Koningshoeven. I picked up a bottle of the Dubbel, chosing it over their Tripel and Quadrupel. This is mostly simply because out of the beers that I've had, I've generally liked the Dubbels best.

One interesting thing I noticed about Koningshoeven is that for a period of 5 years they lost their status as a trappist brewery. This was due to the fact that they licensed their brewery to a limited liability company. However in 2005 a settlement was reached with the International Trappist Association, which allowed them to regain the trappist label.

The beer poured a deep brownish red, with a tan head. It started to dissipate at a moderate pace, but the last bit covering the beer held on and stuck around through most of the glass. There was pretty much no lacing on the glass as the beer was consumed.

The smell was a bit faint, and I was really having a difficult time picking anything in particular out. I definitely detected a cherry fruit scent, along with some sweet malty characteristics. Underneath this was a trace of alcohol. However, I did notice a slight chocolate smell as well.

The taste was domintated by chocolate and cherry at first. However, this changed a bit as I got through the first sips, and turned a little more to the sweetness of the malt. I noticed a bit of bitterness towards the back of my mouth. There was a warming sensation as I swallowed the beer. The brew didn't have very much of an aftertaste... in fact, less than I'm used to. However I did find there was a touch of bitterness that remained behind for a few moments along with a trace of alcohol.

The mouthfeel was fairly dominated by the carbonation. This is possibly one of the highest carbonated beers I've had. This threw me off a bit as I would tend to say the beer was a medium body drink, but the carbonation made it feel lighter than I though it actually was. I didn't notice it coating my mouth at all, which is something I've become more aware of lately. The one thing I noticed in particular is that as I swallowed, the beer was extremly tingly in my throat, and had an almost burning effect, but not painful or unpleasant, just unexpected.

I'm not sure what to make of the drinkability of this beer. It wasn't the best beer I've had, and seemed to be a little unbalanced towards the sweet side. I thought that personally the sweetness dominated a bit too much and I would get sick of it if I tried to have more than one glass. However, it was still tasty, I don't want to indicate that it was a bad drink. It was definitely way better than Orval. Overall, a good drink, but not great. I'm glad Dan was around to drink the other half of the 750 ml bottle, because I wouldn't have wanted to. At least now I've tried something from every Trappist you can get in the US without trading with individuals.

- Adam

Rochefort 8

Well, after Orval I wasn't really sure what to expect. Chimay was good, Achel was good, Orval was not so great. I think I would have enjoyed Orval a lot more if it hadn't been a trappist ale, as I just had higher than average expectations for it.

Rochefort comes in three different varieties, each made with the same ingredients but of different strength. There's the 6, the 8, and the 10. The numbers are from an outdated Belgian system to measure a beer's strength based on the specific gravity of the wort. We went with the 8 which weighs in at 9.2% ABV.

The appearance of the beer is a dark, cloudy brown color. There's a slowly dissipating foamy 1 finger off-white head. As the beer is consumed, it leaves a little lacing on the glass. I've had this beer twice now, and the second time there was a good bit of flaky sediment floating in the glass. It was a bit gross to look at but, it was harmless - just some coagulated protein. It isn't harmful and doesn't alter the taste, although I admit it made me a little uncomfortable.

The taste is very malty and sweet, I didn't detect much bitterness in there at all. There's strong amounts of chocolate in the flavor, and it's a little warming. I also noticed a touch of fruitiness in the flavor, but it was hard to pin down exactly what kind. It's extremely tasty, but it's not overwhelming either. There's the slightest hint of alcohol in the aftertaste, but not nearly enough to indicate it's strength.

The mouthfeel is thick, and there's moderate carbonation. It was a good combination, since it keeps the beer from feeling too heavy. I also noted that with the second bottle, I couldn't actually feel the sediment in my mouth.

The drinkability of this beer is high. The taste is amazing, so I could see myself being able to drink more than one, but the alcohol content would make that a bad idea. I definitely wouldn't want to drink this one quickly... it deserves to be enjoyed.

- Adam

Orval

The second of our trappist beers from the trip, I wasn't sure what to expect from Orval. Unlike Chimay, Achel, Westmalle, and Rochefort, Orval only has one line readily available to the public. It was also noticably lighter than the other trappists we had with us.

The beer poured a light brown color, with a 1 finger off white head. This beer even gave Duvel a run for it's money in head retention... the head stuck around and left good lacing on the glass. It was on the cloudy side, but we poured the sediment from the bottle into the glass to allow the yeast to dissipate through.

The aroma was also a bit unexpected. It was grassy, almost like hay, with an underlying spice scent.

The taste was fairly mild. There was a muted citrus fruit flavor that was slightly tangy, along with a light bitterness. The aftertaste had a slightly metallic tinge to it. I'm wondering how it would be without the yeast in the glass, whether the bitterness would be gone, and how the flavor would be altered.

The mouthfeel was thick and smooth, with a light carbonation. It was however a bit on the dry side.

This was a very easy beer to drink. Because the flavor was so mild, and there was no trace of alcohol in the taste, it was not at all difficult to throw back. I wouldn't say it was the best tasting beer ever, but certainly worth trying.

I do think it's worth mentioning that I'd like to give this beer another shot. My notes for this beer are a bit sparse, and it seems like the trip was so long ago that I'm having trouble remembering the details of it. I'm also wondering how much of an impact the yeast has on the flavor, and whether it's positive or negative. I remember when I tried Affligem blonde, I really wasn't grabbed by the beer at all until I tried it with the yeast in the glass. Maybe I'll run out this week and pick up another bottle.

- Adam

Revisited 10/24/08:

I picked up another bottle today and tried it again, this time without the sediment mixed in at first. I didn't pick up so much of the spice in the aroma this time, but instead got a sweet banana smell. The beer is definitely more clear. The taste is still very mild. The flavor is a bit sweet, with a dull bitterness at the end. The carbonation comes through a lot more this time. There's a bit of warmness to it too.

Mixing in the sediment, the smell is unchanged, but the beer is definitely more cloudy. The taste is a little more tangy, and the bitterness at the end isn't quite so dull, but the taste is mostly unchanged.

It's a little disappointing. I had hoped that the second time around I might be able to reveal a little bit more about this beer. It's the same style as Leffe blonde and De Koninck, a Belgian Pale Ale. I can taste the similarity to Leffe in it, but it's not as flavorful. It's also not nearly as sweet which may or may not be a good thing depending on your mood. Overall though, it doesn't live up to the expectation I have for a trappist. I had expected something that transcends the style, but instead it seems average. It's not bad, but it's not great either. I really can't see myself coming back to this one. I've had it, I can check it off the list of trappists, but really there's not much else worth saying.

- Adam

Achel 8 Brune

This was the first beer of the week. We wanted to start things off with a bang, so one of our 4 trappists seemed like the way to go.

The Achel 8 Brune is one of 5 offerings from the abbey. The others are the Extra, 8 Blond, 5 Brune, and 5 Blond.

The beer pours to an attractive reddish-brown. It has a creamy head, 2 fingers thick, that dissipates slowly and leaves some lacing on the glass (for those of you who don't know, lacing is the foam that stays stuck to the side of the glass).

The aroma is sweet and fruity, with a cherry smell and malty hints.

The taste is once again of cherry and sweet malt. At first the high alcohol content comes through in the flavor, but this goes away quickly. The finish of the beer is bitter, but well balanced, and very warming. This would be a great beer in fall or winter especially.

The beer is light on the tongue, and the carbonation comes through strongly at first. It has a tingly feeling to it.

Because of the intensity of this beer, although it has an amazing flavor, this isn't one you'd want to sit down and drink a lot of. It's a beer to sit and enjoy, sipping as you go.

Like all trappist beers, this is brewed under the supervision of monks, with the proceeds going to support the monastery and charities. The history of this beer is quite rich, but one of the things I found most interesting was the fact that the monastery had a brewry until the First World War, when the German army drove the monks out and dismantled the brewery. In 1998 when the monks at the Achelse monastery decided to re-open the brewery, the monks at the Westmalle and Rochefort abbeys, which both brew their own trappist ales, helped to build the new brewery. Try finding cooperation like that in any other industry!

-Adam