[ethinson]

Had this last night for World Beer Day and it was pretty good.  Bottle date of 31 10 18, so based on what I read they do 5 year dates, so this was bottled in 2013.  I wonder if all the stuff that makes it stateside is this old. 

This beer is thick and chewy, pretty syrupy but not sickly sweet.  Nice bubblegum ester, other wise dark malt flavor.  No hops or bitterness to speak of.  Picked up a tiny little bit of wet cardboard/paper as it warmed (the last sip or so) but really no signs of oxidation for a 3 year old bottle, so it holds it's age well. 

I really like the fruity banana/bubblegum of Belgian beers, so I'd love to try a fresh sample.  Based on the Orval flight I did a couple weeks ago that tends to fade with age.  It was super fruity in the 3 month old, the 2 year old one had none (Orval also has Brett, so that could do it too).

Overall good beer, I'd try it again if I find a fresher one, and someday hope to travel to Belgium since this is my favorite style.  Kinda pricey at 6$ for an 11.2oz bottle, but all the imported Belgian stuff tends to be.

[HoosierBrew]

Overall good beer, I'd try it again if I find a fresher one

Man, a beer that big is way better when it's 2 or 3 years old IMO. I love it.

[RPIScotty]

One of my favorites, if not my favorite Dark Strong. St. Bs and Rochefort 8. Excellent beer.


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[brewinhard]

Love this beer!  I can get them right around the corner from my house too.

[ethinson]

Overall good beer, I'd try it again if I find a fresher one

Man, a beer that big is way better when it's 2 or 3 years old IMO. I love it.

Oh I don't doubt that.  I think it would be interested to try one to compare though.  Maybe get one that's 1 year old, 3 years and then 5.  When I was doing the Orval flight I was talking to the barkeep and he was saying one of the things is to find your sweet spot where you like it, and that will be different for different folks. This was the first time I've had the Abt 12, so right now that's my only experience with it.

I just found a local bottle shop that has a great selection of Chimay, Westmalle, Roquefort and a couple other Trappist beers (One I think was just called "Trappist"?) so I'll be doing some more sampling soon.  I love Belgian beers and I have had a good number of American "Belgian Style" beers, so now I want to try some actually from the country.

[RPIScotty]

You'll be surprised at how remarkable to authentic examples are.


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[HoosierBrew]

one of the things is to find your sweet spot where you like it, and that will be different for different folks.

Yeah, for sure. Agreed.

[Christophe.A]

St bernardus is the original recipe and place of production of the westvleteren, before it was made inside the abbey.

[RPIScotty]

St bernardus is the original recipe and place of production of the westvleteren, before it was made inside the abbey.

Technically it was brewed at the Abbey until just after WWII, then contracted and then Westvleteren formulated the current recipe when they resumed brewery operations at the Abbey.

It is a reasonable assumption that the Westvleteren monks brought their recipes with them to Watou in 1946 when the contract started.

I'd say that it is an unverified assumption that the ABT 12 maintains the same recipe today.

[ethinson]

St bernardus is the original recipe and place of production of the westvleteren, before it was made inside the abbey.

Technically it was brewed at the Abbey until just after WWII, then contracted and then Westvleteren formulated the current recipe when they resumed brewery operations at the Abbey.

It is a reasonable assumption that the Westvleteren monks brought their recipes with them to Watou in 1946 when the contract started.

I'd say that it is an unverified assumption that the ABT 12 maintains the same recipe today.

The way it reads on Wikipedia, which of course may not be right, was that the brewer from Westvleteren brought the recipe and yeast to St Bernardus.  And the St Bernardus beers were considered Trappist until they cracked down on it having to be made IN an abbey for the Authenic Trappist appellation, so it's now just considered an Abbeye style and not "Trappist".  I've heard it's very close to Westie 12, but I'm sure it's not the same.  Location, water, equipment and process will all affect it.  That's why when we make clone recipes at home they turn out "close" to the commercial example but it's not going to be exact.