[denny]

  So has anyone brewed this beer and which recipe did you try #1 or #2 or another one? How did it turn out?
    I did get a chance to try a bottle of Westvleteren 12 with a date of 21.11.21 on the cap. I got it for Judging at a competition (my first time). When the judging was finished they let you choose a number, my number was 12. I opened it at thanksgiving for all to sample, it get great reviews.
    Wish I had more bottles to keep around for that One very special occasion and some for just hording.

About a year ago I spent the day (yeah, pretty much the whole day) drinking Westy at In de Vrede.  Bought several cases, so it became my every day beer for a couple weeks while I was there.  It is not made with the complex recipe A.

lol, very interesting. hate to ask, but any takeaways from that? it sounds like getting to know a very famous beer as well as it can be known. I've always had a strong interest in the great and strong belgians, kind of a homebrewing mount everest.

I’ve never tasted Westvleteren 12, but I was in a hipster sandwich shop a few years ago and they were marking down all the Christmas beers.  Must have been a Spring or Summer visit.  Anyway, I scored 3- 4 packs of St. Bernardus Christmas Ale for cheap.  Very nice beer.  Now I want to brew something like that in hopes of a normal Christmas.  Anyone familiar with it.  Some on the internet say it’s spiced, and others do not.

i love st. bernardus' yeast and what they do with it. i would choose their yeast profile over any other big belgians i can think of.

Takeaways....I preferred the 8 to the 12.  More flavor.  Get the smoked ham and cheese sandwich at In de Vrede.  Save time for a walk in the woods after.  Take the back roads to get there.

[santoch]

Westy 12 is a wonderful beer, but it is so hard to get unless you go there or you pay out the wazoo for it. St. Bernardus Abt 12 is (IMHO) pretty much just as good and available in most decent bottle shops, and best of all, is really cheap in comparison.  I don't consider it a "consolation prize" at all.  To me, it's a gem hidden in plain sight.
If you can come close to cloning either of those 2 beers, you have done a superb job and you will have a great beer on your hands.

[denny]

Westy 12 is a wonderful beer, but it is so hard to get unless you go there or you pay out the wazoo for it. St. Bernardus Abt 12 is (IMHO) pretty much just as good and available in most decent bottle shops, and best of all, is really cheap in comparison.  I don't consider it a "consolation prize" at all.  To me, it's a gem hidden in plain sight.
If you can come close to cloning either of those 2 beers, you have done a superb job and you will have a great beer on your hands.

As good as those beers are, I prefer Rochefort to either.

[spurviance]

Any idea how long any of these beers are aged before distributing?  I've got a Belgian Quad that is 3.5 months old and I'm doing my best to wait until fall before putting it on tap.

[denny]

Any idea how long any of these beers are aged before distributing?  I've got a Belgian Quad that is 3.5 months old and I'm doing my best to wait until fall before putting it on tap.

Not long at all.  Maybe a couple weeks, without looking it up.

[Big Monk]

Any idea how long any of these beers are aged before distributing?  I've got a Belgian Quad that is 3.5 months old and I'm doing my best to wait until fall before putting it on tap.

Not long at all.  Maybe a couple weeks, without looking it up.

Bingo bango.

Where this “I need to sit on dark strong ales until my kids graduate from college” thing came from, I’ll never know. From my notes on the Trappists, Westvleteren is the brewery who waits the longest to package, at 4-6 weeks. After that, they deem it ready to drink when it’s carbed.

I’ve brewed some dark Trappist inspired beers where I bottle spunded them and went grain to glass in 9 days. I think successful fermentation is a big driver in how long it takes a beer to be consumed.

In my opinion, if you have to wait months to drink these you probably had a less than stellar fermentation.

[denny]

Any idea how long any of these beers are aged before distributing?  I've got a Belgian Quad that is 3.5 months old and I'm doing my best to wait until fall before putting it on tap.

Not long at all.  Maybe a couple weeks, without looking it up.

Bingo bango.

Where this “I need to sit on dark strong ales until my kids graduate from college” thing came from, I’ll never know. From my notes on the Trappists, Westvleteren is the brewery who waits the longest to package, at 4-6 weeks. After that, they deem it ready to drink when it’s carbed.

I’ve brewed some dark Trappist inspired beers where I bottle spunded them and went grain to glass in 9 days. I think successful fermentation is a big driver in how long it takes a beer to be consumed.

In my opinion, if you have to wait months to drink these you probably had a less than stellar fermentation.

Bingo Bango back atcha!

[mabrungard]

Where this “I need to sit on dark strong ales until my kids graduate from college” thing came from, I’ll never know. From my notes on the Trappists, Westvleteren is the brewery who waits the longest to package, at 4-6 weeks. After that, they deem it ready to drink when it’s carbed.

I’ve brewed some dark Trappist inspired beers where I bottle spunded them and went grain to glass in 9 days. I think successful fermentation is a big driver in how long it takes a beer to be consumed.

In my opinion, if you have to wait months to drink these you probably had a less than stellar fermentation.

Considering that warehouse space is an expense, of course a brewer is going to DISTRIBUTE it ASAP. But that doesn't mean that the beer is necessarily at its peak condition. It depends upon the beer.

[denny]

Where this “I need to sit on dark strong ales until my kids graduate from college” thing came from, I’ll never know. From my notes on the Trappists, Westvleteren is the brewery who waits the longest to package, at 4-6 weeks. After that, they deem it ready to drink when it’s carbed.

I’ve brewed some dark Trappist inspired beers where I bottle spunded them and went grain to glass in 9 days. I think successful fermentation is a big driver in how long it takes a beer to be consumed.

In my opinion, if you have to wait months to drink these you probably had a less than stellar fermentation.

Considering that warehouse space is an expense, of course a brewer is going to DISTRIBUTE it ASAP. But that doesn't mean that the beer is necessarily at its peak condition. It depends upon the beer.

Of course, but so many people overlook that and decide that all Belgian beers need to be aged.  That is not the case, especially for Westy IMO.

[Big Monk]

Where this “I need to sit on dark strong ales until my kids graduate from college” thing came from, I’ll never know. From my notes on the Trappists, Westvleteren is the brewery who waits the longest to package, at 4-6 weeks. After that, they deem it ready to drink when it’s carbed.

I’ve brewed some dark Trappist inspired beers where I bottle spunded them and went grain to glass in 9 days. I think successful fermentation is a big driver in how long it takes a beer to be consumed.

In my opinion, if you have to wait months to drink these you probably had a less than stellar fermentation.

Considering that warehouse space is an expense, of course a brewer is going to DISTRIBUTE it ASAP. But that doesn't mean that the beer is necessarily at its peak condition. It depends upon the beer.

Of course, but so many people overlook that and decide that all Belgian beers need to be aged.  That is not the case, especially for Westy IMO.

Or Rochefort, which is my favorite. They are packing at maybe 10 days out and by the time it gets to the states and distributed, and you drink it fairly “fresh” like I do, it’s maybe 6-8 weeks old.

[denny]

Where this “I need to sit on dark strong ales until my kids graduate from college” thing came from, I’ll never know. From my notes on the Trappists, Westvleteren is the brewery who waits the longest to package, at 4-6 weeks. After that, they deem it ready to drink when it’s carbed.

I’ve brewed some dark Trappist inspired beers where I bottle spunded them and went grain to glass in 9 days. I think successful fermentation is a big driver in how long it takes a beer to be consumed.

In my opinion, if you have to wait months to drink these you probably had a less than stellar fermentation.

Considering that warehouse space is an expense, of course a brewer is going to DISTRIBUTE it ASAP. But that doesn't mean that the beer is necessarily at its peak condition. It depends upon the beer.

Of course, but so many people overlook that and decide that all Belgian beers need to be aged.  That is not the case, especially for Westy IMO.

Or Rochefort, which is my favorite. They are packing at maybe 10 days out and by the time it gets to the states and distributed, and you drink it fairly “fresh” like I do, it’s maybe 6-8 weeks old.

Yep.  Many examples.  Yet homebrew myth lives on.

[ynotbrusum]

And I have found that some dark Belgians do not actually age well.  I had some Dubbel's made from a Tomme Arthur recipe (with raisins) that started going down hill after several months.  The last ones were a bit over a year old and not great anymore (not dumpers, but way less than stellar).  I can see why small batches are appealing on those kind of beers, for sure.  I don't have enough "helpers" to justify a five gallon batch of Dubbel or BDSA.

[fredthecat]

ive never had westvleteren 12. i think others have compared it to st bernardus 12 right?

is it pretty similar or different?

dont worry im way too far on to go bottle collecting, just wondering while thinking about beer.

[majorvices]

I would say it is similar. I've had a few Westy's friends have brought back from Belgium. They were tasty.But over hyped.

[fredthecat]

I would say it is similar. I've had a few Westy's friends have brought back from Belgium. They were tasty.But over hyped.

thats what ive heard. they were actually selling them here  a few years ago but it was something crazy like 15 to 20 dollars a 330ml bottle. so good to know. love st bernardus and its 4.95 or 5.0. a truly great beer, but easy going somehow