2016 Sint-Sixtusabdij Trappist Westvleteren 12

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 94.7 points

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  4/8/2017 - forceberry wrote: 94 Points

  Best before December 21st, 2019; thus, this is brewed on December 21st, 2016. 10,2% alcohol. Tasted alongside Chimay Blue, La Trappe Quad, Abt 12 and Rochefort 10 (Abt 12, Roche 10 and Westy 12 tasted blind in a randomized order).
  
  Very deep, dark and slightly reddish mahogany brown color with a very small and short-lived tan head. Bold, somewhat earthy and relatively dry-ish nose with complex aromas of fruit cake, brown sugar, some bready malt, a little bit of peppery phenolic spice, light fruity notes of dates and raisins and a hint of roasted grainy malt. The beer is very full-bodied and chewy yet not unctuous on the palate with complex and slightly sweet-toned flavors of peppery phenolic spice, some savory old wood tones, a little bit of plum compote, light bready malt notes, a hint of fruit cake and a touch of raisin. Very soft and creamy carbonation with a relatively modest hop bitterness. The finish is long, complex and gently spicy with a little bit of hop bitterness and somewhat sticky yet relatively dry aftertaste of syrupy malt, some bready tones, a little bit of earth, light fruit cake tones, a hint of raisiny dark fruit and a touch of almond paste.
  
  A harmonious, complex and delicious Trappist Quad that is both bold and somewhat understated at the same time. Shows great sense of depth and intensity, while not getting too sweet and unctuous at any point. Although Abt 12 should be made according to an identical recipe and fermented with the same yeast, tasting these two beers blind at the same time revealed that they were relatively different after all. Abt 12 was somewhat fatter and sweeter with a noticeably more syrupy overall character, while Westy 12 was relatively drier, which allowed for more complexity and spice to shine through all that rich, syrupy malt. Some preferred the sweeter and more opulent style of Abt 12, but to me that felt just too sweet and straightforward, not coming across as complex and impressive as Rochefort 10 or Westvleteren 12. All in all, this is a fine Quad by any standards.

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