Trappist Westvleteren 12 (yellow cap)

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Westvleteren 12
The Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren
Donkerstraat 12
8640 Westvleteren, Flanders, Belgium  
Est. 1838
www.sintsixtus.be
and
www.westvleteren12.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 10.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 3.0 (sample)

Postmortem Brew Review
Root beer color.
Aromas of berry, nut and brown sugar.
Super foamy; large bubbles in the caramel colored head.
Three-finger head with spiderweb lacing on glass.
Tastes of sweet candy with ripe fruit and chocolate flavors.
Alcohol warmth with sweetness on finish.
Absolutely delicious. Complex flavors. Syrupy sweet finish.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy 
Ohuhmmmm! Ohuhmmmm! We are saying it again.  We are so not worthy of such delicious nectar.

My good friend Dean also got a hold of the 12, formerly known as 'Abt'.  This 'quad' exceeded my expectations. The smells, the taste, the easy smoothness with the slightest sting of alcohol in the body.  Similar to the '8', this ale is also bottle conditioned and will keep for a long time if properly stored.  I suppose we are drinking these quite young, gauging by the storage dates on the caps, but if they were this good young, it stands that they would hold up to some aging and come out even better.

The Trappist monks do not waste much on flashy labeling, only going as far as to embellish their bottle caps with any branding.  The bottle is void of a label.  It has only a raised neck ring, near the top of the glass, to set it apart from any other brown bottle of ale.  The ring says, "TRAPPIST EN BIER" in block letters.  They have been doing it this way since 1945, keeping all the pertinent information on the bottle cap.  It makes them the only Trappist brewery that does not sport the Trappist logo.

Once again, it bears repeating.....equally lucky to have sampled this ale.  Very rare you mortals.

Trappist Westvleteren 8 (blue cap)

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Westvleteren 8
The Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren
Donkerstraat 12
8640 Westvleteren, Flanders, Belgium 
Est. 1838
www.sintsixtus.be

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 3.0 (sample)

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark brown, near black color.
Plum/grape/prune notes. Also shows a bit of oak.
Not much alcohol in smell.
Large bubbles; caramel colored, one-finger head.
Caramel bodied and deep smell of plum.
Fizzy carbonation.
Very tasty and complex on tongue.
Slight sweet aftertaste with slight alcohol presence. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy 
Ohuhmmmm! Ohuhmmmm! No, that's not what the Trappist monks are saying, but you will.  Mere mortals are not worthy to drink Westvleteren's ultimate brews.

My good friend Dean has done it again, procuring some of the rarest ale in the world.  This beer is only intended to be purchased at the monastery for personal consumption.  The monks do not ship this beer and it has been a time honored tradition not to do so.  In fact, here's what they say about it, "Westvleteren Trappist is sold only to individual customers. Every customer agrees not to re-sell the beer to any third party." 

Formerly known as 'Extra', here we have the "blue cap" ringing in at 8% ABV. While delicious and complex in flavors, I found just a little bit something missing from the experience.  Don't get me wrong, it is exceptionally smooth and full bodied, but something was amiss for my liking.  But don't worry, I found out what I wanted when we opened the 12 ABV (yellow cap).

This is so easy to drink, you need to keep in mind that it is at 8%.  A bit dangerous I'd say.  It is bottle conditioned and will keep a long time if stored properly.  With its nondescript brown bottle, store it carefully, lest someone mistake it for a bottle of floor polish and toss it out!

Lucky to have sampled this ale.  Mind you mortals, it's very rare!

Chimay Tripel (White)

Taps for a Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Chimay Tripel (White)
Bieres de Chimay S.A.
Route Charlemagne, 8
6464 Baileux (CHIMAY) Belgium
Est. 1862
www.chimay.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0  (On Tap) 

Postmortem Brew Review
Solid amber color with a slight haze.
Dry spicy hops presence and yeast nose.
Off-white head with lacing that coats the glass.
Head simmers to a wisp.
Mouth feel medium; fruity aftertaste.
Smooth, medium bodied mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy 
Trappist Monks have beer and cheese down pat.  Chimay is one of only six Belgian beers that are allowed to carry the "Trappist" designation.  Deliciously fruity, this tripel owes its taste to muscat grape and raisin flavors.  According to their website, the beer's after bitterness "melts in your mouth."  I did not get too much of the aforementioned bitterness, but instead the complex grape scents and aromas.  Pleasant indeed.

I was surprised at how balanced all of the components were combined.  Even more surprising was how easy they were to pick out in smell and taste.  That is the sure sign of a well formulated brew.  As usual, I attempt to discover these on my own through the sample first, jotting down flavors and nuances.  I always do this before reading the label, the website, or any other tasting notes.

A friendly reminder --- as this beer is at the entry point of a high ABV, you'll want to be sure to sip and enjoy, and not gulp.  There is a lot going on in the body, so savor the flavor.