St. Bernardus Abt 12

I can never resist a good Belgian beer. This specific beer was the very first Belgian I've ever had. I wasn't sure what to expect. The nectar in this bottle completely changed my outlook on what a good beer is.

As a homebrewer, I've always wanted to try to clone this beer. The ingredients are easy to acquire, but the fermentation temperature schedule is brutal to work with. So instead, I decided to go out an buy a bunch of it instead.

Brewery: St. Bernardus
Beer: Abt 12
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
ABV%: 10%
IBU: 15?
Price: ~$18 for a 4pk of 11.2 oz bottles or ~ $9 for a 25.4oz bottle

Upon opening the bottle, a yeasty/fruity smell is evident. This beer pours a very dark reddish brown with an offwhite head. Sediment can be seen floating around. (I kinda wish I poured gently so I could harvest the yeast, maybe next time). The aroma shifts towards malt, caramel, dark fruits, and a touch of alcohol. The first sip is mind blowing. The yeast profile really shines here, which generated a very fruity/yeasty flavor. A heavy malt backbone is also present. There's a unique sweetness from this, probably from belgian candi sugar. Mouthfeel is full bodied with the perfect amount of carbonation. As this beer warms, the alcohol becomes more pronounced, while the rest of the flavors stay strong.

Aroma: 9/10
Appearance: 5/5
Taste: 9/10
Palate: 5/5
Overall: 18/20

Final Score: 46/50

For this godly style, only a couple other beers can top it (rochefort 10, westvletern 12). If you want to taste near perfection without spending $20 for a 11.2oz bottle, this beer is for you. Side note, the rochefort 10 is more like $5 - $6 for a 11.2oz bottle, but isn't as wildly circulated as St. Bernardus (in my experience).