Westvleteren 12

This post is the third and final of my Westvleteren beer sessions. Today, I will go over the observations my friend and I made regarding their number 12. This brew is considered to be one of the best in the world by many people. It falls into the Belgian quadrupel category and might require some sipping restraint due to its healthy 10.2% ABV.

Appearance

Nick: Even with my standard pour, this beer quickly and easily generates a rocky 4-finger light tan head. The foam doesn't seem to want to settle down much, so I'll keep an eye on its gradual decline. The body color is a murky dark brown, almost black.

Kurt: I gently poured my entire portion completely down the side of the glass after watching Nick get such a huge level of foam. Due to that, I got a 1-finger light tan head. The liquid is dark brown.

Smell

Nick: Sweet molasses with figs and raisins along with a touch of roasted nuts. There is a hint of alcohol, but nothing overpowering.

Kurt: I get the same molasses and raisin aromas, along with some dry hazelnut and roasted coffee beans.

Taste

Nick: WOW! Caramel flavor becomes dark chocolate before turning fruity with raisins and dates. Macadamia nuts briefly appear and then dry alcohol. It all leads into an herbal spiciness followed by a gentle bitter kiss at the finish.

Kurt: Molasses, figs, and raisins come through, then fruity, dry alcohol, hazelnuts and a hint of caramel.

Mouthfeel

Nick: The feel is medium-thick with a surprisingly light level of carbonation. It is velvety and luxurious in my mouth. In case you were wondering, the head finally fell to a thin layer while leaving some pretty lacing on my glass.

Kurt: Thick mouthfeel with light carbonation.

Overall Opinion

Nick: This is an awesomely tasty and complex brew. It's no wonder why anyone who's tasted this nectar holds it in such high regard. If this beer was more easily acquired, I would revisit it often. If you are ever given the opportunity to try this or any of the Westvleteren beers, definitely go for it!

Kurt: I just want to say that each Westvleteren beer is amazingly unique in its own right. They all have such rich, full flavors. I think the Blond and the #8 would be easily drinkable on a warm breezy day. The #12 is overwhelming with its flavors (for a newb like me sitting down and trying to figure it out); that's what makes it great. Just a great experience.

Coborn's Tasting October 29th

OK, I know I said my next post would be for the Westvleteren 12. However, I thought I should get the word out ASAP for my next beer tasting. This Friday evening, I'll be sampling some beers to help you enhance your Halloween celebrations:

• Bell's Best Brown Ale
  
• Bell's Oarsman Ale
• Deschutes Jubelale
• New Belgium 2 Below
• Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA
• Summit Winter Ale

Come visit the Hastings Coborn's Liquor between 4:30 and 8:30pm to get a taste of these delicious brews. I hope to see you then!

Westvleteren 8

Before I get started, I want to apologize for my lack of posts in the last couple weeks. I've been very busy AND I was lucky enough to get my first sinus-congesting cold of the (upcoming) winter. Thanks for being patient and sticking with me.

This post is the second in a series of three, dedicated to the beers produced by the Trappist monks in Westvleteren. Today, I will go over the observations my friend and I made regarding their number 8. My research indicates this beer falls under the Belgian dubbel style category. The ABV matches the name of this brew with a very appropriate 8%.

Appearance

Nick: A 3-finger light tan head descends into a half-inch thick blanket. The body is dark brown and opaque.

Kurt: A thick tan head on top of liquid that is dark brown in color.

Smell

Nick: The sweet aromas of brown sugar and raisins combine with a hint of tart berries. There is also a nice earthy hop presence, along with some dry alcohol.

Kurt: Acidic cherries and smokey oak.

Taste

Nick: The brief flavor of a caramel-chocolate blend combines with a fruit character that I liken to ripe strawberries. A pleasant dark roasted coffee bitterness finishes everything cleanly.

Kurt: Dry with raisins and cherries. Slight earthiness in the middle with some acidic tartness. Sour dates at the finish.

Mouthfeel

Nick: A medium level of viscosity with very mild carbonation allows my mouth to be coated with goodness. After swallowing, I gaze at the sticky lacing on my glass.

Kurt: Mild carbonation. Coats my mouth with it's medium body.

Overall Opinion

Nick: "Delicious" says it all. This is an awesome dubbel that is more fruity than I expected, which only served to raise the flavor profile to new tasty heights.

Kurt: Yep, totally!

Westvleteren Blond

In my last post, I mentioned my opportunity to try some beers made by the Trappist monks in Westvleteren. My friend Kurt acquired these brews and offered to share them with me. Of course, I accepted. We recently sat down to taste all 3 on a nice fall evening, outside. I invited Kurt to make some of his own tasting notes as I went through my usual process, and I will be sharing both of our observations with you.

The bottles for these brews have no labels, but all necessary information is located on the cap. This is why I will be showing you detailed photos of the caps, along with my "usual" session pics.

Our first session is with the Westvleteren Blond. This is the lightest in color, body, and alcohol, with an ABV of 5.8%. From my online research, this would be considered the monks' table beer. It is the one beer they create for their own consumption.

Appearance

Nick: A 2 finger white head falls to 1/2 inch and hangs on. The body is cloudy and golden in color.

Kurt: Billowy white head that is fluffy like a cloud. Body is a goldish wheat color.

Smell

Nick: The sweet smell of honey leads into an acidic lemon scent. There is also a pumpkin-pie-like spice aroma.

Kurt: Banana, honey, and a hint of lemon or apricot. Also a nutmeg spice character.

Taste

Nick: Pleasant sweet bready malt with some fruit and a hint of black pepper. A nice cleansing earthy bitterness finishes it all off.

Kurt: Flat lemony, bready flavor with a slight sweetness in the middle. Finishes with acidic pumpkin spice and some pepper at the back of my tongue.

Mouthfeel

Nick: Medium-light weight and creamy with light carbonation. At this point, I'm noticing some light lacing on my glass.

Kurt: Light body with light carbonation. The beer coats my mouth.

Overall Opinion

Nick: This is a very tasty and drinkable Belgian ale that would be suitable for many different drinking scenarios, including pairing with dinner or just quenching one's thirst on a warm day. This brew is very good and I can't wait to try the heavier hitters from Westvleteren.

Kurt: Ditto.

Cool Upcoming Beer Sessions

I'm pretty excited, because my next 3 posts will be sessions with some beers that are difficult to acquire. Thanks to a very good friend, I was given the opportunity to sit down and taste the 3 brews currently produced by Westvleteren!

Westvleteren is one of seven remaining Trappist Abbeys that brew beer as a means of supporting themselves financially. You can buy beer produced by the other 6 fairly easily in the United States. However, Westvleteren will only sell their beer directly from the monastery, which is located in Belgium. If you want to buy some of this tasty stuff, you can pick some up on your next trip to Europe OR...

If you do a little searching, you can find it on online for very high prices.

In fact, I was telling my friend about these beers and how it's possible to acquire them on the internet. I told him that someday, when I have some extra money to burn, I was going to purchase one of those expensive 6-packs. He, in turn, immediately went on the web and bought one. I was never given the opportunity to be envious, because he told me I was going to taste them with him. I'm pretty sure I had a huge grin on my face after hearing that.

Why go through all the trouble to get these beers? Well, first of all, the monks take their work very seriously, and it shows in the quality of the products. Go onto Beeradvocate or Ratebeer and you'll see they are very highly rated. Not to mention that Beeradvocate lists the Westvleteren 12 as the #1 Top Beer on Planet Earth. My second reason? Because it is so hard to get, I really want it. You always want what you can't have, right? That applies to beer for me. Another good example of that is Samuel Adams Utopias. The price point is out of my reach right now, which makes it unattainable, and that causes me to desire it even more.

Last night, my friend and I sat down to taste all 3 beers. Keep watching the blog over the next week as I post our sessions with Westvleteren Blond, 8, and 12. I'll tell you this right now; they were all tasty.

Thanks Kurt, for sharing with me!

Soothing Evening Sound

The last couple evenings, I've had a nice, white-noise-type sound to help me get to sleep at night. It's kind of a "Bloop... bloop, bloop, bloop... bloop, bloop... bloop, bloop, bloopity-bloop, bloop." OK, the bloopity part I made up. However, that is pretty much what it sounds like. Can you guess what it is? Hint: it is definitely beer-related. Give up? It's the carbon dioxide escaping from my fermenting batch of homebrew through the water-filled bubbler air lock.

Right now you might be wondering, "Why does he keep the fermenter in his bedroom?" Well, temperature-wise and space-wise, it seems to be the best placement within my home. I still have the box that the glass carboy fermenter came in, so I put it in there to protect it from light. The only thing that peeks out between the cardboard flaps is the fermentation lock. Its job is to allow the carbon dioxide (produced by the yeast) to get out of the carboy while keeping any bad outside stuff from getting in, including air.

The whole side benefit to this setup is that I have a soothing device to help lull me to sleep at night. I mean, first there's that pleasant sound emanating from the air lock. Then, I have another surprise calming factor in a mental sense. After all, if the bubbler is bubbling, that means the yeast is doing its job: converting sugars to carbon dioxide and, of course, alcohol. Wort changing to beer, right as I'm listening to it. That puts a smile on my face and relaxes me. "I'm going to have some finished beer in a few weeks," I think to myself.

It's a perfect situation. Except for the fact that the "bloop" noises keep my wife awake...