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St. Bernardus Abt 12 Special Edition

smellysell

Go Vols!!!
Joined
Jan 9, 2007
Messages
9,881
I got this beer from Peter (Aventinus) in a trade recently and have been chomping at the bit to try it. After I tried shooting my eye out with the cork, I was off. I had the regular Abt 12 in Atlanta this weekend, and while it was very good, this was much better. I think Aventinus' namesake will be next on the block.

Style - Quadrupel
ABV - 11%
Brewed In - Watou, Belgium
Availability - Brewed Once

The St.Bernardus Abt 12 is recognized as one of the best ales in the World. For the occassion of our 60th Anniversary our Brewmaster Bert Van Hecke created a unique and special variety of the St. Bernardus Abt 12. This 'Special Edition' contains hops from Poperinge: Challenger and Golding, and has been brewed with black, amber, Munich and pale ale malts.

-beeradvocate.com

StBernardusABT12SR002.jpg



Appearance

Poured a medium brown with a very light tan head that was about 1 finger thick. Lacing was thick, but spotty.

Smell

Caramel and malty sweetness. Also had a hint of fruitiness to come. I picked up some hints of spiciness that I couldn't quite put a finger on, but after taking a drink it became clear that it was nutmeg.

Taste

RICH!!! The flavor is so rich that you are wanting another drink the second you put the glass down. This beer was surprisingly smoother than I was expecting, especially considering the 11% ABV. This was also more strongly carbonated that I am used to for a quad, but not overpowering by any means. Tasted of sweet carmalized malt, with undertones of raisin and nutmeg. Finish was very clean. Very well balanced beer.

Feel

This beer was a lot thinner feeling than I expecting, but was still VERY creamy. The lack of any sort of remnants on the mouth left me wanting another drink. This beer was EXTREMELY drinkable!

Verdict

As I said before, while the regular release Abt 12 is a very good beer, it fails in comparison to this Special Release. This beer is rich, smooth, and flavorful! What more could you ask for? It's really too bad that I'll probably never have the chance again to try this beer, but I really want to thank Peter for the chance to try this truely fantastic beer!

-- edit to add pics duh! --
 
Great review and pics...thanks for sharing. I have a few bottles of this resting comfortably right now and have loved the ones I have already sampled. Excellent all the way around.
 
Thanks to Chuck Liddel getting his ass beat, I have to buy a ST.B and a Chimay Grand Reserve to pay off my end of a bet. Might as well pick one up for myself also. :thumbs:
 
Nicely done Justin. I love this beer and while it is hard to compare it to the normal St. Bernardus Abt 12, I thought it wasn't quite as strong and was a bit more light and refreshing. Both are favorites of mine which I always try to have on hand.

EDIT TO ADD: I have access to this so if any of you can't find it locally just let me know..
 
Hey Peter, where in KC can I find this? It sounds mighty tempting!!
[/quote]

Last time I was at the Lukas on State Line, they had a few bottles left. I don't know about anyplace else, I've pretty much been buying most of my beer there. They had a great tasting with the brewers from Boulevard Wednesday night. They had some of the new beers that will be released this fall.
Killer stuff!
The guy that runs the beer department is really on top of things. He updates new arrivals at:
http://thebeerdept.blogspot.com/
 
Very nice review and even though I'm not a big beer fan it makes me want to go look for one.
 
It looks like most places are starting to sell out of this stuff so if you see it on the shelf snag it. It was a one time release in 2006 so get it while you can.
 
Nice review!! I will have to find this brew, it sounds tantalizing!! And thanks for posting the bit of info about the what's in the beer, I may have to try making a batch too!! :cool:
 
I drank my bottle on Friday. Great stuff really malty with a nice spicy flavor.
One bottle makes for a full evening's drinking. Definitely a beer to not serve too cold.
The aroma and flavor really come out if you can serve it around 50-55 deg.

New arrivals in my fridge include Avery Maharajah and Fourteen!
 
Got one of these as B-day gift yesterday. Got it chilling for consumption in just a few hours. My neighbor knows where there is a case of these. Hopefully Ill be the proud owner 6 more of these babies later this afternoon.
 
Got one of these as B-day gift yesterday. Got it chilling for consumption in just a few hours. My neighbor knows where there is a case of these. Hopefully Ill be the proud owner 6 more of these babies later this afternoon.
Awesome Dave, buy all you can get. Let us know what you think of it too!
 
I know Brawley's has quite a few of these. I stopped in and grabbed a few for Justin the other day and he had almost a case on display.

Nate
 
Nicely done Justin. I love this beer and while it is hard to compare it to the normal St. Bernardus Abt 12, I thought it wasn't quite as strong and was a bit more light and refreshing. Both are favorites of mine which I always try to have on hand.

EDIT TO ADD: I have access to this so if any of you can't find it locally just let me know..

If anyone can point me to some, it would not soon be forgotten. :whistling:
 
ha! just found one of these hidden in my pantry. I remember buying it but apparently forgot to drink it.
 
ha! just found one of these hidden in my pantry. I remember buying it but apparently forgot to drink it.

Nice! I stumbled upon a bottle of Old Guardian a while back that I have forgotten about. It always make for an excellent surprise.
 
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