smellysell
Go Vols!!!
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2007
- Messages
- 9,881
This beer is as highly touted as any in the world, and can only be purchased at the monastery in Belgium (there are also some gray market avenues through which it is available, Ebay for example). scottymac gave me some of these for Christmas, and I decided to have one today to celebrate my birthday. I’ve had a couple of these in the past and they have all lived up to the hype of the #1 beer in the world.
Style – Quadrupel
ABV – 10.2%
Brewed In – Westvleteren, Belgium
Availability – Brewed Year Round
Appearance
I poured this into one of my Westvleteren goblets that were also part of my Christmas gift from scottymac (thanks again), leaving most of the large amount of sediment in the bottle. Murky, dark brown color. Head was light tan, about 1 finger, and had very minimal lacing, with almost no retention. The head should have been my first clue of what was to come.
Smell
Aroma was pretty thin, but typical of most Trappists. Sweet malts and fruity esters, with a slight hint of alcohol.
Taste
OK, something is definitely not right. The flavor is MUCH thinner than I’ve ever experienced with the beer in the past. It still had a nice array of raisin, plum, and sweet malts upfront. Finished with molasses and a bit of alcohol. Very well balanced, but underwhelming compared to others I’ve had in the the past.
Feel
Despite the disappointment in all other arenas, the mouthfeel was still superb. Think, but not syrupy, coating the mouth and leaving a nice coating in the mouth. Carbonation is in the middle of the road, which is perfect for this beer. Incredibly smooth also.
Verdict
While it wasn’t bad by any means, this was a very disappointing experience, especially with all my expectations and anticipation. I’m not sure what the problem was, perhaps it was stored improperly, but I hope the rest of them don’t have the same problem. If it was a beer I’d never had before, I wouldn’t think it was bad, but it definitely was disappointing.
On a happier note, the Padron 80th and Solera Reserve I had after this were both excellent.
Style – Quadrupel
ABV – 10.2%
Brewed In – Westvleteren, Belgium
Availability – Brewed Year Round
Appearance
I poured this into one of my Westvleteren goblets that were also part of my Christmas gift from scottymac (thanks again), leaving most of the large amount of sediment in the bottle. Murky, dark brown color. Head was light tan, about 1 finger, and had very minimal lacing, with almost no retention. The head should have been my first clue of what was to come.
Smell
Aroma was pretty thin, but typical of most Trappists. Sweet malts and fruity esters, with a slight hint of alcohol.
Taste
OK, something is definitely not right. The flavor is MUCH thinner than I’ve ever experienced with the beer in the past. It still had a nice array of raisin, plum, and sweet malts upfront. Finished with molasses and a bit of alcohol. Very well balanced, but underwhelming compared to others I’ve had in the the past.
Feel
Despite the disappointment in all other arenas, the mouthfeel was still superb. Think, but not syrupy, coating the mouth and leaving a nice coating in the mouth. Carbonation is in the middle of the road, which is perfect for this beer. Incredibly smooth also.
Verdict
While it wasn’t bad by any means, this was a very disappointing experience, especially with all my expectations and anticipation. I’m not sure what the problem was, perhaps it was stored improperly, but I hope the rest of them don’t have the same problem. If it was a beer I’d never had before, I wouldn’t think it was bad, but it definitely was disappointing.
On a happier note, the Padron 80th and Solera Reserve I had after this were both excellent.
