bb (18428) reviewed Abt 12 from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle. Dark brown beer with a huge beige head. Fruity, malty, yeasty, alcoholic aroma that draws you in for more. Warming full body. Alcohol definately present. Date/raisin/plum flavors. Despite alcohol presence it’s easy to drink and otherwise well balanced and complex. Alcohol just dominates. If you like an alcohol presence, you’ll like this over a Rochefort 10, but otherwise it pulls you attention away from everything else.
Oakes (33493) reviewed Abt 12 from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Ten years ago I picked up a gift pack containg four different of the Bernardus beers. At the time, I thought the 12 okay but the 8 the star of the show. Nobody agreed with me. It looks like people still don’t, but my preference is towards the middle versions of these similar lineups (Bernardus, Westvleteren, Rochefort). This is a dark murky brown with a thick foam. The aroma is unbalanced - all yeast (dust mainly, but some funk too), with hints of figs, plums and toffee. The flavour is better with chewy malt depths, more dates, a little bit of chocolate and a sturdy alcohol backbone. Actually, that alcohol is a little too sturdy. Fruitcake notes appear as well. The finish is quite alcoholic and sweet, with not nearly enough nuances to justify a rave. It’s rich, but not all that complex. Now, where can I buy that Prior?
Boutip (9769) reviewed Tripel from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle: Poured lightly hazy dark yellowish ale with a super huge head with excellent retention. Carbonation was extremely good and body was a thinner then expected. Aroma is quite particular with some weird but enjoyable sweetness (like some crazy candy my kids would love) and good strong malt. The sweet malt dominates taste with some undertones consisting of soft spices, candi sugar and yeast. Wow, this one was quite a surprise and probably ranked very close to my top Abbey Tripel.
SpringsLicker (4048) reviewed Prior 8 from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Darkly brown and ruby with a huge foamy tight head that peaked like meringue. Hugely complex aroma, dried fruits, chocolate, malt, yeast, almost leathery. The flavor is also quite complex. Raisins, brown sugar, chocolate, cream and a touch of alcohol. Very smooth and sippable.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Pater 6 from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
BB 2004 (2002 vintage?). Medium brown colored body with a red glow to it and some deep orange tints. Perched atop is a massive beige head that sticks around persistently. The first notes I get are of a strong yeast, producing earthy, dusty notes, soil, metal, and damp leaves. Some notes of raisins and cinnamon creep in, with a bit of caramel when the beer is swirled vigorously. At first sip, it is not what I expected, begins loose and watery, with a brown sugar and plum-like flavor, some very light banana and clove notes and a touch of chocolate. As the palate gets used to the medium-light body, a good belgian yeast washes over the palate and I can’t say it disappoints. Caramel, light walnuts and nutty, dry yeast seem to be the big flavors. On the finish, there is more mashed walnut and brown sugar like flavor, with a chewy yeast sensation (I poured the sediment in to the last couple sips). Some alcohol is evident, but with this light of a body and 6.7 percent alcohol, I’m not completely surprised. At the end of the glass, as I stick my nose in, there is a sharp, raw ethanol scent that is unsettling, but I’ve finished the beer, so I don’t mind terribly. Lightly sweet notes of yeast, aluminum and dark candi sugar linger on. Depending on how much I swirl the beer, I get different levels of carbonation. It seems that without letting it breath and swirling off the carbonation, it is too much, but after it evens out, there is a much smoother if somewhat more obviously light body.
TBone (30139) reviewed Grottenbier Bruin from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottled 33cl (BB 12/2006)
Hazy dark nutbrown, good brown head. Strong sticky aroma of licorice, anise, yeast and hops. Earthy tones too. Soft malty palate. Warming flavor with licorice, raisins and plums. Oily aftertaste which brings some hops. Mouthfeel itself is quite thin, but otherwise enjoyable brew.
bb (18428) reviewed Prior 8 from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle. Mahogony color with a nice off-white head. Rich malty aroma with some spicey yeast. Some banana/clove flavors from the yeast, but otherwise toffee and some date stone fruit. Nice depth. Finishes dry and makes you want to keep drinking...
jhaase (14816) reviewed Abt 12 from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Marzipan and nut nose. Dark brown. Vineous almost grappa-like notes, some sugar, ok complexity. Medium body. Very nice.
McDermottDrink (4593) reviewed Abt 12 from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draft, at the Maple Tree Inn, Blue Island, IL. Redolent of candi sugar and caramel malts. A smooth blend of smells that I still can’t separate into its components. All I know is that it’s very heady with alcohol and I will want another.
Ungstrup (52110) reviewed Pater 6 from St. Bernardus Brouwerij 21 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
A nut-brown beer with a hug light brown head. The aroma is sweet spicy with notes of yeast and nuts. The flavor issweet with notes of wood, spices, yeast, and nuts leading to a dry end. It is quite thin for a Belgian Ale and not very complex.