Bottled. Rating #500. I’ve waited quite patiently for this one. It has been in my cellar since september, and I decided when I bought it that I should save it for rating #500. I think I have entered my 499 beers quite rapidly, just over six months, but the waiting has been way to long, and the beer has been staring at me every time I went to get another beer in the cellar. Now, as I am to open it, I am a little bit nervous. It’s not my virgin-sample of a Westy 12, I’ve had it two or three times before, I am just nervous that it might be bad in any way, or that I might get disappointed. After all, my taste-buds has evolved a little since my first rating. It has a BB date of 28.02.08, so it is ok in that way, hope it is in any other way too. Well, off goes the cap. The first aroma is very vinous and oaked. Then, when it’s poured, black currant, caramel, dried fruits, light alcohol, spices and a light yeastiness comes through. You don’t get it much more complex than this. It looks gorgeous, dark reddish-brown and sparkling, and with some sediments if you prefer that. It has probably the most dense, lasting head that I’ve seen so far, beige in color, and huge. The flavor is rich, with caramel, candi-sweetness, malt, spices, bitterness, cherry and alcohol. Too much alcohol, I think. There are lots of other beers masking the 10% ABV much better, but it is not an unpleasant alcohol-level. The body is full and it has a sweet and bitter finish that is quite long. The flavor and finish is rounded of as the beer warms up, and my starting temperature of 10°C was too cold, especially for the finish to step forward. It turned out I had no reason to be nervous, the beer probably deserves its first place on Ratebeer, but I expected that I could give it a higher score. A beer that matches aroma and flavor even better will hopefully come my way some day, and then maybe the perfect 5 will be given. (060306)

Only avaliable at the monastery. 3 times 24 beers avaliable per. car only! Limited and Beautiful. Dark, full and long finish! Very smooth texture. Dark fruits & caramel - little sweetness & little alcohol. Rerating Oktober 09. Had this more than a hundred times and it really needed a few extra words. 2005 vintage. Deep, dark rum and fruits. Complex in a way that is hard to describe. Even after 3500 beers. World class and top 10 for sure.

Dark brown with an off-white head. Aroma is sweet malt and dark fruits. Not quite as sweet as the westy 12. Flavor is a sweet bread tasted with vanilla. Lots of malt, and a great mouthfeel.

Bottle. Creamy off-white fully lasting head. Clody and brown. Fantastic aroma. very hoppy and yeasty. Touch of apples? Even better taste. Fantastic long finish. Just as good as expected!!!!!

Bottle. Pours dark with a tan head. A very complex dark, malty, fruity beer with floral notes. Amazing aroma and flavor fruit, yeast, citrus, alcohol, spices, oak, vanilla, the list goes on and on as flavors change. The best Trappist beer I have ever tasted.

A great beer. Among my favourite 3. The Abt 12 is slightly better (as good as it gets actually). But this is also a fantastic beer to drink. Well crafted in every aspect.

This is probably the best beer I have ever tried (and very likely the best I will ever will). Everything is extremely well balanced. Fantastic tastes and aromas of fruit mostly plum. Great white head. A masterpiece !

Pours chunky into a Westy tulip. Dark golden amber with swirling chunks of yeast. Bottle says 02 12 02 -- so figure the bottle’s over 7 years old. Nice earthy, leather and cellar aroma. Very nice -- another sip...sweet and creamy caramel -- very smooth with a long trappist honey finish.

Bottle. Its a fantastic beer. The best so far. The reason it doesn´t get 5,0 is that the aroma could be a little more powerfull, and the head a bit more lasting . Otherwise this is the perfect beer. You eat it, more than you drink it.

Bottle. Beautiful lasting head. Last drop still had a small head on it. A bit hazy with sediments of yeast. Very complex taste with lots of spices and fruits to be detected. Aroma is almost as good as the taste