One beer to rule them all

Years ago when I first started drinking Belgian Beer, I would hear about this magical quadrupel called Westvleteren XII. With no distribution and an annual production of about 160,000 cases, it was pretty much the holiest of holy, the unobtainium of beer.

All that changed when the monks who brew this precious beverage needed to raise some capital to build a new roof for the monastery. Shelton Brothers importers arranged a deal to bring 15,000 gift packs of Westvleteren XII into the United States for a one time special distribution. The gift pack containing 6 bottles and 2 glasses would set you back a whopping 85 dollars, if you could find it. Here in NC, Total Wine had exclusive distribution. On the morning of 12-12-12, the day of the big sale, I did what any sensible person would do; I left work, muted the audio on my Bluetooth headset so those on my conference call wouldn’t be any the wiser, and arrived at Total Wine when they opened to pick up a 6 pack of magic.

Having built this beer up so much in my mind, I knew the only fair way to taste it would be in a blind tasting. I picked up two other Belgian Quadrupels, St Bernardus 12, and one of my favorite beers of all time, Rochefort 10.

On January 12th, we sat down for what I termed the Super Belgian Tasting. After enlisting some help to get the beers poured into three identical glasses we commenced with the tasting.

 

My Choices

Beer A: had a sweet nose, was just sweet enough on the palate, without being cloying. The finish seemed a little weak.

Beer B: smelled less sweet, tasted less sweet, but had an amazing toffee-raisin finish.

Beer C: had an amazing floral nose; perfumey and semi-sweet. It tasted quite rich with hints of rose water. The finish was the longest of the three with lingering floral notes.

Mike’s Choices

Beer A: The nose to this one was mild and sweet, and the taste that hit me was a mild fruit, I believe raspberry. The finish was a bit weak, but not bad.

Beer B: Was definitely the weakest of the 3 when it came to the sweet category, however the taste of plum and raisin was quite pleasant.

Beer C: Mildly sweet nose, and from my perception the darkest of the 3. It indeed had a very floral taste and a deep finish, but I also tasted a very mild citrus during the finish that just sealed the deal

If its not immediately evident from the tasting notes, I preferred Beer C the best. Mike and his wife, Heather, both picked Beer C as their favorites as well. Mike and I had A in 2nd , and B in 3rd, with Heather picking B 2nd and A 3rd.

At this point we unmasked the beers to find their true identities:

I must admit I wasn’t that surprised that the Rochefort 10 had won out. The Westvleteren XII was a close 2nd and having finally tasted it, I can see what all the fuss is about.

This was the first of what I hope will be many amazing tastings. We enjoyed it so much that we plan to revisit these beers again in a few weeks with a few more friends, so look for some updates coming soon.