Tonight I had a Westvleteren 12.  What is this beer?  Arguably it is the most difficult to obtain.

There are web pages out there that talk about the process — you have to call at a certain time during the week in order to get a pickup date for whatever beer they are offering that month … it could be the blonde, the 8 or the 12.  Fortunately for me, I was able to snag a couple of the 12s on my recent Trappist Thanksgiving trip to Belgium.

I cracked it open — the bottle is not even labeled — the only labeling is on the bottle cap (see pic above).  I poured it and smelled it … not much aroma.  Amazing to me.  I tilted it up for a taste and got a mouth full of alcohol!  This thing is 10.2% ABV.  Now I love a high octane beer, but my favorite’s are usually well balanced with high IBUs (hop bitterness).  This beer is more balanced with Malt … the flavor is really different … so, actually, before I declare it the best, I’m going to have to have a few more … and (again) fortunately, I’ll be heading back to Belgium to pick up my 2 cases of Westvleteren 12!  Stay tuned for my additional report on this.  But for now, it is today’s beer.

Beer Mentor