Trappist Westvleteren 12: Quad Blind Tasting

For this write-up I wanted to do something a little different than a straight review. A bottle of Westy 12 was generously gifted to me, and I wanted to seize the opportunity since it is not everyday that you find yourself in possession of one of the world's most sought after and hyped up beers. If you are unfamiliar with Westy 12, good. The beer is brewed by the monks at the Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus in Vleteren, Belgium. The brewery makes three beers: their Blonde, 8, and 12. These beers are only available at the brewery in Belgium, which has added to the beer's hype and mythology. The Westy 12 did have a limited American release (for charity), and was absurd and a total shitshow. Since then, the trade value of Westy 12 has crashed like the US housing market. 

Having a bottle of this rare and sought after beer in my possession is like owning the Ark of the Covenant. You feel like a God, until the hype machine melts your face off. Anyway, here was the blind tasting lineup:

Trappist Westvleteren 12
Brewed By: Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus in Westvleteren, Belgium  

ABV: 10.2%

St. Bernardus Abt 12

Brewed By: St. Bernardus Brouwerij in Watou, Belgium  

ABV: 10.0%

Destihl Quadrupel

Brewed By: Destihl Brewery in Bloomington, Illinois  

Quad Blind Tasting 

ABV: 11.0%

Delirium Noël

Brewed By: Brouwerij Huyghe in Melle, Belgium  

ABV: 10.0%

Rochefort Trappistes 10

Brewed By: Brasserie Rochefort in Rochefort, Belgium  

ABV: 11.3%

Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserve

Brewed By: Chimay in Baileux, Belgium  

ABV: 9.0%

Ommegang Three Philosophers

Brewed By: Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat) in Cooperstown, New York  

ABV: 9.7%

There wasn't a ton of thought behind this lineup of beers. I could have added more beers, but I wanted to keep the lineup shorter to avoid palate fatigue. I put the Destihl beer in the lineup to give the Midwest a chance. I wanted to end up saying, "local brewery does okay." Unfortunately, the Destihl Quad was clearly among the worst of these beers. Spoilers. The Abt 12 and Rochefort 10 are both easily available and I enjoy them a lot. The Chimany Blue is a classic. The Noël is a crowd favorite that I don't get. And the Three Philosophers is my favorite, readily available, American Quad. With all that said, let's see how these beers stacked up.

My blind, final ranking: Ommegang, Rochefort 10, Delirium Noël, Chimay, Abt 12, Destihl, Westy 12

My brother: Delirium Noël, Rochefort 10, Ommegang, Chimay, Abt 12, Destihl, Westy 12

My girlfriend: Ommegang, Abt 12, Delirium Noël, Chimay, Rochefort 10, Destihl, Westy 12

Average/Mean position of each beer (w/ standard deviation): 

Woo, statistics!

This was a simple tasting with just three people. And this is about as deep as I want to go. The results are pretty clear...the Three Philosophers was loved by everyone, and that doesn't surprise me. It's a top-notch Quad, despite being on the sweeter side of the style. The Delirium Noël was a total dark horse that we all enjoyed, and I'll pen some tasting notes on each of these beers in a minute. The Rochefort 10 should not shock anyone. I debated putting the Rochefort 10 in my number one spot, and my brother was right behind me in loving it. My girlfriend is hop-aversive, and we all agreed the Rochefort 10 had the most hop punch. The Chimay was middle-of-the road for ALL of us. It's a good standby, and you can buy it anywhere these days. The Abt 12 had a bit of variation in its ranking...I wonder about the bottle age. The Destihl was universally panned compared to the top beers. And then we had the Westy 12...all the way at all of our bottoms. When we were doing the blind tasting, we all thought the Westy 12 was the Delirium Noël or the Destihl.

Some tasting notes: 

Trappist Westvleteren 12 - oxidized, aged, apples, saffron, smuckers jam, phenols, leather, medium-bodied; harsh finish

St. Bernardus Abt 12 - Phenolic, banana, cherries, dark fruits, brown sugar, full-bodied; crisp; light fruity flavor, cardboard

It's just beer...

Destihl Quadrupel - sweet, light, fruity, apples, cherries, saffron, fruity/caramel, not complex; bland; harsh, not clean

Delirium Noël - Rye, spice, bread, some vinegar/soy sauce/umami, oxidized dark fruits, raisins, intensity and complex; very fruity, apple juice; raisins, very clean

Rochefort Trappistes 10 - HOPPY, resin, dark fruits, brown sugars, hop candies, BIG, not sweet; cookie dough; some alcohol

Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserve - cherries, fruit, dark fruits, sweeetness, lighter, thin; apples and pears; smooth

Ommegang Three Philosophers - Bananas, phenolic, perfume, brown sugar, cherries, candies, candy sugar, thick, sweet, not boozy; bananas; slightly bitter

Results/Discussion/Conclusion/Final Thoughts

What to make of these results? I really don't know. First off, Belgian Strong Ales are one of my favorite styles of beer, if not my absolute favorite style of beer. Having said that, I think tasting these beers in a blind tasting format is restrictive in some ways. By the end of the tasting, my palate was whacked and I was having a hard time discerning between beers. There's some meta commentary there about the hoarders on Ratebeer that tick 200 beers a day, or go to festivals and rate 40 beers using 2oz pours. People are both the best raters of things like food and drink, and also poorly tuned instruments. There are so many biases at work -- your mood, your palate that day, how many beers you had before, etc. -- that I just can't take tickers seriously. What I am proposing is a premise/argument that the ticker on Ratebeer with 20,000+ ticks is contributing meaningless content and is wasting time. But hey, if they are happy, good for them.

These are ALL nuanced beers. The Abt 12 has different complexities than the Rochefort 10. The Delirium Noël is way different than any other of these beers. I would argue that none of these beers are bad. You could go into the store and walk out with any of these beers and be okay. However, for my palate, I'm quite content knowing that I can buy an Ommegang Three Philosophers or a Rochefort 10 at just about any liquor store, and get that authentic dark strong ale experience without having to jump through any hoops. I've rated both the Three Philosophers and Rochefort 10 very high in the past. 

The Delirium Noël is the real dark horse in this tasting. Many "what the fucks?" were made after it scored so high. My theory behind the beer's success is that it is complex, has these awesome bread/rye notes, and pulls out some serious raisin punches. The vinegar/soy/umami that I was tuned into (my tasting partners were not) suggests to me that the beer has suffered from some autolysis...Delirium bottle-conditions all of their beers, and you can pour out some really nasty yeast chunks if you aren't careful. Who knows how old that bottle is.

Why did we all pan the Westy 12? I have no idea. I didn't pan it, initially. I actually had it ranked in the 4th spot before finalizing my rankings. I think the bottle I have might have some age on it. But also, the Westy 12 wasn't as assertive or bold as the Rochefort 10 or the Ommegang Three Philosophers. I won't speak much to the hype...because this blind tasting was limited. We only had one bottle. And there are biases at work. So maybe in another blind tasting we would rank it higher. Maybe in another blind tasting we would have a bottle that tastes different. There is definitely bottle variation with this style of beer. So there are a lot of unknowns and limitations at work here. Also, our sample size was too small and hardly significant. To legitimize this tasting, we would ideally have 20 people tasting these beers. That should provide more useful data...but I did what I could.

And that's all I really have to say. This blind tasting was fun, and I recommend that people jump on this ship and start blind tasting beers themselves. Beer reviews ARE bullshit. But blind tastings add an element of credibility to what is otherwise a lot of words. Words. Ratebeer. 20,000 ticks. Tick tick tick tick. Tick.

Random Thought: WHAT?!!?! No review score? Duh. How the hell am I supposed to rate these beers from a blind tasting? Also, I can't speak for my compadres. 

Guinness Draught vs. Murphy's Irish Stout

Brewed By: Guinnes Brewing Company/St. James’s Gate (Diageo) in Dublin, Ireland   

Purchased: 14.9oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Dry Stout, 4.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Brewed By: Heineken International/Murphy's Brewery in Cork, Ireland   

Purchased: 14.9oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Dry Stout, 4.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

It has occurred to me that I have never officially reviewed Guinness Draught on this blog. That doesn't matter though, because if you haven't tasted Guinness you can Google for hundreds of reviews or videos showing you the perfect pour. But let's get down to business. Which beer is better for car bombs or that once-a-year dry stout craving, because there is no other reason to buy a dry stout. Ever.

Appearance THE FUCKING SAME. Seriously, look at these two beers. Creamy, dark, mad Irish sex appeal (that's not a thing). The Murphy's might be a tad darker but I'm not pulling out my SRM ruler like some kind of beer reviewer.

Aroma The Guinness has that watery roasted aroma, with some barley, smoke, and faint roast. The Murphy's is slightly fatter, with more roast, more barely, more hints of smoke, and some faint chocolate. These are pretty evenly matched beer in the aroma department.

Guinness Draught vs. Murphy's Irish Stout 

Taste The Murphy's Irish Stout has a nice flavor profile with dark grains, smokey barley, and some faint chocolate/roast. It's a dry stout through and through and lets you know it. The Guinness is more watery, and compared to the Murphy's Irish Stout, is actually more fruity. Yeah, what the fuck? The Guinness seems to have more yeast character, along with the smokey grains and usual roasted barley notes. The Guinness veers into hints of plums and dates...candy sugar...???

Finish These are both light-bodied beers. At 4.0%, you'd expect and want that. Anyone that calls Guinness a "meal in a can" has no idea what they are talking about and should be promptly ignored. They might be from Europe too, so promptly open an American BA Adjunct Stout and chug it. And then call it a session beer. Neither of these beers are particularly complex, but they are smooth and creamy and work. The main difference aside from the light roasted barley notes is that the Guinness seems to have more fruity notes and yeast character, and the Murphy's is a bit more malt-thick and has some chocolate/coffee that the Guinness lacks. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on both of these beers. I really can't not recommend these two beers, but they aren't special or unique. They go great in a car bomb and taste good paired with certain foods in March. I don't really seek either of these beers out during the rest of the year. The Murphy's is definitely a bit thicker and leans towards chocolate and coffee; the Guinness is fruitier. I'd recommend getting the Murphy's over the Guinness based on the price alone. BUT, Guinness also has their Foreign Extra which is considerably more adventurous than the Draught. 

Random Thought: Time to shelve these away until next March. 

Pipeworks The Money (CA$H 4 Golden Ale aged in Elijah Craig 12 year old Bourbon Barrels)

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #473/474) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2015 (bottled 08.??.2014)

Style/ABV: Belgian Golden Strong Ale, 13.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's not Pipeworks Thursday™ but who gives a shit. Way back when I reviewed that CA$H Money, and the Elijah Craig 12 Year is delicious. So how about "Our "Ca$h 4 Golden Ale" aged in Elijah Craig 12 year old Bourbon Barrels." Oh yes please. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Pipeworks The Money

This pours into a golden/honey-colored body, kicking up a finger of restrained, white head. This looks like a Belgian Ale that has been through the bourbon ringer. It is slightly hazy but still really well-carbed. Even Snoop was like dayummm. BJCP - bongs, jello, cash, paninis. 

Let's not pretend Allagash and the Bruery haven't done this already, but this mashes pineapples and white saffron and wheat-apples and grapes (you know, that Strong Ale base) with oak, vanilla, a pound of white sugar, bourbon spice, cinnamon, and some light barrel. It has that Belgian nose, and smells like any Tripel or what-have-you crammed into a barrel. 

Oh dayum, son. This is straight up fantastic, bringing tons of bourbon flavor to the fold with big vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon/brown sugar, and then tons of apples, saffron, grapes, tannic and grainy gooseberries, overripe bananas, juicy stone fruits, and appreciable pineapple. This lays on some nice bitterness, and while this is super sweet it feels mature. This is going to be an inherently sweet beer, as are White Oak and any other similar offering. 

This is sneaky like a Golden Strong/Tripel, and you don't taste any of the 13%. The only suggestion of alcohol comes from the saccharine assault and bourbon character. This is full-bodied, big, boozy, and has good duration for the style. Palate depth is good, complexity is middle-of-the-road (but pretty good for this style). This beer is my jam. This style is my jam. You get an explosion of tropical fruits, saffron, apples, and grapes up front; that rolls into more pineapple, apple, saffron, bourbon, some spice; the back end drops a little alcohol, oak, barrel, and finishes nicely for something as big and sweet as this. I like this a lot. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this beer. I'm so proud of Pipeworks, growing up to be on the same level as breweries like Allagash or The Bruery. Okay, I'm not not 100% serious. That would be the overstatement of the year if I was. Shoving any beer into an Elijah Craig 12 Year barrel is like using Citra hops or a drone strike. It's cheating. Anyway, this is good stuff and my only regret is it doesn't have the production of something like a White Oak. I wouldn't go food crazy with this beer...sip on it, enjoy.

Random Thought: I really wish I knew anything about bourbon and/or whiskey but I don't. I also don't have the money or cache to hunt down elusive bourbon whales. Thus, my thoughts on bourbon are shit just like this blog. If you are reading this, have all my apologies. 

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Bourbon

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Bourbon $$$$$$

Distilled By: Heaven Hill Distillery

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at in Jewel-Osco in Chicago; 2015 

Style/ABV: Bourbon, 47.0% (94 proof)

This is relevant to beer, I promise. 

color - slick gold color, some particles are visible in the body, glossy legs

body - medium bodied, some thickness, not too boozy

aroma - vanilla, toffee, cinnamon spice and big brown sugar, this has nice woody character and barrel, sweeter citrus, and some musty character

taste - this brings a lot of oak, vanilla, and cinnamon/brown sugar; there's a cinnamon component, and some minty notes; the back end drops big cakey notes

finish - this has a nice finish, with those cakey notes, vanilla, and tons of sweetness. the finish lingers long enough, and this is yummy


The real question, however, is how will this whiskey compliment a beer? One that is a Strong Belgian Ale. Hmmm.....

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Oil of Aphrodite

Brewed By: Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Athens, Ohio  

Purchased: 375ml/12.7oz single bottle bought at And Beer in Athens, Ohio; 2014 

Style/ABV: Russian Imperial Stout, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

It's cold out, and it is snowing. AKA, the perfect night to crack into a big Imperial Stout. About Jackie O's Pub & Brewery:

Jackie O's is a brewery and brewpub based out of Athens, Ohio. The brewery was founded in 2007 by Art Oestrike and his friend, and brew master, Brad Clark. In 2012 when the production facility expanded, brew master Sean White joined the company. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

The bottle for the Oil of Aphrodite reads: "Oil of Aphrodite is an American double stout brewed with locally harvested black walnuts and Belgian candied syrup. English, German, American and Belgian malts are accompanied by pacific northwest hops, creating a sweet and rich springboard for deep nuttiness. Share with friends and loved ones. " 

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Oil of Aphrodite

This pours into your typical Stout body: opaque black, dark mocha brown head. The head that this kicks up is impressive, and there is good retention and lacing.

This has a fantastic aroma, with notes of dark caramel sugars, Belgian candy sugar, hardened sugar candies, molasses, raisins, fruit cake, banana bread, and a Christmas bake shop. There are hints of nuttiness on the aroma, and when you really get your nose into the beer to give it a smell, you pick up some coffee, roast, and hints of chocolate. There is an ashy thickness about this beer, and it reminds me a bit of Evil Twin's Even More Jesus. 

Wow, this is an interesting beer. First off, this is a sweet beer. There's a lot of sugar in here, from the intense and large Stout base, to the sticky citrusy hops, to the big Belgian candy sugar notes. This gets a lot better as it warms up, dropping molasses, sweet citrus, rich chocolate, some coffee/ash/roast, and tons of nuttiness on the back end. This really ratchets up the walnut/nut thing in the rear. 

This is a thick, sweet, sipping beer. My kind of beer. It is full-bodied, with good carbonation, good palate depth and duration, and medium complexity. At 10.0%, I'm not getting a ton of alcohol. What I am getting, however, are a fair amount of pungent and strong hops. This drops Belgian candy sugars, molasses, and some chocolate/coffee up front; that rolls into intense sweetness, with nuttiness, huge hops, citrus; the back end finishes with nuttiness, lingering hops, big walnuts, molasses, some earthy ash, and a sticky sweet finish. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this beer. This is big and bold, but it's a bit sweet and unbalanced. Maybe that is the goal. I feel like the candy sugar could add a bit more nuance, I don't know. Maybe that's just me. As I sip on this even longer, I'm starting to get some dark fruits: cherries, plums, Quad-like notes. It's all really nice, but I think if they threw this in a barrel it would go over the top. Food pairings: ice cream and dry cakes. 

Random Thought: Woah a twofer. Yup.

Stone Delicious IPA

Brewed By: Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a Stone variety pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2015 (Enjoy By 4/22/2015)

Style/ABV: American IPA, 7.7% 
Reported IBUs: 80

How about them Gluten-free IPAs. About Stone:

Stone Brewing are one of the more prominent breweries in the American craft brewing scene. They were founded in 1996 in San Marcos, California, and moved to Escondido, California where they recently expanded their operations. Stone was founded by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch. Koch has a reputation among the craft beer community for voicing his opinion, not putting up with shit, and standing behind his beer. Also...farking woot and fizzy yellow beer is for bitches. 

The Delicious IPA is your typical Stone IPA offering...except it is gluten-free and brewed with the lemony and spicy Lemondrop and El Dorado hop varietals. 

Stone Delicious IPA

This is a juicy yellow-orange, slightly hazy, hop-fueled affair. The head is thick and authoritative, like your grade school lunch lady. This laces better than shoes and Spider-Man's web shooters on dates with Mary Jane. It looks like many Stone beers.

This has a nice aroma, with white pepper, tropical fruit, and pineapple. There's a cracker note on the aroma, and then you get hit with some nice tobacco/hemp/weed. This has appreciable dankness and would pair well with your hasheesh. 4/22 blaze it.

Stone hasn't deviated much from their IPA with this beer, but that's not a bad thing. Stone's IPA is still a classic beer, and their Ruination IPA is up there. This feels very much in the same format, with over-the-top malts providing a sweet caramel contrast to giant American hops. You get resinous lemons, some cut grass, pithy tropical fruits, huge guava and hemp on the back end, and tons of dank as fuck resin. There's a peach note in this beer, and the fruits just keep on coming. It's fruity, juicy, and the bitterness is dank.

This is a medium-bodied, bitter, sticky-sweet, high-carbed IPA. It's in the realm of your typical West Coast offerings and can hold its own against your Lagunitas' IPA or Green Flash IPA. At 7.7%, I'm not getting a ton of alcohol in this. However, this is definitely a heavier IPA. This beer will stand up to strongly spiced foods. The palate depth is good, and this has good complexity. You get a lot of lemons and fruity notes up front; the mids roll into hops and sweetness (I'm getting some of the Yellow/Lemon Starburst that Stone claims you can taste); the back end drops appreciable spice and drying bitterness. Dank, hoppy, dry, spicy. Good.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'll toss this a Strong Above-Average. Not a bad IPA from Stone. I would buy a 6-pack of this during the warmer months to have on hand. Drink it fresh, pair it with strong, assertive foods.

Random Thought: I just finished my final paper for the Winter quarter. I feel pretty good about that.

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon

#grad life or something

Distilled By: Buffalo Trace Distillery/Sazerac (Franklin County, Kentucky)

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at in Jewel-Osco in Chicago; 2015 

Style/ABV: Bourbon, 45.0% (90 proof)

It occurred to me that I should take notes of the spirits I drink, also I guess we are jumping the shark now because why not. DAE reviews are the content equivalent to dick anyway?

This is a deep burnished, gold color, with glossy legs, lots of clarity.

Once the aroma settles down, you get a lot of nice sweetness in the form of brown sugar and vanilla; with cinnamon, mint, faint char, and barrel spice. There's some sweet pineapple notes as well, with some agave, resin, and candy sweetness.

This is moderately thick, with lots of brown sugar/cinnamon/minty spice, good heat, and some nice cereal malt character that emerges with hints of vanilla and barrel. You get some of the pineapple and fruit without adding water, but the water brings out the fruity notes. 

This grad school thing is killing my beer review thing. Which is for the better, believe you me. Anyway, back to that.