The Holy Grail...of beer

Yesterday I got to experience one of the most elusive beers in the entire world, Westvleteren 12, or Westy 12. Westy12 is somewhat literally the holy grail, in that it is brewed by Belgian monks. It is one of seven beers considered to be trappist beers. Trappist beers are those beers that are produced on the grounds of a trappist monastery, either directly by, or under the direct supervision of the monks. Beer is to be of secondary importance to the monks (God being their number one thing). Beer is not to be a for profit enterprise for the monks. Quality of their beer is of utmost importance. These are the basic tenants of trappist brewing. Six trappist breweries are located in Belgium and one is in the Netherlands. All seven breweries have been in operation for centuries. The beer they produce is very distinctly Belgian. Actually, these breweries have, over the years, helped to define Belgium's style. You can get a lot of these beers at your local beer store. Everyone has probably seen a Chimay before. It is the most widely distributed and popular trappist offering.

Many consider Westy 12 to be the best beer on earth. That is a matter of taste. It is certainly one of the hardest beers to get. It is only available directly from the abbey or from their cafe, both located in Belgium. In order to get a Westy you need to call ahead and make an appointment to pick up the beer. The monks frown on the reselling of their beers. This has contributed greatly to the myth surrounding their beer. They have, I believe, three beers: a blonde, a dubbel, and a tripel. The 12 is a tripel. It has an ABV of 10.2%. When I came across Westy 12 online I jumped at the chance to grab a bottle. The beer had been so hyped up to me, that I had to get it. I really did not expect it to live up to its reputation. Then I drank it.

I'm not sure if Westy 12 is the best beer in the world. I haven't had all the beers in the world. Hopefully some day I will. I can say that it is the best beer I have had from Belgium or maybe even all of Europe. It is hard to compare beers from different styles. Belgian styles are so drastically different from US styles and even from their neighbors in Germany. I will say that Westy 12 is an experience. It pours a dark dark brown. There is a normal creamy head that is dependent on how vigorously you pour. I like a nice head on my beer so I let her rip. The aroma is that of dark dried fruit and sweet malt. There is an underlying hop aroma but it is not the star. Yeast comes through right after the fruit. It took two sips for the flavour to properly development. It was complicated to say the least. There was so much going on. It was sweet, it was fruity, it was malty and slightly roasted with notes of caramel and brown sugar. In two words fricken great. The beer lived up to the hype and then some. As it warmed it seemed to smooth out and become very well balanced. For some reason the alcohol did not come out until the last third. It did not detract from the beer nor did it really add to the experience. If you ever get your hands on one, drink it slowly and savor. If it isn't the best beer in the world it certainly comes close. One thing that can not be denied is that there is a lot of work and craftmenship that has gone into Westvleteren 12. Enjoy the pictures. FYI, Adam and I were brewing that day, hence the overalls. Thanks to Adam for taking pictures

Taking a whiff

Pouring

Checking out the aroma

The first sip

Cricket Hill Brewery Walk In

I wish my fridge looked like this

So much

Open That Bottle Night

Open That Bottle Night, or OTBN, is a wine thing. Basically, people that are saving nice bottles are encouraged to open them once a year on a pre-determined night. This year it was February 27. The idea is that if you are looking for an excuse to open that special bottle that you have been saving, OTBN is it. I know personally I have a hard time keeping beer in my possession. I have kept a few things around, but mostly I drink them as soon as I purchase them.

So in the spirit of OTBN I went into the closet and pulled out something I had been saving for just about a year. Well, not really. Let me give you some back story. What I pulled out was a Troeg's Nugget Nectar from last year. Nugget Nectar is a spring seasonal. They claim that it is an Imperial Amber. In reality it is a rather hoppy amber with a higher ABV then your average American ale (7.5%). It is a beer that I look forward to every year, but it is gone before I really get my fill. So last fall while I was cruising a beer store in Rahway I spotted the Nug. They only had three bombers left on the shelf, so needless to say I snatched up all three. I drank two that night but saved the third. Now the new batch is out and I figured it was the perfect time to do a side by side comparison and see how the aging process effected the beer. Truth be told, an amber with an ABV of 7.5% is not a beer that you would typically cellar, but I hadn't had an occasion to drink the thing until now. I guess that is what they invented OTBN for. Well let me tell you, they did a better job on the nugget nectar last year then they did this year. Either that or the aging process really did positively impact the beer. There was a noticeable difference in both flavor and clarity of the beer. It is tough to say. The '09 was much more murky. It went down smoother. It also was more hop centric and had more body. The '10 is definitely good, but it seems more separated (if that makes sense). You get a lot of hop aroma and some hop bitterness but not as much flavour to bridge the gap. The balance seems to be off on the '10. The hops and the malt are independent of one another in the '10 compared to the '09. I noticed that right when I had my first '10. The trip back to '09 definitely confirmed it for me. Overall, the 2009 Nugget Nectar was a much more complete beer. It tied all elements together for me, and was really a top shelf beer. Still, I don't want to dissuade anyone from checking out the 2010 version. It is good as hell. Perhaps it will benefit from aging for a year as the '09 version did.

As far as aging or cellaring is concerned, It is something that can not be done with all beers. I lucked out with the Nugget Nectar. You want to cellar beers that are malty with a higher alcohol content. The alcohol helps to preserve the beer. In general malt tends to age better then hops. So a beer with more of a focus on malt will age better then, say, an American pale ale or amber. This, however, is not a hard and fast rule.

Aging was an enlightening experience for me. I don't know that I have the space to cellar beers on the regular, but maybe for those select few that I really dig. I've heard tale of Chimay Blue Caps aged for 35 years being sampled in the basement of the abbey. For me, I still have a few surprises in my closet and I hope to add to my small collection, but so far beer doesn't last long in my possession. Hopefully someday, when I have the money and the space I can put together a proper collection. But honestly, I don't mind living bottle to bottle.

Troeg's Nugget Nectar from 2009

Troeg's Nugget Nectar from 2010