Sais-on Sais-off

Saison Dupont, produced by the Dupont brewery in West-Hainaut, Belgium, was named best beer in the world by Men's Journal. It scores a 99 on Rate Beer and an A- on Beer Advocate. I had it for the first time tonight, which is strange for I am a disciple of the saison. There's no doubt that it is a tasty beer, but I feel that it is definitely over-hyped. For me it does not crack my top 20, and I would say that it is not even my favorite saison of all time. Full disclosure, I am a member of what BYO describes in it's July-August issue as the "cult of American saison". I feel that American brewer's have taken this style to new heights with the use of American hops and by drying out the beer especially on the finish. That being said, I would go with a Fantome over a Dupont any day of the week if I'm going for a Belgian saison.

Like I said the beer is tasty and full flavored, no doubt. It has some good spice and funk to compliment the fruitness of the the yeast and hops and the grainy pilsner back bone. All that is good, but the beer has this overtone of beeriness, or what I call "old man flavor". It's hard to really explain or even pinpoint what that flavor is. It basically tastes like someone poured out a case of miller lite into the 30 barrel batch right before it hit the fermenters. It might be that they used old or possibly too much pilsner malt in the grist. Not really sure, all I know is that I taste a flavor that I consider to be off.

As far as the ratings and accolades go, I'm not saying it deserves poor marks. But a 99 on Rate Beer? It's good, but not a 99. If we're doing Beer Advocate scoring, I would give it B-. If they cleaned up that one off flavor I'd push it to a B+ or maybe higher. For some good American Saison, check out McKenzie's brew house in Malvern PA, Brooklyn's Sorachi Ace, or Ommegang Hennepin. Cheers.

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