St. Bernardus Abt 12

Beer No. 5 – St. Bernardus Abt 12

You can read a lot about what the “Abt” means, most of it wrong, not that it really matters. This is a beer that warms the cockles of the heart. Maybe, as Denis Leary suggests, below the cockles, maybe in the sub-cockle area. Maybe in the liver (10% ABV, yes please). Maybe in the kidneys (eh). Maybe even in the colon (let’s hope not), we don’t know.

STYLE: Belgian Quad

ABV: 10%

LOOK: Woody brown, with a creamy, stately head that looks like someone whipped up some cinnamon crema and dolloped it right on top. Above average lacing, but the retention is softer than expected. Massive, three-finger head. Maybe a product of the glassware? It quickly overwhelmed my pink-elephant tulip hybrid, suggesting that I should have gone with a more traditional, wide-mouth goblet.

NOSE: Baby powder, tart fruit, woody herbs. Definitely bark.

MOUTH: Apple cider, dry caramel, rose water, faint cotton candy. The starchy component seals the deal. Toast and rum cake, world class.

Beeradvocate Rating: 98

Hayward Abbey Rating: 97

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