A bottle of Westvleteren 12!! What a treat.
This is quite possibly the rarest regularly produced beers in the world ( if you exclude my home brew and those once a year jobbies you hear about every now and again ).
It’s made by monks in Belgium, it comes in a wooden case which holds 24 bottles and you can only officially buy it from the monastery having reserved and paid for it in advance. They make 2 other beers, a brown 8% (blue cap) and a blonde 5.8%. (green cap). I have no idea what they taste like.
The 12 is chocolate, it’s molasses, it’s figs and it’s a whopping 10.2% alcohol. It’s got no label on it and the only indication of what you have in your hand is the distinctive yellow cap.
I was lucky enough to pick some up earlier in the year when I was driving through Belgium. Prior to this crate, I last had this beer about 20 years ago so I’m trying to eke it out for as long as possible.
If I were to review it, I’d say I’m a little disappointed. It’s a bit too fizzy for my liking and doesn’t hold its head well.