I think I'm done with Belgian beers

[mediumsk]

The trappist/abbey Begians are probably my least favorite family of Belgian ales, if you also consider farmhouse ales and sour ales as separate families.

But then there are a few trappist beers that just knock my socks off, Orval and Wesmalle trippel are good examples. I had my first Westvleteren beers recently. I hope they were just in bad condition becasue I thought they were forgettable at best. They tasted pretty oxidized and the 8 was sour too, so I still want to try these beers fresh in Belgium (or at least well cellared).

They were definitely in bad condition, becuase if you had a Westy 12 in good condition, it's one of the most amazing beers on the planet, IMO. Quads...Fuck Yeah!!!

I want to try the westy's fresh, soooo bad just to disprove the hype. Based on their fermentation schedule and reviews it seems like alot of fusel alcohol is produced during fermentation.
to me I think the westy lust thing has alot to do with supply and demand.

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

The trappist/abbey Begians are probably my least favorite family of Belgian ales, if you also consider farmhouse ales and sour ales as separate families.

But then there are a few trappist beers that just knock my socks off, Orval and Wesmalle trippel are good examples. I had my first Westvleteren beers recently. I hope they were just in bad condition becasue I thought they were forgettable at best. They tasted pretty oxidized and the 8 was sour too, so I still want to try these beers fresh in Belgium (or at least well cellared).

They were definitely in bad condition, becuase if you had a Westy 12 in good condition, it's one of the most amazing beers on the planet, IMO. Quads...Fuck Yeah!!!

I want to try the westy's fresh, soooo bad just to disprove the hype. Based on their fermentation schedule and reviews it seems like alot of fusel alcohol is produced during fermentation.
to me I think the westy lust thing has alot to do with supply and demand.

+1. If you look at the top beers on BeerAdvocate, they are all hard to get and high alcohol. It's like people don't want a beer they've spent a lot of money on to suck, so they rate it high.

[Joos]

Wow thats sooooo wrong. If you don't like belgian beers (namely quads) then you won't like westvleteren 12. If you do enjoy them then BELIEVE the hype! cuz it is a fucking amazing beer. Also don't get a fresh one. They need a few years to mellow out.

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

Wow thats sooooo wrong. If you don't like belgian beers (namely quads) then you won't like westvleteren 12. If you do enjoy them then BELIEVE the hype! cuz it is a fucking amazing beer. Also don't get a fresh one. They need a few years to mellow out.

Again, I will never have one, 'cuz they are scarce, and they won't be selling 'em in these parts anytime soon. And I can't believe the hype, because DogFish Head 120 is rated almost as high and that is one nasty beer. Until the Lord makes the monks make more Westy for better worldwide distribution (which will cause their BA ranking to fall), I will take the scores with a grain of salt. (If you wanna send me some, PM me! )

[Joos]

Wow thats sooooo wrong. If you don't like belgian beers (namely quads) then you won't like westvleteren 12. If you do enjoy them then BELIEVE the hype! cuz it is a fucking amazing beer. Also don't get a fresh one. They need a few years to mellow out.

Again, I will never have one, 'cuz they are scarce, and they won't be selling 'em in these parts anytime soon. And I can't believe the hype, because DogFish Head 120 is rated almost as high and that is one nasty beer. Until the Lord makes the monks make more Westy for better worldwide distribution (which will cause their BA ranking to fall), I will take the scores with a grain of salt. (If you wanna send me some, PM me! )

I don't even look at BA just because of that. 120 is just nasty.

[Chupa LaHomebrew]

I think the Westvleteren I got was badly aged, as in aged warm and heavily oxidized in a bad way. I agree that looking at their ferment temps, it is really hard to believe that this beer is even remotely drinkable in the first 6-12 months. I think maybe properly cellared it could be great though. Certainly it's an over-hyped beer, as are many beers that are exceedingly hard to get and also high in alcohol. But that doesn't mean it's not an awesome beer, just that it is probably not the world's best, whatever that means.

I think Westmalle has it right. They supply Westvleteren with their yeast and they ferment their beers in the mid 60's, not upwards of 80 degrees.

The Rochefort beers are also amazingly heavy in higher alcohols and smell like acetone big-time. I have probably only had their 8 one time and I have never really wanted to try one again. Just because it's Belgian and strong doesn't mean that it is a good beer, or properly fermented.

[Smelletor]

I've had Westy 8 in good condition (Kulminator) thinking it was going to be total hype. I was wrong. It was among the best beers I've had. Not saying they have some special ground unicorn penis that makes it magical, but they know how to brew a fantastic beer and it's pretty incredible.

I think the 12 has the special ground unicorn penis.

[Mylo]

And I can't believe the hype, because DogFish Head 120 is rated almost as high and that is one nasty beer.

Testify, brotha!


Mylo