I am an infrequent poster here, but a long time listener.
Last night I was fortunate enough to find a bottle of Westvleteren 12 at one of my local beer spots (Bay Area, CA). At $28 per bottle, I had to justify the expense but it is cheaper than a flight to Belgium.
Justin once said to believe the hype and I mostly agree. I haven't had a beer that was this complex but at the same time very drinkable. A lot of dark strong ales have too much residual sugars for my tastes but this one finished pretty dry.
The aroma was complex but dominated by dark fruit (plums, figs, etc.) and it tasted about the same with a few other 'richness' elements (burnt caramel, vanilla, spice). I would guess that the carbonation was around 3 volumes. Not much of a head but it left behind some lace. As it warmed up the alcohol was pretty obvious and a little solventy. My only real complaint was the amount of yeast in the bottle, but yes, I drank the dregs too
Any other experiences with this?
