Looking for advice on Westvleteren 12.

Look at the profile page. On the right column, there are guides to glassware, temperature, and cellaring specific to this style.

 

You might want to pick up these other Quads for comparison against the Westy 12. The first 2 are readily available but you might have trouble finding the Pannepot. Be sure to note bottle dates when comparing:

• St. Bernardus Abt 12 (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/259/1708)
• Rochefort 10 (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/207/645)
• De Struise Pannepot (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/15237/34306)

 

Solo cups work just fine.

In all honesty though, find a nice Goblet or Tulip style glass. I prefer to drink mine at just below room temp. Try one or two fresh, then age the others. Take good notes so you can compare what the aging did to it. Depending on how many you have, I would drink 2 fresh, 1 after 6 months, and 1 after a year. That should give you a good range. If you have more, try one at around 2 years.

 

Never chilled, better on room temperature or a bit below that. Use the right glassware...

 

Optimal temperature is around room temp or just below, but I would say it depends on how familiar you are with the style (since you mentioned being new to beer). Nothing wrong with starting a bit colder if you aren't too familiar with the style, then letting it gradually warm so you can gradually start to pick out the different notes that emerge without diving headfirst into something that may throw you off (belgian beers can be a bit polarizing, imo, particularly for inexperienced beer drinkers). Take your time with the beer.

Chalice or goblet are the best ways to go, tulip can be a good alternative if for whatever reason you can't access the former choices. Side by sides and aging like suggested previously are also great options. Hope you enjoy.

 

Hey OP just listen to Thijs /thread.

Cheers!

 

Absolute agree. Make sure you're ready to be drinking quads.

 

What does this even mean? There is no ready or not ready when it comes to styles, only likes and dislikes. While these may change over time that doesn't mean they weren't ready for something, just that their tastes have shifted.

 

I think everyone overlooked something here. Where tha heck did you "obtain a few bottles". This stuff isnt just lying around on the street, right?

 

When i first drank St. Bernardus i was absolutely not ready. When i tried it a couple months later, i loved it. It's hard for me to picture someone new to beer getting the full enjoyment out of westy 12. That's all I'm saying

 

Ok, I understand what your saying now. Your palette wasn't experienced enough to know what to expect out of this type of beer. However the OP has been a member of BA for almost 3 years so I hope they have some idea of what different styles taste like.

 

The monks recommend a serving temp of 10-16C. I never argue with a monk and served mine at 14C. Glassware is not critical, but get something decent like a tulip or chalice as is it likely that some photography will be involved. If you have none of these then use a red wine glass. You don't really want to be seen drinking this out of a shaker.

I agree with the previous posts that you should be ready to drink a quad. This is a 10.2% beer and I could tell it. If you have only drunk something like SN Pale Ale or Sammie, you will be startled. Start with something like a Dubbel, maybe sample some strong Belgian ales, maybe a Burton Baton. This is when research is fun.

As for aging, their should be a date on the cap showing a "good till" date. It is euro-format (day-month-year). Subtract three years from this date for when it was bottled. I drank mine when it was eleven months old. The plan is another one in a year (23 months) and the last one at the final date. I will let you know how it progresses (see, research really is fun).

Finally, I found this is almost like a desert wine or after dinner cognac. You will appreciate it the most if you are stone sober. I drank my first one in mid-afternoon and do not recommend this. My next one will be in the evening . . . you really don't want to move very far after drinking this. Enjoy

 

They also said they were a new beer drinker, which is what raised my concern about palette experience.

 

I saw that part too, something just doesn't add up for me between being a BA for 3 years and also being a new beer drinker