Belgian Quad Side by Side, Fresh and at 2 Years

I just got done doing a side by side (by side) of the top 3 rated Belgian Quads; Westy 12, Rochefort 10, and St. Bernardus Abt 12. The current tasting was with vintages between 2-2.5 years. I did the same tasting with the beers when they were fresh. I'm sure no one particularly cares about this one man's opinion, but I'm going to share it anyways because hell, its the age of the internet and we all think we are more interesting and important than we really are! Detailed tasting notes of the 2 year old vintage side by side right here, and the fresh side by side comparison from 2012 in the next post:


Belgian Quad Side by Side 2015 (2 yrs old)

Westy 12 vs Rochefort 10 vs St. Bernardus Abt 12

33cL bottles of all participants
Bottling number systems differ. Dates: Westy 12 (10-02-15, from the US release, approximately 27 months old); Rochefort 10 (17-10-2017, also approximately 27 months old); Abt 12 ( 23-5-17, approximately 32 months old)
All were purchased around the same time, and have been cellared together in a wine refrigerator at 55 degrees since purchase.
Poured into similar size/shaped chalices

Of note: this was NOT blinded, however, I’ve drank all 3 enough that I think a blind would be worthless anyways.


APPEARANCE:
Appearance is very similar between all 3, with only slight differences. Rochefort is slightly darker in color than the other two with a denser head. Abt 12 has a smaller and slightly lighter colored head. Westy12 has the biggest head. Retention is similar with Abt 12 dissipating down a bit faster than the other 2. Westy leaves the most lacing and Abt12 the least, however, the spectrum is pretty narrow.

Westy 12- 4.5

Rochefort 10- 4.5

Abt 12- 4.25

Appearance results-
1st- Rochefort 10
2nd- Westy 12
3rd- Abt 12

SMELL:
West 12- Brilliant. A big sweetness with tons of dark fruit and caramel notes. A good amount of spice and doughy yeast to balance things out. The complexity is absurd, as in addition there are also notes of cocoa and a nutmeg like character. The slightest amount of booze. Essentially perfect. 5

Rochefort 10- Lots of sweetness, mostly vinous dark fruits with some caramel as well. Theres a tart character thats a bit vinegary. Yeast is subtle, and spice is barely noticeable. Theres a metallic character and medicinal phenols. Unimpressed. 3.75

Abt 12- The biggest yeast character of the three. Very nice sweet characters including cocoa, dark fruits and caramel. Spice is present but more subtle than Westy. Boozy notes to round it all out. Quite fantastic in its own right. 4.75

Results- This one goes to Westy with its added complexity, and near perfect balance of sweet, spice, and yeast.
1st- Westy 12
2nd- Abt 12
3rd- Rochefort 10

TASTE:
Westy 12- Decadent, luscious. Wonderful interplay of sweetness with dark fruits, caramel, and candied sugar; paired with peppery spiciness thats equally as bold. Bready yeast comes out, as does a bit of booze, both adding to the wonderful complexity and balance of this ale. In the three way side by side against two other world class beers this one still stands out, and that really says something. 5

Rochefort 10- The spiciness that I didn’t get in the aroma comes out nicely in the flavor, and fortunately the vinegary character does not translate to the taste. This might even be spicier than the Westy, almost a bitter spiciness. Sweet characters include burnt sugar, and caramel. Initially the spice dominates, but as it warms the sweetness builds, as does the alcohol. Excellent. 4.5

Abt 12- Fantastic. This is the sweetest of the three. Caramel, cocoa, dark fruits. Like in the aroma there is a big yeasty character, but unlike the aroma it takes a back seat to the sweetness. It has the least spice of the three. Booze is noticeable in the taste, but is not a bad thing. Out of the three, this is the least balanced, as the sweet characters dominate, but its still exceptional. 4.75

Taste results- All are excellent, but Westy remains the most balanced and the most complex, so it slightly edges ahead of the others.
1st- Westy 12
2nd- Abt 12
3rd- Rochefort 10

MOUTHFEEL/DRINKABILITY:
All were very similar, and all were damn good. Full bodied and smooth but still with high levels of carbonation, the way only great Belgians Quads or BSDA’s can do. Rochefort gets a bit syrupy at times, and has a slightly thinner body with less carbonation. Westy has the liveliest carbonation and perfects the heavy yet crisp mouth feels thats a hallmark of the style.

Westy 12- 4.75

Rochefort 10- 4.5

Abt 12- 4.75

M/D results-
1st- Westy 12
2nd- Abt 12
3rd- Rochefort 10


OVERALL:
Westy 12- Overall, this is a world class beer, and remains the epitome of the style for me. The complexity and balance are unmatched. Based on past experiences, my opinion was 2 years is where this beer really starts hitting its peak, and that certainly proved to be true here as well. Fresh Westy 12= amazing beer. Two year old Westy 12= one of the best beers on the planet. A wonderful drinking experience. 5

Rochefort 10- Although the 2 years was good for all three I think it did the most for Rochefort. Its still my least favorite of the 3, but compared to the same side by side done 2 years ago when the bears were fresh, it has moved closer to the other two. Although it falls short to its competitors its still a wonderful beer. 4.5

Abt 12- It does trail Westy a bit in terms of balance and complexity, but its a world class beer in its own right, and for how readily available it is, it makes me question why I don’t have cases and cases of 4 packs aging in the cellar. Fantastic brew. 4.75

Overall results:
1st- Westy 12
2nd- Abt 12
3rd- Rochefort 10

Westy: 2/1/1/1/1 (4.5 / 5 / 5 / 4.75/ 5)
St. Bernardus: 3/2/2/2/2 (4.25 / 4.75 / 4.75 / 4.75 / 4.75)
Rochefort: 1/3/3/3/3 (4.5 /3.75 /4.5 /4.5 /4.5)

 

Notes from the same tasting when the beers were fresh, in early 2013.

Belgian Quad Side by Side 2013 (Fresh)

Westy 12 vs Rochefort 10 vs St. Bernardus Abt 12

33cL bottles of all participants
Freshest bottles I could find of all three. Bottling number systems different/questionable. Dates: Westy 12 (10-02-15, this however, was from the US release, released approximately 4 months ago); Rochefort 10 (17-10-2017, approximately 6 months old); Abt 12 ( 23-5-17, approximately 11 months old)
Poured into similar size/shaped chalices


APPEARANCE:
All appear similar in the glass. Abt 12 is a lighter shade of mahogany brown and has a slightly lighter off white colored head. Westy and Rochefort are nearly identical in color, dark mahoghany. Both have similar tan colored heads that are slightly darker than Abt. 2 fingers of head with Abt, that dissipate down fairly quickly. Westy has 2.5 fingers width that dissipates down to 1 finger at a slow rate and then retains that size throughout most of the drink. Rochefort has an immaculate dense head that has not receded the slightest bit even after 10 min in the glass. Westy has more sedimentation floating then the other two. All leave similar, moderate amounts of patchy lacing.

Westy 12- 4.75

Rochefort 10- 4.75

Abt 12- 4.5

Appearance results- All pretty similar, Abt a touch lighter colored in body and head, with smaller head. Final victor goes to Rochefort for a near perfect head and rentention.
1st-Rochefort
2nd-Westy
3rd- St. Bernardus

SMELL:
West 12- Yeasty, spicey, floral. Similar to Abt but with an even stronger bready yeast aroma and accompanying big floral notes. 4.5

Rochefort 10- A huge dark fruit and vinous red wine sweetness. There is a somewhat vinegary aroma that is slightly unpleasant that I have never before noticed. Not nearly as much yeast or spice as the other two. 4

Abt 12- Bready yeast, peppery spice. Subtle hints of dark fruits. 4.75

Results- surprisingly, I like the smell of the Abt 12 the best. To me its the best combination of the yeast/spice/dark fruit notes. Following Abt is Westy, which has the biggest yeast notes but not much dark fruit characters. Rochefort bring up the rear due to the distracting vinegary character.
1st-St. Bernardus
2nd-Westy
3rd- Rochefort

TASTE:
Westy 12- Oh god, so incredible. Huge spice characters and wonderful dark fruit notes that I didnt pick up in the nose. Some warming booze, dark cocoa, a non-distinctive bitterness. Similar to the Abt 12, but kicked up a notch. Its partially the huge spice characters, but there are also just more layers and subtle complexities. One sip of this beer and you are reminded why for years it was (and probably still should be) considered one of the best beers in the world. Nearly perfect. 5

Rochefort 10- Dark fruit notes right off the bat. Really sweet. There are also some bakers chocolate notes. Unfortunately I still get (although to a much less significant degree) some of the vinegary character I also picked up in the nose. Again, I have had this beer plenty of times and have never noticed this before until this side by side. There is a bit of spice, a vinous character and some indiscriminate bitterness at times on the finish. Just a huge sweetness here. Sugary sweetness, that actually becomes quite cloying. Ive had this beer many times and have always loved it, but side by side with these other two, it just doesnt do the trick. 4

Abt 12- Really great dark fruit flavors right off the bat with plum and dates. Yeast mid palate and spice on the finish. Bakers chocolate, and hints of bitterness. Really excellent. 4.75

Taste results- Westy 12 here, no doubt about it. As great as St. Bernardus was, side by side the Westy is just superior. As for Rochefort, well that was lagging well behind the other two. At times almost undrinkable when side by sided with the other two.
1st- Westy 12
2nd- Abt 12
3rd- Rochefort

MOUTHFEEL/DRINKABILITY:
Westy 12- It has such a unique combination of heavy carbonation but still remaining wonderfully smooth. Full bodied, and somehow remains incredibly drinkable even during this somewhat overwhelming side by side. 5

Rochefort 10- Smooth, with a low carbonation. Again, I normally like a low carbonation beer but side by side with Westy it shows the shorts comings of undercarbonation. Slightly syrupy. Drinkability is significantly lower than the other two, limited by the cloying sweetness. 4

Abt 12- Moderate to low carbonation, fairly smooth, full bodied. I generally like low carbonation beers but for some reason when compared to the Westy the low carbonation hurts the mouthfeel here. 4.5

M/D results- Westy 12 has one of the best mouthfeels of any beer I've ever had. Such a unique combination of high carbnonation and smoothness.
1st- Westy
2nd- Abt 12
3rd- Rochefort

OVERALL:
Westy 12- Those Westvleteren monks have magic, seriously. Prior to this side by side, I thought all these beers were wonderful and I still do, however, comparing them side by side allows the brilliance that is Westvleteren 12 to shine through. Still one of the best beers on the planet, no doubt in my mind. 5

Rochefort 10- Disappointing performance of this one during the tasting. Started off strong with an almost perfect appearance, but then fell short in nearly every other aspect of this side by side. Standing alone, I find this beer excellent, but compared to the two other big boys of the style, it just doesnt hold up. A far distant 3rd. 4

Abt 12- Im surprised by how well this compared to the other big boys. Westy and Rochefort have been two of my favorite beers for a while, and Abt 12 has always been great but in my mind never in the ball park as these two, until tonight. It surprisingly held up to Westy, and honestly blew Rochefort out of the water. Serious new respect for this beer. 4.5

Overall results: Overall, Westy 12 takes the cake for me. Somewhat surprising results for me though as St. Bernardus pushed Westy and was much better than Rochefort in my opinion.
1st- Westy
2nd- St. Bernardus
3rd- Rochefort

Westy: 2/2/1/1/1
St. Bernardus:3/1/2/2/2
Rochefort: 1/3/3/3/3

 

I don't think its just you. Lots of people seem to prefer Rochefort over Westy 12, and Chimay Blue is a world class brew as well. I do find it surprising you found it hoppy and grape like. Certainly many Quads have dark fruit notes, some of them quite vinous, but IMO Westy (especially fresh) tends to be on the other end of the spectrum with more spice and yeast notes. I've also never heard anyone describe Westy as hoppy. Everyones palates and preferences are different though.

 

Pannepot is certainly another classic, and although technically a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Cuvee Van de Blauw is one of my absolute favorites.

In terms of American breweries making Quads or BSDA's, Three Philosophers is an excellent example of the style in my opinion. Recently some great breweries have put out Quads/BSDA's that I've absolutely loved, such as Stickee Monkee and a couple from Westbrook (Rummy Old Time, Red Wine Can Can, Bourbon Can Can), but they are very "Americanized" and are more like barrel aged Old Ales than Belgian styles in my mind.

 

I've had Blauw around 2 years and it was fantastic. Never have done a vertical though. I bet its an awesome tasting when you do it. Quads/BSDA's are my favorite beers to age.