St Bernardus Abt 12 (2025 edition)

Style: Belgian strong dark ale
Brewery: St. Bernardus
Origin: Belgium
Size: 1.5L (magnum)
Alcohol: 10%
Price: 279kr
Systembolaget: – (sold out)

The brewery is located in Watou, West Flanders. In the early 1900s, Trappist monks from Mont des Cats in France moved to Watou to escape anti-clerical laws and they established a small cheese-making refuge known as the Refuge Notre Dame de St. Bernard. After World War II, the Trappist monks of St. Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren entered a licensing agreement with the refuge, bringing with them the Westvleteren recipes and their now-famous yeast strain. The arrangement lasted until 1992, when Trappist monasteries collectively decided that only beer brewed within the walls of an abbey could carry the “Authentic Trappist” label. This quadruple continues to use the original Westvleteren yeast strain so is still very similar to the original.

This poured a deep chestnut to mahogany colour with ruby highlights and a creamy, off-white head. The aroma was rich and inviting, with notes of dark caramel, toffee, dried fruit like raisins and figs, soft spice, and a gentle alcoholic warmth. The taste is complex, with sweet malt notes upfront followed by brown sugar, chocolate, dates, honeyed caramel, clove and nutmeg. The aftertaste was long, smooth, and warming, with a lingering dark fruit sweetness and mild spice hit drying the palate.

This is an exceptional beer and every time I try it, I’m blown away. A beer has to be exceptional to stand out in Belgium, and this really is near the top of the list. If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend you do.