Ommegang XV

There are few things that I find as relaxing and rejuvenating as camping. That is why, no matter what is going on in my life, I make the time to go camping at least once a year.

Camping to me is sleeping in a tent, chillin' by a raging fire, reading a good book, hanging with best friends, and . . . you got it! . . . drinking beer.

Traditionally, we bring a cooler full of easy drinking, slam-backable brew. This year it was Road Jam by Two Roads Brewery.  However, I also always bring along a few special brews to sip and savor.

The first beer of these year's camping trip was a special brew, indeed.

XV Reserve Ale was brewed by Ommegang to celebrate 15 years of beer making awesomeness.

I bought this extremely limited brew two years ago and have been cellaring it for a special occasion. Since our annual camping trip also coincides with our wedding anniversary, I think it was about time to bust it out.

XV (15th Anniversary Ale (9.6% ABV) is a Quadrupel.

It pours deep and dense with a tease of red. It is capped with a small but thick tan head that dissipates into a halo of foam that lingers around the edge of the glass.

The aroma is wow-rrific! It smells of rich dried fruits, dark sugars, yeast, warm spices.

The taste is intense and complex. Dark sweet malts are the base for dried fruit like prunes and raisins, burnt sugary molasses, spices like cocoa, clove, and pepper, bready yeast, toast and crackers. All this and it works wonderfully well. The alcohol? It's in there for sure. The beer tastes strong but it's not boozy. The finish is sweet but not sticky.

The mouthfeel is full and creamy and smooth.

Overall: very good.

Trappist Westvleteren XII

I have a friend who lives in Belgium. Belgium has some of the oldest, most outstanding breweries in the world. Of course, a lot of the beer brewed in the good ol' USofA is nothing to shake a stick at either.

I've known this fellow for quite a few years and it never occurred to me to do a beer swap with him. Not until one day a package arrived from Belgium. A mangled package marked !FRAGILE! (must be Italian). Inside said package was three bottles - two intact and one horribly shattered. They were bottles of - drumroll please - Trappist Westvleteren 12 (AKA Westy 12) and Trappist Westvleteren Blonde. Sadly the broken bottle was a Westy 12.

Somehow I managed to hold off drinking them until a special occasion. I figure New Year's Eve was a good enough reason to bust into them.

The bottles are as they are distributed from the monastery; an embossed brown bottle with no label and only the cap to distinguish which beer is inside.

The humble, understated package belies the magnificence contained within.

I don't go in for hype. I choose to rely on my own experiences rather than the submit to the opinions of the masses.

However . . .

This is a beer that truly lives up to it's reputation. It may actually be the greatest beer on earth. It may have spoiled me for any other. Seriously, I had four different beers after the Westy 12 and all of them were a letdown. I'm ruined. Ruined, I say, for other beers.


Westvleteren XII (10.20% ABV) is brewed by Brouwerij Westvleteren; a monastic brewery that has been in continuous production since 1838.

It pours a muddy reddish brown with a medium dense, quickly dissipating cap of foam that clings to and slides down the side of the glass but leaves no real lacing behind.

The aroma is remarkable. It has a sharp wine-like nose and lovely yeastiness. Very appealing and kind of sexy.

The taste is malt forward with a wine characteristic that teases the back of the palate in a way that is smelled more than tasted. Dark fruit, yeast, and grain build the flavor profile.  There is a mild booziness that isn't a distraction but only serves to add additional depth and complexity. The finish is warm and lingering.

The mouth feel is full and smooth. Low carbonation with a warm, tingly alcohol sensation.

Trappist Westvleteren XII is a wonderful mosaic of flavors. Balanced and engaging. It is as close to beer perfection that I've experienced.

Overall: Sublime

Read my review of Trappist Westvleteren Blond  here.