2016 Craft Beer Cellar Advent Box: Day 12

Advent Beer Day 12:
St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

A delightful selection for the box. The label always cracks me up. Look at that pillowy head (the beer, not the monk). It keeps growing after you pour it, so watch out. I tend to associate a growing head with an infection, but I didn't taste anything off in this beer. It did have the typical tangy esters of the Belgian Abby Ale style.

The beer had flavors of chocolate, peaches and cream. Yum.

Craft Beer Cellar Advent Beer Day 22

When I opened the package for today's Advent beer, I knew I had something unusual. When I took the first sip, I knew I had something special. The first thing I noticed was the custom bottle had no label. The cap says Trappist Westvleteren with a little 12 in a circle on the bottom. Looking it up, I find that this is Westvleteren 12 from a brewery run by Trappist monks from the Abby of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren. They only make enough beer to keep the Abby running despite demand for this beer, which some people call "The best beer in the world."

"Best" might be a stretch, but it is very, very good. The first smell is like fudge cooking, sweet but with depth. It has a creamy mouth-feel that coats my tongue with malt, chocolate, caramel, and a bit of coffee flavor.

It turns out this beer is extremely hard to get. In 2012 Craft Beer Cellar sold out their allotment in 30 minutes. So, it feels like a great gift to get this bottle in the Advent box. I can't wait to see what the next two days will bring.