Westvleteren 12 - best alternative wanted

I hear a podcast the other day on NPR about the mythical status of Westvleteren 12, the process of getting it from the Abbey, and its general and overall awesomeness.

So, naturally I want to try one, and a quick check around shows I don’t have to mortgage the house price wise, BUT they are rare and not easy to come by Stateside. Furthermore, it seems opinions here and elsewhere are pretty common in that it’s really, really good, elite, but whether the best beer on Earth, that seems to be debatable.

I know next to nothing about Belgian Beer, I usually drink artisanal stuff from the west coast, Deschutes and the like. But I want the next best thing that will give me a good idea of what the Westvleteren 12 will taste like, reasonable to find in a big selection store – I live close by to Chucks here in Seattle which is supposed to have the best beer selection in the city.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

Dale

Mis dos centavos.

Rochefort 10
St. Bernardus 12

I prefer both of these beers to Westy 12.

Many thanks Carlos.

BTW - I am curious what the numbers are? months aged or…?

SB12 is very similar and easy to find.

Here it goes.

WHAT DO THE NUMBERS 8, 10, AND 12 MEAN ON SOME BELGIAN BEERS?

August 5th, 2013 · admin · Uncategorized No comments
By BEERMAG —

At first glance, those numbers might seem to refer to alcohol content, but the answer is not that straightforward. Historically, Belgian monks in Trappist monasteries and abbeys brewed beers using a system called Belgian degrees.

The Belgian degree is a measurement used to determine how much sugar is in an unfermented beer. By knowing the quantity of sugar in the beer before and after fermentation, the brewer can determine the amount of alcohol produced. To understand what a Belgian degree is, one has to understand what the specific gravity of a beer is. When you dissolve sugar into a solution, the liquid becomes denser, causing a calibrated floating device called a hydrometer to float higher. The measurement given by a hydrometer is called specific gravity. The specific gravity of water is said to be 1.000. By adding sugar from malted barley and other fermentables, the specific gravity increases. An original specific gravity of 1.060 would yield a beer with a Belgian degree number of 6. You obtain this number by subtracting 1 from 1.060 and multiplying by 100. So a beer with a gravity of 1.080 would measure 8 Belgian degrees, and a beer with a gravity of 1.120 would yield 12.

Beers like Westvleteren XII originally had an original gravity of 1.120, which produced a beer in the 12% ABV range. Today, the original gravity is closer to 1.086, and the alcohol is closer to 10.5% ABV, yet they still label the beers according to the old-school Belgian degrees number.

Really, these are the only two correct answers.

Sure, I may draw some flak for saying that, but I firmly believe it to be true.

Very informative!

Brian is a jerk for saying that. :wink:
Actually they are both right. Both beers are very similar in style. Give them to me blind and i may even prefer the Rochwford.

+1.

Both are awesome beers.

+2 Especially if they are being drunk young, the differences aren’t as dramatic. With 4-5+ years on them, the Bernardus and Rochefort are still fantastic, but if you’re lucky enough to get a Westy that far along it does start to put a little distance on the others. In fact, for any of you that are ever lucky enough to get a Westy, one of the first things you should do is to find a bottle of Rochefort 10 and/or Bernardus 12 with a close to similar bottling date (within 3-4 months), DUCT TAPE THEM TOGETHER, and hide them in your cellar to age side by side. Popping them at the same time will help make the Westy seem more worthwhile.

I think the St Bernadus Cristmas Ale comes closest.

In a/b tasting, it was nearest to the West…

I had thought the Xmas was seasonally spiced. But it’s been a while since I had it so the recipe may have changed.

Nothing compares to a Westy 12. Rochefort 10, St. Bernardus 12. The Christmas St. Bernardus was very very nice also, and a very good price I remember. Checkout Unibrou, Allagash, also.

Agreed John

Thank you all for your input, proud to report the SB 12 and Rochefort 10 are chilling as we speak for consumption with Orson Wells ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’ tonight.

As an aside, the purchasing experience was a little surreal, here I am seeking the best ale on the planet, or at least in most peoples top ten it would seem, I ask the clerk at Total Wine if they carry them, he doesn’t even blink, ‘yep, right here’. $14 later they are in my car on the way home. Purchasing high end wine for so many years, I half expected to give my credit card for purchase in advance, wait 8 mos, nothing , complain on WB about pre-arrival and such, waiting for shipping seasons to come round, waiting for post shipping travel shock to subside, waiting for the right moment, waiting, waiting, waiting…

It was really nice not to wait for once.

Don’t chill them much. Cellar temp or even warmer for these. Drink from tulip glass.

Hah. Yeah true story.

I friends ready to share their Westy’s with me but I haven’t yet tried one. But I look forward to it. I do think Rochefort 10 needs to be considered as possibly the greatest beer in the world. I rank it above the SB 12.

Jason

The Rochefort 10 is alot easier to get, helps. [cheers.gif] Here is another nice one. I wrote this review a few years back.

Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw (Blue) - Brouwerij Het Anker
11% ABV
2006 Vintage
750ml
Caged/Corked

Poured into a chalice a brown/mahongy color, very nice carbonation (POP upon opening), nice creamy off-white head, nice creamy sticky lacing and small islands abound. The nose is malty, yeasty, lots of dark fruits, and caramel. The taste is absolutly delicious, sweet, malty, slight yeast tones, figs, raisins, plums, caramel. Nice little chewiness, smooth as hell, alcohol is hidden pretty well, nice warming effect. Full body, complex brew. Very drinkable, AWESOME brew, highly recommended.

Very good advice!

Motivated by this thread…Not so much a substitute, but a very very good potential companion, of equal tastiness…

Killed a Westvletren from 2012. It really is worth the ratings.

Then, after the treat, what to try next…

The Harviestoun Ola Dubh is really nice.

And, a local Belgian style that seems to vary a little from batch to batch. We go to the brewery to get them, so maybe they are a little more loved, but very nice…