Spencer Trappist Ale

Spencer Trappist Ale (2014)

Brewed by the Monks of Saint Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, MA. USA.
Year Round Brew.

11.2 fl. oz. / $4.79 USD / 6.5% ABV

About: "America's First Trappist Beer.

Our recipe was inspired by the traditional refectory ales known as patersbier (“fathers’ beer” in Flemish) in Belgium. These sessionable beers are brewed by the monks for their dinner table and are typically only available at the monastery. Only Four Ingredients; All of the Highest Quality: Water: Something about the Ice Age which I'm not going to repeat. / Hops: We use a mixture of hops, all of which are grown in Washington state’s Yakima Valley. Willamette and Nugget varieties are among our favorites / Barley: A proprietary blend of 2 row and 6 row malted barley varieties carefully selected to meet physical and nutritional requirements for optimal brewing of our Trappist ale. A caramel Munich specialty malt from Wisconsin adds color and body to our ale. Yeast: The key to Spencer’s unique aroma, and the ingredient most responsible for the maturation of its “golden center”, is the family yeast variety that we propagate at the monastery. This live yeast is left in the brew - unfiltered, unpasteurized, all natural."

Thoughts: Spencer Trappist Ale poured a dark lemony yellow color with shades of amber orange and a thick stark white head full of soft snow-like froth. I hold the beer up to the light of this white preview screen and am in awe by the impressively massive amount of sediment flakes swirling in a blizzard whirlwind of rising carbonation. There's a storm inside of this brew, and it is absolutely intense! This has to be the craziest looking beer I've ever seen, without a doubt. Just when I think I've seen it all too. That head is going nowhere, fast.

The smell on this one is pleasurable. It's very bright and citrusy, with a smooth flowing Belgian yeast running throughout the entire scent that stays side by side at all times with the stunning freshness. It's very vibrant smelling, as I'm finding I don't have to even lean in at all to have it hit me. 

First sip: Well, this beer is soft as a pillow. It pretty much turns to light-as-air foam in the mouth and fizzles away during the swallow. Interesting. So, so soft.

It's got a mild peppery flavor to it, and while the yeast plays a huge part on the overall taste, it's still pretty mellow. Despite that it's quite flavorful. It doesn't taste weak or anything like that, just not too heavy on the taste buds as the smell would suggest. It's smooth and crisp, zesty and a little floral. Getting close to finishing the glass and it's starting to get a little tart due to all the yeast flakes that are rolling around my tongue. Final gulp: Like I said this one is really bright, and really soft.

The aftertaste gets pretty bland. Not bad tasting, but just a tad bit cardboard like when it's all over. Spencer is a quality ale, there's no denying that, but for $18 a 4-pack there's no way I'd go fully go in on one of these.

Trappist Westvleteren 12

Trappist Westvleteren 12 (2013)
Yearly Brew (Limited Supply).

11.2 fl. oz. / $23.63 USD / 10.2% ABV

About: "Yellow cap (Formally Abt). Ingredients: Water, Westmalle yeast, malt, local hops, sugar."

Thoughts: Westy 12 poured a dark brown color with some raspberry tones around the edges and a kahki colored head that build up quick and faded just as fast. Sediment flakes float throughout the bottom of the beer, but it's a lot harder to see here than on the Abt 12 since this beer is slightly darker.

This beer smells rich and creamy. There's a lot of plum and raisin in the forefront, it's got a rum cake vibe to it and it seems to be rather chocolaty. Dark fruits and grapes dominate before a fresh cut apple scent flows in, and then when the alcohol hits it's almost like chocolate and vanilla soft serve with berries. Very interesting. It's really sweet and indulgent smelling, with that Westmalle yeast laying low in the background. Swirling the glass, a huge aroma of Marciano cherries in a freshly opened jar floods the nose. Cool.

First gulp and an explosion of soft pepper, grain and yeast floods the mouth. It's got an immediate sting to it too. Plums and figs dance around on the tongue, while caramel spills all over the place and toasted apples heat up in the far off distance. It's almost like a cobbler, drowned in rum. Raw bready dough puffs up while a rolling thunder of booze flows by. There's a brilliant sweetness to this beer that kind of hits the tongue like spiked brass knuckles. It's weird because I can actually feel it like that. Whereas the Abt 12 hit with one huge upward spike, this one seems to pound downward with four spikes across the tongue. Then again, I'm moderately insane! The bitterness in Westy 12 is fairly strong and brings a harmonious balance to the beer. The sweetness levels rain down like blistering cold coals, but are extinguished abruptly by a smooth, warm and soothing bitterness that levels the platform. Tons of spices smothered in a gentle pepper flood the senses after every gulp, spiraling around and tickling the gum line. 

Mouth feel is soft, wavy, and in a strange way, cleansing. It slightly dries the mouth, but refreshes at the same time which is odd. Perhaps this is magic beer? Aftertaste is low droning, pleasant, and rides out slowly. After a while a minute amount of rawness is felt, like a leafy hop breeze while breathing in. Drinking the remainder of the glass while the beer has warmed and a sensation of raw figs come through, followed by grainy water. The beer finishes clean, even with these occurrences. Everything apparently has its place within this beer, and knows when to make an appropriate retreat. Nicely done.

Trappist Westvleteren Blond and 8

Trappist Westvleteren Blond (2013)

11.2 fl. oz. / $23.63 USD / 5.8% ABV

About: "Green Cap. Introduced on June 10th, 1999. Ingredients: Water, Westmalle yeast, malt, 3 varieties of hops, sugar."

Thoughts: Blond poured a color true to its name, a deep yellow blond that is completely hazy and full of speckled sediment throughout. Bundles of grain gather and bunch up in areas of the beer. The short, soft white head is luminescent and slightly frothed. 

This beer smells incredible. It's got this really soothing nose to it, a beautiful yeast characteristic and smells like heather flowers. It's a very floral brew with a lot of bright citrus fruit up front, which is reminiscent of papaya. It's slightly lemony, with grains of paradise and toasted sesame seeds coming through, and after a short while becomes extremely herbal.

Well, here it goes, my first sip of a Westvleteren. There's a deeply rooted bitterness that the scent didn't let on to at all, and while it isn't overall that intense, it stated out thick and heavy. The heart of this beer is obviously the yeast, which just resonates through the body and is incorporated into every aspect of it. It's really spicy and peppery, very up front and ridiculously dominating. The subtle yet jubilant sweetness that manages to pull through and actually shine beyond the thick cloud of spice and firm bitterness is not only very welcome but also a bit surprising and peculiar, as it does so every so slowly. Blonde is a beer that strikes fast and hard, then settles quickly and what you're left with is a long, lingering aftertaste of rose petals, soft sourdough bread, unripe pear, dry hay and black pepper.

The mouth feel on the Blond is thicker than would be expected, especially if one has becomes accustomed to a beer that looks like this to feel like water. This beer is heavy, and you'll be required to chew through some of it. This Blond is pretty raw and deceiving looking, but if you find the will to enjoy it, it is something delightfully unimaginable.

Trappist Westvleteren 8 (2013)
11.2 fl. oz. / $23.63 USD / 8% ABV

About: "Blue cap (formerly Extra). Ingredients: Water, Westmalle yeast, malt, local hops, sugar."

Thoughts: Westy 8 poured a muddy brown color with some cranberry tones around the edges of the glass. The multi-colored beige and brown head from where I poured left a design resembling a mysterious planet. Carbonation seems a bit low, and there's no way of seeing through this dark liquid matter.

This beer smells like liquid candy. It's like soft baked apple pie drizzled in caramel, grapes, figs, plums, brown sugar, and cherries. The alcohol seems to be laying low, as well as the Belgian yeast. It's not an overly assertive scent, so you've got to experience it when you pop the top, pour and later while swirling as it does disappear after leaning in for a while. Overall it's a very fruity and somewhat sweet smelling beer.

The taste starts off as if it's going to come across a lot stronger than it is, with some heavy fumes upon the first gulp and a little sting as well. The fumes hit just above the middle mark and then slowly fall back before getting too strong. The taste of this one is a lot less sweet than I had expected, not that its overly bitter or anything, but the bitterness definitely outweighs the sweet here. It's got a clean profile to it, despite being so peppery, grainy and lasting so long after being swallowed. Flavors consist of semi-sour dark fruits, burnt candi sugar, a touch of hazy booze, mild yeast and a long drawn out graininess.

Mouth feel on this one is a bit hard to figure out. It starts out thick and boisterous, but fades so quickly at the swallow that it goes from a solid medium to light feeling rather fast. It is soft and velvety however. The booze starts to come out a bit more as the beer warms, and the bitterness fades a bit giving way to a nearly perfect balance. I think that I prefer their Blond to this, but his is a mighty fine Dubbel.