Vleteren 12 Port Barrel Aged

by Deca Services

Before you go getting too excited, this isn’t the famous Westvleteren 12 beer from the monks at St Sixtus, but it is still a very delicious beer.

Deca Services is a small production brewery in the Belgian town of Woesten Vleteren in the province of West Flanders.  Now managed by the 5th generation of the Christiaens family, this welcoming brewery and tasting room produce a small range of beers for themselves, as well as making beers for other breweries under contract or renting our excess brewing space to others.

The Vleteren 12 Bruin is a rich and flavoursome Belgian quadrupel, made from four different malts, two types of hops and a little honey.   The beer is then aged for 12 months in oak barrels, with this version having a little port added to the barrels.

It results in a rich dark beer full of dark fruit notes, chocolate, brown sugar and a hint of woodiness.  This all follows through in the flavour with a rich caramel malt body and the fruity sweetness of raisins and plums.  The barrel aging adds an extra few layers of complexity giving the beer an aged flavour (like an Old Ale) and the addition of the port having been restrained well so that you just have hints of the port wine on the edges.

It doesn’t finish too sweet, with the hops providing a subtle spiciness that adds to the gentle alcohol warmth in the long and satisfying finish.  You really won’t believe you are drinking a 12% beer as everything comes together so well.

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