De Struise St. Amatus 12 (Beer Review)
10.5% ABV. Quadrupel from De Struise Browers in Oostvleteren, Belgium. Acquired through purchase. Saint Amatus, also called St. Aimé, was a Benedictine monk. After being the abbot of the Agaune monastery in Switzerland, he became bishop of the Sens (or Sion) diocese in Valis. He took the defense of the lesser man who was exploited by the Merovingian King Thierry III. He fell into disgrace and was sent into exile to Belgium. Sint Amatus died in Merville (France) on September 13th 690. In Belgium, Oostvleteren is the only parish to patron St Amatus as saint. Struise started brewing at Deca in Vleteren early 2006, Struise ankered themselves by starting the development of their own microbrewery in Oostvleteren during 2009. With this adventure being on the rails, they thought the making of Saint Amatus 12 was as evident as can be. I was eager to try this out as this was my second beer from De Struise which I really enjoyed the Old Fisherman’s Ale very much. Poured from a .33ml 2010 Vintage Bottle into a heavy chalice glass. Pours hazy amber with a nice medium thin off white head that left lacing throughout my drinking session. Aroma of toasted malt, Belgian yeast notes, light roasted malt, caramel and brown sugar. Flavor of caramel, dark fruits spicy Belgian yeast character, toffee and nuts. Alcohol well hidden. Medium to full body, slightly foamy carbonation, warming palate. It is a nice complex beer and has tremendous aging potential. I look forward to cellaring my extras for a couple more years and do another review then. Beeradvocate: A (Ranked #8 as Top Buzz Beers in the world); Ratebeer: 98pts; theBeerAuthority: B+ (perhaps this will improve over time).
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