St. Bernardus Abt 12

St. Bernardus Abt 12 is a classic Belgian Abbey beer, brewed by the Brouwerij St. Bernardus. The brand's origin is deeply intertwined with the history of Trappist brewing; following World War II, the monks of St. Sixtus at Westvleteren granted a license to the St. Bernardus brewery to brew their beers for commercial sale. Originally, these beers were brewed under the guidance of the Westvleteren brewmaster, using the same yeast strain and recipes.

The brand was founded in Watou, Belgium, by Evarist Deconinck. While the licensing agreement with Westvleteren ended in 1992, St. Bernardus continued to brew their beers under their own brand name using the original recipes and proprietary yeast. To this day, the brewery remains an independent entity, maintaining its production in the village of Watou in the West Flanders region of Belgium.

St. Bernardus is widely considered one of the finest examples of a Belgian Quadruple or Abt style. It remains under the ownership of the Deconinck family, specifically the NV Brouwerij St. Bernardus, keeping it a quintessential family-owned Belgian craft brewery. The beer is characterized by its high alcohol content, dark color, and complex flavor profile of dark fruits and spices.