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I read in a blog post a few months ago that Westvleteren 12 is considered one of the, if not the, best example of a Trappist. I had one shortly after and it was a very, very good beer, although I don't know if it was so different from other similar versions (i.e. Rochefort 10) that I'd feel comfortable calling it 'the best'.
That said, I wonder if there's any particular Trappist that's normally considered the best of the style?
"Trappist" isn't so much a style as it is a commercial label. Something like "Organic" or "Kosher" that comes with a set of regulated conditions that product was produced under.
Per wikipedia, to be able to be labelled a Trappist beer:
A lot of those monasteries also make lighter or hoppy beers. Engelszell even uses honey in their beers, so there's a pretty significant variety when it comes to what you can call "Trappist".
But if we're talking the classic dark Belgian-y abbey ale. According to the Beer Advocate ratings, the top Trappist-produced beers are:
Through user rankings. The Brothers that run the site give Rochefort 8 a higher rank than 10, which I agree with, and give both Rochefort's a higher rating than Westy 12.
So I guess the answer is that somewhere between Westvleteren 12, the Rochefort 8 and 10, and Chimay is the best Trappist beer. But even in the top 5 here there's some variation since Chimay and Achel are blondes, and Rochefort 8 is a fair lower ABV than the other 3.
With the styles being so wide, the real answer is probably whichever one you like drinking the most.
Though really, Rochefort 8 forever.
Here in Belgium where the majority of 'true' (certificated "Authentic Trappist Product") Trappist breweries are located (6 out of 11), the common answer is the almost mythical Westvleteren 12. It is notoriously hard to acquire. One has to register by phone to get a date and hour. You can only reserve 2 crates (42 euros each) and this at most once every 60 days per phone number and car. I drank it once and it was very very good. I however like blonde beers more and prefer Orval, which has the additional benefit of actually being readily available.
As said, Trappist isn't a style but something like a certificate of origin and, let's say, quality standards. That put aside, it can be anything. Belgians themselves don't give a damn about style definitions actually. They only follow their traditions (from the region where they live, their monastery, their community, whatever).
So, you are going to find beers varying from very shinning blonde to dark/ruby and thick ones that almost resembles a wine, which is the case of Westvleteren 12, that one being the myth it is because it is not sold (at least officially) outside the monastery, and one is supposed to schedule and go pick it up personally with an amount limit, and everything. Off course, although I'm sure it is a really good beer (I've never had it), all that difficulty to get it undeniably contributes to its fame.
I find Rochefort 10 (a belgian dark strong ale as Westvleteren 12) one of (if not the) best, certainly my very favorite on the list, but on the other end of the flavor range, Achel 10 (a strong golden ale) is my favorite blonde/pale trappist as well.
La Trappe, which is the biggest trappist brewery, has at least twice the labels other breweries have, and is widely available on market, still has very good beers.
So, the short answer is: trappist is not a style, and there's no such thing as the best one. It all depends on what you like, so, taste all them. Even nowadays, with some new-age trappist beers popping up, there aren't still so many out there, so tasting all trappist beers is pretty feasible in short time (except for Westvleteren, off course).
The Westvleteren 12 is rated best beer in the world according ratebeer
