Westvleteren Blond

Brewed by Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus
Style: Belgian Ale
Westvleteren, Belgium

33cl bottle thanks to bontus, good blond beer hoppy smooth character, good balance between bitterness

Bottled clear, paler golden with a short-lived cap of white head. The aroma was nice and spicy with a significant yeasty character (some banana and drier clovey notes).. toffee and bready notes behind.. caramel right at the back. Quite nice caramelization in the flavor department with semi-sweet bready notes rolling over the edges.. the yeast character rounded it out well with a dry impression on the edges. Medium-bodied and dry on the palate with great balance between the soft malts and delicate yeast. Excellent stuff!

Best By Date February 2009, Bottled February of 2006; Sampled November 2008
I didn’t even have a slight chance of getting a clear pour. The full bottle looked quite clear when held up to the light, but as soon as I popped the cap the yeast started to get mixed in to the beer, it even foamed up a bit. The beer, as it sits in my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip, has a fat two-finger thick, light cream / off-white colored head. The head is fairly dense and takes quite some time to subside, it forms a varied surface as it does and also leaves some fat lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a muddy, murky, really down-right ugly, pale tan / amber color, that shows a deeply hazed (can’t see through it), more orangish color when held up to the light. The aroma is quite nice though, vibrant fermentation character, a touch of hops and a solid pale malt / grain character comes through quite nicely in the nose. Aromatic notes of hay, lemon grass, Meyer lemon zest, a light green-herbal note, distinct star-fruit, a hint of ripe melon, pear, spicy clove, white pepper, a hint of ginger, whole wheat dough, sweet wheat, a touch of honey-like malt, soda crackers, . The nose is quite vibrant and has me quite pleased to taste the beer.

The beer has a peppery note to it that is a combination of the suspended yeast, the carbonation and the fermentation character. Soft and doughy feeling up front (can I actually feel the yeast or am I just imagining it), the beer picks up texture from the carbonation as it rolls across the tongue. The beer finishes with a green hop bitterness and a bit of yeasty astringency. As the beer warms a bit fruity notes of honeydew, a touch of pear and perhaps some apple start to become noticeable under the more dominant hop and spicy-fermentation notes. This beer is actually fairly hoppy (despite being two and a half years old) with lots of herbal notes, a substantial bitterness throughout the flavor profile and a touch of soft lemon zest citrus character. Nice and light bodied, makes this quite easy to drink, in fact I wouldn’t mind having a couple bottles of this over an afternoon / evening; it is not thin though as it has some texture and body to it. The malt character, while more supporting, contributes nice bread-like notes, a touch of sweet whole grain, as well as a touch of toasty cracker-like flavors.

The aroma of this beer is quite fantastic, but it needs to really be warmed up for the flavor to start to open up (It started out at 50°F / 10°C so wasn’t really cold even). This is still quite hoppy, and I would really like to try a fresh bottle to really get the most of the hop character.

Hazy gold, large white head of mini bubbles, ample lacing. Nose of a pilsner with lots of crisp citrus and malt, minor floral, major yeast factor. Flavor is more robust, malt and yeast dominating with a really nice finish in crispy citrus, lemon strong. Palate a little thin. Overall not what I was expecting from this abbey, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Pours a beautiful golden blond. Very bubbly with a tall, foamy white head. Amazing aroma of citrus, grapefruit, bread, and Belgian yeast. The body has an extremely smooth feel. Excellent, smooth flavors of citrus, orange peel, and Belgian yeast. Absolutely delicious.

A high quality ale that is quite tasty and smooth simultaneously. Pours a very cloudy apricot orange with no apparent head. Mostly citrus and apricot on the nose. No spiciness and there is an all-too-apparent lack of complexity here. I can’t say I’m disappointed; This would’ve been fine if it were from any other brewery or abbey, I just expected it to be a more life-changing experience, this having been my first (in a series of three) from this storied monastery. Overall, and in the grand scheme, quite good.

Dec 22, 2006 Bottle at home. Another wonderful experience. Very light and sweet. Much less dense in flavour and texture than its darker brethren. Least favourite of the 3 Westies. But, absolutely nothing to complain about.

Rating no. 800. Bottle. Hazy golden colour with large creamy white mostly lasting head. Fruity aroma with notes of lemon and yeast. Sweet fruity flavor. Oily palate.