Westvleteren Blond

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

Bottle. Drank it in Brugges. How could I not give the baby brother of the other Westies a perfect score. The best I have had of this "style". If one can find it, drink it.

#300. Bottle from Bier Tempel Brussels. Pours murky cloudy gold - just a monster of a head. I believe the first person to use the term ’lacing’ was drinking a Westy blond. Nose is all kinds of good. Yeasty wheat, white pepper, some earth and sugar. Flavor starts with a citric lemon zest and more of the yeast and then transitions to an earthy, spicy slightly funky taste. Finish is so dry that you nearly forget you just had a swallow. Awesome. I tried to savor it, but it lasted about 5 minutes tops. Great, great stuff.

Murkey golden color, dense head with nice lacing. Lemon/citrus, nutmeg, ginger, wheat and a bitof something I can’t place. Smooth hops. Delicious.

Bottled 33cl. It pours a murky pale golden beer with a nicely lasting lacing creamy white head. The aroma is rather inviting with candy sugar, yeast, biscuity pale malt, brown sugar, a lot of spicy, faintly earthy hops, melon, tarragon and maple syrup showing up . Lovely bitterness in the taste. Great biscuity malt profile accompanied by spicy, earthy hops. Crackers, melon, tarragon and candy sugar showing up. Subtle carbonation. Medium bodied. Peppery. Slightly alcoholic on the swallow. Long dry finish which is reminiscent of lemon peel and tarragon. A trappist beer with plenty of charater. Surprisingly bitter.

[330ml bottle that Lee bought back from Belgium - cheers!] Bit of a special one for my 500th rating! Pours gold with a large, lasting white head. Looks very fizzy. Smells of wheat, with plenty of citrus and a bit of white pepper. On tasting, the fizziness turns out not to be as aggressive as it looks, but is instead a lovely mouth-coating tingle - similar to Orval, but not quite as good. Flavourwise, lemon dominates, with wheat and spice in the background. It’s remarkably easy to drink, and I found myself knocking it back in next-to-no time and wanting another. It’s strong for a session beer, but it certainly feels like something I’d like to session! So, potentially it could have been the world’s greatest session beer; however, for me a hint of sourness in the finish stopped it short of true geatness.

[bottle--thanks, fonefan!] Sweet, estery aroma with pomegranate, lemon, and faint pine accents. Hazy, dull gold under a dense, lasting, white foam. Sweet, slightly sugary malt that well balanced by a delicate, dry bitterness. Some dried fruit notes together with a spicy estery finish. Light to medium body, moderate carbonation, bitterness hangs on a bit in the finish.

Thanks a ton to 17thfloor for sharing this one! Pours a deep hazy soft orange with a billowy white head, Aroma is big plumy, A definite lemon bread character that is soft on the nose but still rich and delightful. A bit of a cheesiness rounds out the balance. Flavor starts with a sharp lemon and hoppy bite before becoming a dry zesty lemon peel tongue turner. The lemon stays through the finish and adds a nice slight tartness that sits and rides in the throat along with a gorgeous yeasty that is so specific that it becomes a dominant feature rather than an accompaniment to the hops. Nice round body and a dryer character. Very tasty and rounded to a perfect balance, very refreshing.

Bottle in de Vrede. Hazy golden body with lasting white head. Aroma has little sourness and very floral hoppiness. Very clear hop aroma with pine scent. Flavor has nice hoppiness in the beginning with bitter pine taste, aftertaste is dry and clear. Very well balanced beer. Mouthfeel is full with lot of freshness. Excellent Beer in every way!