Westvleteren Blond

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

Bottle. Pours a hazy gold, big white head. Aroma is grassy with a touch of fruit in the background. Flavor is malt, spice and grass. A little sharp on the finish.

Very pale blond lively body, topped by a modest head of foam. Barnyard apple/hay aroma which I maybe wasn’t expecting. Spicy saaz-like hops, completely dry and slightly yeasty. In fact, much like a very high quality pilsner. Fantastically drinkable beer whose beauty lies in its simplicity and austere European hops. Totally dug this.

0.33 l bottle. Golden color with good lasting head. Fruity, orangey, slightly peppery and clovey aroma with notes of herbal hops. Crisp, dry and refreshing flavor with tart fruit, grapefruit, herbal hops and pepper. Firm bitter finish. Very complex for its strength.

Bottle, cap marked 12.08.05. I think I got this from Belgianshop a few years ago. Poured yellow-golden, with an initially huge, frothy, white head, that declined to a moderate sized cap. Aroma is primarily sweet, with malt and an almost honey-like character, along with some yeast and spice. Mild hop bitterness throughout palate, with some spice and tropical fruit. More complex than it gets credit for.

Bottle from fone fan in December 2007. Opened at PP bottle shop for Brad and Sean. I wasn’t expecting much from this beer, since it was shipped for a long distance, probably encountering some heat along the way. I imagined lighter beers don’t like this. I was pleasantly surprized. Yellow color. Maybe a hint cloudy. Triple aroma, reminds me some of the new LA Carnevale. Is that corriander or just the yeast giving it that characteristic Belgian aroma. Mellow bitterness. Super easy to drink. Yum! 8,3,8,4,18:4.1 Rerate: Tried at PP bottle shop. Did a side-by-side of Rochefort 6 and Westy 6. I like Rochefort 6 better this time, but my memory of Westy 6 is better. Light amber color. Fruitier than Westy 6. Malty. Some caramelization. Nice. 7,3,8,4,17:3.9

Woo hoo rating 100. Lucky enough to score one at the Manchester winter ales festival thanks to Winn. Got that unmistakeable westy yeasty typey tastey. Great stuff, if it wasn’t so hard to get hold of I’d love to drink this regularly. So good it can replace food till you fall over. Then you better eat.

330 ml bottle from a trade with Papsoe. Pours a hazy, yellowish gold with a thin white head, which lingered to produce good lacing. Smell is yeast and some lemon with hint of alcohol. Taste is very much the yeast and lemon that the nose picked up. Mouthfeel is medium and tangy with carbonation and a dry aftertaste.

Bottle, Cambrinus, Brugge. Cloudy blonde, thin off-white head. Fruity lemony, smooth but robust, hazy hops. Really hoppy, but smooth and a bit quenching. Some dark fruit, raspberry, but fresh grass and lemon dominates. Clean and smooth on palate. Lingering bitterness. Lots of grapefruit. Very good.