Westvleteren Blond

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

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.

Rating #600 Bottle, dated 05.06.08, courtesy of theisti. Thanks a ton for this generous gift, Tim. Poured carefully into a trappist glass, it appears a clear light gold with a frothy white head that deposits delicate lace on the glass. The nose is bright and yeasty with fruity esters and a touch of candy sugar ending with a slightly spicy alcohol note (odd for a beer at this ABV). Light bodied with soft, tongue-tickling carbonation, it ends with a fairly dry finish. The flavor is dominated by the complex yeast strain that fronts the profile: lightly fruity, dry and spicy, it’s a bit like a light-bodied saison. A well made and tasty brew. Thanks again, Tim!

Thanks Jason. The beer pours to a flat golden straw body with tons of super tiny particulate with a lively white head. The aroma is candied pineapples and simple pale malts mixed with interesting Belgian yeasts. The flavors include bitter hops, Belgian yeasts, and pineapples. Medium velvety texture. 8, 3, 7, 4, 14 = 3.6
Apparently I tried this twice. I think this bottle was many years old. Pours to a blonde body with a very thin white head. The aroma is sweetly caramelized and has that typical Westy yeast. The flavor has a significant kettle caramelization. There’s a lot of subtleties going on. Deep caramel. Nice light yeast. The palate is crisp and is medium light bodied.

Cloudy sample from a bottle shared by Jason. Sugary pineapple cake in the aroma. The flavor is a more intense version of the aroma - bitter green hops and esters make up the pineapple aspect with a very clean pale malt base. Good stuff.

Drank at the Gollem in Amsterdam. Pours a cloudy bright orange color that leaves a small off-white head. Lacing is minimial. Aroma is a light sweetness with some spicy yeast notes. Flavor is "fresh" tasting, like springtime, whatever that means. Very good bitter bite on the swallow. Nice sweetness with a excellent yeast notes. Body is medium and lively in the mouth.