Westvleteren Blond

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

From a 330mL Bottle. Obtained in a trade with afatty 9/30/07. Pours a hazy dandelion gold color with a thick, two finger froth of tight buttled, white head. Lightly sweet, bready malt aromas waft from the glass softly, with touches of vanilla nougat, teething biscuit, clean bread yeast, and a wonderful kiss of herbal hops. Nothing over the top, but all the dimensions are perfectly balanced. Light bodied, mildly carbonated mouthfeel with a soft, supple texture. This manages to maintain a soft velvety texture while keeping the body light. The carbonation level helps at this, holding itself at a level where the head is held high, but the bubbles don’t scrub abrasively on the palate. Clean, bready malt flavors with a gentle biscuity yeast that contributes minimal esters and no detectable phenols to my palate. Wonderfully hoppy, with a crisp floral flavor that is heavy on the flavor but light on the bitterness. This is the perfect sessionable Belgian blond ale. Thanks, Glenn!

11.2 fl oz bottle thanks to a trade with ygtbsm. Pours a clear gold yellow with a medium white head. Nose is yeasty and spicy with citrus and grains dominating. Similar flavors. Spritzy carbonation. Lemony light malts touch of grain. Slight yeast spice. Finishes dry. It doesn’t live up to its big brother, but decent.

Hazy golden colored brew. Yeasty and a bit fruity, citric, lemon. Grassy hoppy flavor. Nice one.

(Re-rate, 21/04/08- previously 3.6) Nose of lime juice freshness, sherbet, barnyard, pigshit. Stings with hop pellet bitterness. Herbal grassy hop as in an unfiltered helles. Lime-like citrussy dryness, wild yeast, manure, wheat and lingering biscuit. Silky to the point of stillness, but not quite. GRASS. How did I miss that before? Not as a hop metaphor, but a real tangible mouthful, with roots and little clods of soil still attached. Clean but filthy dirty. This beer has more barnyard, yeasty edge and hop spike to it than Orval these days, and bottle by bottle has become a favourite of mine. Spiky, zesty, agricultural XX shandy. (old rate- what was I on???)....Tasted this with heavy flu at In De Vrede, and was convinced it was bound for my top 5 it seemed so aromatically hoppy, and was the only one of the Holy Trinity I could really taste. On second impression, back home and with my tasting faculties 100% restored, it seems a whole lot more restrained and, well....ordinary. Pours pale hazy gold with a pillowy white head. Aromas lemony, citric and grassy and leaning into witbier territory. There are also some nutty/vegetable/wheaty notes wafting about, not completely unlike an really adjuncty lager. Just a sniff of something dry, biting and herbal that sets it apart. But blindfolded, I might have mistook it for an unspicy wit brewed with a high proportion of unmalted barley. It’s that lemony. Flavour bites with English golden ale citrussy/grassy hops and background biscuity malts. Soap and citrus to the fore. Needs plumping up a bit as it leaves a bit of a watery impression on the palate. Dry, hoppily bitter, pleasantly lemony Trappist sessions. But it can’t touch Orval.

Bottled 330 ml. hazed golden color. BlondeBest blonde Trappist. Hops, bitter. Wow ! Bit yeasty. Nice.

33 cl bottle. Just hazed gold with a frothy white head. Nose is yeasty, creamy lemon and some faint floral. Medium carb, body medium light. Taste is simple yeasty honey caramel with a nice bitter bite. Nothing spectacular but i could easily drink this every day.

The flavor is initial sweet like other Westvleteren, but it has long bitter finish. It has a medium body and a good mouthfeel. The aroma is fruity and hoppy, dominated by raw vegetables and grass.

Bottle. A littly cloudy yellow colour with mostly lasting creamy white head. Flowers, fruit esters and hops in the aroma. Flavor is slightly sweet but is soon corrected by hops and acids. A bit astrigent on the palate. Average finish with fruits and green spices. Well made blond/belgian ale.