Westvleteren Blond

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

Sampled at In de Vrede. This was the first of the three Westies in front of me and needless to say, expectations were sky high. Colour is hazy gold. Nose is promising, with yeasts, malt, spice and hop..very complex. Taste is pure bliss and if by some horrible and unforeseen accident I would have spilled the remaining two Westies before me, I’d still been a very happy man.

Smoke-tented blonde; light, almost imperceptible scent of malt--perfect effervescence. There must be a German influence here, because it tastes like a mild hefeweizen, with no bite, with a slight lemony flavor. Overall, I’d say it’s almost too smooth, rendering it characterless in flavor yet brilliant in blandness (if that makes sense).

Finishing the holy trinity. Poured a hazy golden body with a fairly large head, good but not great lacing. Aroma is spicy, peppery with notes of their sugar and yeast. Some bitterness. Flavor is a little more pronounced, but still had a watery finish near the end. It was like a bad RR Damnation to me. Not impressed.

Bottle: 3 for 3! Cloudy orange gold pour, with a big white rocky head. Some Sediment, and some nice lacing. Aroma, had some spice, yeast, and some light floral hops. Flavor was a little bready, with some spice in there, and a light crisp hoppiness. I hate that I paid as much as I did for this, but at least I got to try it.

Double thanks here to kp for breaking it out and one to Beercellar2 for making me try it. A hazy golden pour that reeks of fruit and yeast. A flavor of light fruit and much yeast. Much lighter carbonation than I expected. A beer I never thought I would see much less try. Thanks guys.

Poured a hazy pale yellow color with a medium but quickly dissolving white head. The aroma was fruity and suggary with notes of apples. The flavor was yeasty, sweet and floral. Lively mouthfeel.

Bottle. Poured into my new Westy glass. Cloudy golden/straw color. Thick bubbly head. Very yeasty aroma, with a dash of spices (coriander?). Good bit of yeastiness in flavor, along with some mustiness, spices and a little hoppy bitternmess. Decent mouthfeel. Overall, I was somewhat under-whelmed. Perhaps I am not a blond fan or perhaps it was the hype.

Bottle into Westy glass, Heeren van Liedekerke. Golden yellow and almost clear in the glass, visibly effervescent, with a creamy small bubbled head that’s thick and clings to the side. Duvelish smell, yeasty, with banana and light fluffy bread. The smell also has a strong strain of herbs and spices (ginger, coriander). Light and lilting on the tongue, some watermelon and malt ride the refreshing body. Only after the swallow does this get serious, with noble hops at great strong level drying out the finish (and some black pepper too). Thick wall of lace everywhere, with a bit of the 3D effect I saw in the J & J Blauw. Soft carbonation dominates the mouthfeel, filling the mouth with soft foam that tickles the tongue and keeps the beer delicate before the nicely delicate and dry finish. Racing is quick and belies the effervescent upward tension in the beer. Although the flavor doesn’t dominate the experience (which is usually my preference), this was obviously crafted with a look toward the feel and the softness; in that regard, it is incredibly well done.