Westvleteren Blond

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

Bottle from Beermania, Brussels. Yeast coating interior bottle. Looks wicked for a blonde like that. Extremely pale straw golden blond, yet hazy, so the overall appearance is of a heady wheat beer with a big puffy white head. Smells like a wheatfield with occassional peachtrees in a big loaf of religious challah bread. Taste is tangy and more like a lemon rind than any other beer I’ve had before. As it finishes, it tastes like grass. It’s surprisingly exciting compared to its style and "statistical" evaluation next to its brothers. It is clear that very personal care went into the making of this beer and it is certainly a beer to keep other blonde beers who have lost their soul awake at night. This is no super sweet, coriander heavy beer, though both those subject will become evident upon some of your tastes of this beer, but other times it will taste rather different and always provide a pleasing complement to what you are contemlating or experiencing. It deserves a higher rating for being exemplary, top of its class.

Bottle. Creamy white excellent fully lasting head. Yellow colour. Fantastic powerfull complex aroma. Honey hints. Flavor outstanding. Very bitter long finish. Creamy palate. A really fantastic beer.

For my first passage at the eminent abbey of St. Sixtus, I settled to stop by the controversial In de Vrede, and see what the fuss is about. Sitting myself at one of the large tables, I ordered the Blond and a side of cheese. To my right a lone smoker sat with his beer, while the two noisy families on my right were enjoying a meal with theirs. I must say these are rather poor conditions for such a ceremonial event, but I took my chance anyway. Poured and slipped under my nose in an instant, the beer was topped of a beautiful white foam that slowly diminished leaving a sticky lace evenly across the surface. Below, a rather sickly looking liquid gravitated in the glass, an ochre tint that seemed somehow unappealing, perhaps due to the sooty grey table it was sitting on. As I brought the chalice to my nose, the only smell I could sense came from the miasma crowding the room. With effort, I began to detect light estery notes, bubble gum and banana especially, followed by pepper, chalk and cream. A refreshing fragrance but somewhat bland, I must concede. The strong tingling of carbonation first collides with the tongue, but subsequently reveals a spicy flavor of pepper and coriander mixed with mango and wheat. Again, a lack of depth surprises me, as the finishing bitterness of Belgian hops strikes my palate. I consciously make an effort to perceive the subtleties, but can’t, and end my glass in a quaff. This one deserves another chance.

Thanks to egajdzis for this ’04 vintage... Appears a light yellow with a small white head that fades into a mild cap and thin collar. Streaks of lacing are left around the glass. Smell is of light fruit, mild yeast, white bread, light caramel malt with some pilsner-esque aromas, along with an tiny herbal spiceyness. Taste is of the above mentioned aromas...perhaps a slight drop from the anticipated flavor not quite living up to the smell. Mouthfeel is crisp, dry, with a very subdued sugar taste in the swallow.

Bottle at DØE get-together. Light pilsner-yellow color. Hoppy smell, a sweet, hoppy, pebery taste. Not that interesting. Maybe i am no blond-fan.

Nr. 2 i rækken er denne. Vi er uden i noget som absolut ikke smager mig. Kedelig sprøjt. Sød og gæret, tisgul i farven. Jeg har lovet Rene at give det en chance, men der er dog grænser. Men den gode stemning breder sig om bordet.......

Delerium Care, Brussels, May 2006. Cloudy faint yellow colored body with a thick foamy laced head. First taste is sour celery and brash malts, then more of a soapy, wit-coriander floral flavors, finishing with a simple grainy plain flavor with a pasty texture and a lactic yeast aftertaste. Not impressive really, undoubtedly overpriced at €7, but I had to try this one.

Really smooth, with light flavors of spice, fruit and a very slight medicine taste. As it warmed more citrus flavor was noticed. Very good and refreshing. Too bad this is so hard to get.