Westvleteren Extra 8

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

Tous simplement delicieuse Riche et complexe a la fois. Difficile de s en procurer. Mais c est une de mes prefere.

The few, the proud, the drinkers of a whole bottle of W8! Thanks Poperinge! POP and the beer rushes to the top. A thick souffle head on rich dark coppery amber. Start of the scent is sour fruit malt followed by cookies bread and oatmeal. Very drinkable. Through the mouth and in the aftertaste wave after wave of flavour rolls across the palate. Chocolate, oatmeal and bread. Big mouth feel. Light chocolate wafers. Fair amount of dry sugary sweetness. Bottom third of the bottle is a little hoppier with a medicinal mouth drying quality. Last couple of sips are a bit dirty and muddy like chocolate brownie or cookie crumbs in your milk.

Bottle, which was a gift from my wife. Pours dark brown with a large off-white head that lasted until the end of the glass and left very nice lace throughout. Surprisingly light aroma of caramel and yeast. More flavorful than the aroma suggests with caramel, figs, dates, and yeast. There is some warming alcohol towards the finish, which grows as the beer comes to temperature. Very effervescent, especially early on. This is a very solid beer, however, I was frankly a little disappointed and do not see this as a top 50 beer.

Bottle thanks to DocHop. Drink by 8/27/11. Pours brown with a thick off-white head. Roasty, bready aroma, with a touch of wood, cherry, and apricot. Flavor is very malty with a hint of dried fruits, wine, and wood. Very nice body and complexity. The alcohol is slightly too high, I think this could use some age. I can see why this is so popular, though.

Pours an almost black caramel with a tall, frothy beige head. Strong aroma of bread, nuts, caramel, and oak. Flavor is elegantly smooth. The lightly sweet caramel malts and nuts at first with a hint of alcohol in the body and a predominantly oaky, slightly dry finish with a slight hop bitterness. The Belgian yeast blends beautifully in a very well balanced beer.

A younger brother of the 12, it’s every bit as complex and wonderful. Plus, you don’t have to sit quite as close to the floor.

330 cl. bottle on 11/2/2008, shared with Buffalohead. Pured out a dark, lightly hazy brown with a creamy large tan head that seemed to last forever, and left a thick, ropy lace. Complex aroma of dates, figs, brown sugar, bread, and sherry. Medium to full body, lively effervescence that helps clean the palate, and a rich and creamy mouthfeel. Starts off with a sweet fruitiness and a solid malty character, some vinous flavors add to the complexity, and a soft bitterness balances well. Wonderfully smooth and complex.

My favorite beer of all. Smooth, rich, with a lot of complexity. The taste of figs and toffee were predominate to me. The beer is dark copper-brown color. The head retention is good with a light tan color. Worth the trouble of getting hold of a few bottles. I traded for mine.