Westvleteren Extra 8

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

Thanks to Marisa for sharing this one after my incessant begging for a full year... The 12 is a bit better, but my god you can’t go wrong with this one. Diminishing the 8 at the expense of the 12 is like speaking poorly about your Ferrari because your Lamborgini is better. The 8 is an exceptional beer in its own right. Gorgeous chocolate brown pour with a thick foamy tan head which lasts a long time and leaves beautiful lacing on the glass. Aroma and flavors are perfectly consistent and incredibly complementary of each other - candied sugar and dried fruits (plum, raisin, date...). Absolutely exquisite. Grab a bottle if and when you have a chance. Truly a gem of a beer.

33cl. best bf 22:10:2010 aroma: dark fruits, in a very delicate and well balanced way. no aged beer flavor. great. unclear dark brown, light brown head. flavor is out-of-this-world-fantastic. i had to stop myself otherwise i’d have downed the entire beer in half a minute. taste and aftertaste is sweet, dark fruits, faint spices, super well balanced. better than the top ranked westwl. 12 if you ask me. first ever 10/10 flavor rating from me. palate is very good, a little bit thick and oily, matches taste perfectly. this will be standard equipment in my special-occations beerceller. what a brew. thanks ølbutikken for selling it.

I still can’t believe that I am drinking this beer. Pours beautifully with a half inch of dense foam. Deep dark color not black though. I love that this beer is not too fruity in aroma, it is more of rich carmelized raisin. Wonderfully dry and digestible just the way I had always imagined. Personally, I think that I prefer the 8 to the 12. This beer is amazing. I will have to get more. NOW!

33cl, exclusive brewery, from the brewery, very complex, balanced, cloudy, good head, very good brew, top class!, more balanced than the 12

330 ml bottle from a trade with jjpm74. pours beatiful dark brown with a lovely tan head. perfect belgian ale appearance. the aroma is of a perfect aged dark begian ale. dark fruit, carmalized dark sugars, trappist yeast that is so different then what i would normally describe as belgian yeast, a touch of spice in the background. my mouth literally water everytime a take breath of this. flavours are beatifully crafted and complex. dark belgian ale at its finest with all of the above evident in every sip. i really dont want this one to be over. amazing stuff. thanks john!

Thanks to Tony at Oldsmar Tap House for the Westy 8, 12 side-by-side: Insofar as the side by side goes, I actually preferred the Westy 8 to the 12. It had less of an alcohol presence and I felt that the spices were richer in the 8 due to this. Aroma is dark plum, cinnamon, candi sugar, sweet malts. Flavor is rich and balanced, with tinge of rum-soaked raisins, molasses, spices, and a captivating sweet maltiness. An amazing beer to savor.

Reiew #200. Bottle courtesy of deepsouth. Pours dark, dark cola brown with a big off-white head that shows very good retention and excellent lacing. Aroma is very sweet initially with candi sugar and a healthy dose of Belgian yeast in the nose as well. Dark fruits are also prevalent with a hint of spices on top. Taste is a more complex version of the nose. The sweetness is toned down just slightly with caramel and toffee playing a huge role on top of the dark fruits. Molasses sweetness is there in the background. Mouthfeel is truly exceptional - the perfect balance of medium to full body and high carbonation. The tastes just dance all over the tongue. This is one of the better examples of a Dubbel I’ve ever had and the drinkability is off the charts.

Near black with a medium sustained foamy head. Roasted aroma, particularly coffee, spice and dark fruit. Coffee flavour also, estery, plums and raisins, a lot of alcohol on the finish. Full bodied. A very distinctive beer, big and flavoursome while still complex and refined.