Westvleteren Extra 8

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

Poured dark brown with a huge off white bubbly head. I had to wait a couple minutes for this to go down so I could pour the rest. Aroma of fruit, cinnamon, and a tad bit of hops. Beautiful smell. Very complex flavors of fruits, spice, hops, and candy all equally balanced with a crisp and refreshing feel. Thanks Matt Reusch for suppling me with yet another winner!

The Westvleteren Extra 8 (Blue Cap) is an outstanding beer and well worth the effort to locate. The aroma and flavor is truly incredible, hints of currants and christmas pudding.

330ml bottle. Shared Matty’s - cheers - you’re a saint! Coffee brown, tight thin self-supporting head light beige head. Sweet dark dense malty aroma, apple in this one too (just had the 6/blonde), but differently so. Taste is pleasantly aromatic, a little alcoholic, and therefore winey. Apple and pear flavours, and other esters are carried up the nose by the alcohol and initially fight to dominate. However, a gentle but potent roasted malty body stays in the mouth, some hints of cocoa. The hoppy component is of the sticky dense and almost woody type. Another high-quality brew, which was extremely tasty, but alas I wanted a little more in most directions - it was just a bit too subtle for me.

Bottle shared with Fatphil and Anna- Brown in appearance with a tight tan head. Apples and mild spices can be detected in the aroma along with some caramel and plain chocolate. Taste is initially quite tangy and sweet on the tongue but soon a fruity taste becomes more evident with plain chocolate and spices also there. Very nicely balanced.

Flaske. Langt mere tilbagetrukket end jeg havde forventet, men med lidt tålmodighed åbner øllen sig op og giver en lækker fornemmelse og smag af karamel. Heldigvis har jeg min kone til at fange de finere noter i øl da jeg bestemt ikke er god til det. Men sjovt at have prøvet.

Garrafa, em Amsterdam (HOL) e em Genebra (SUI), em novembro de 2007. Coloração escura, avermelhada, com creme bege não volumoso, mas que deixa uma fina camada perene. Álcool presente, mas suave, bem balanceado. Idem quanto ao amargor. Complexa, encorpada, mas suave. Equilibrada. Carbonatação média/alta. Notas levemente frutadas, suavemente doces. Possivelmente frutas vermelhas.

’98 vintagePours a nice mahogany tone with slight head. Nose is sweet, like cherry cobbler, and a bit medecine like. Flavor is very unique, with the sweetness carrying through. Clean finish. Not sure I like it, but I will definitely try to find a newer vintage to see the difference. Leaving room for a re rate.

Bottle from who knows who. The first time I had this, I was swilling it on the streets of Antwerp straight from the bottle. A very different beer, I must say. It was also room temp. Which the bottle I’m drinking now should probably be.

Very bready, dry aroma, light cloves and pepper. Extra dough. Taste is kind of harsh, minerally, rough on the palate. Astringent as hell. I thought it may open up as it warmed and breathed but it did not. The palate really kills an otherwise fine beer. I was really hoping to love this beer but unfortunately I do not. At all.