Westvleteren Blond

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

33cl. bottle. Bottle cap is 05 08 09 I believe, very hard to read. That would make this about 11 months old. Pour is a hazy straw yellow with a fair amount of carbonation. There is a nice full, white head. Aroma is sour yeast and earthiness. Taste is very smooth, with some nice wheaty-grassy-earthiness and and a tangy sweetness (not that it tastes like Tang, more that it has a tang that is sweet). There is pretty much none of the sourness from the original aroma. The body is medium with a very clean citrus aftertaste. There was more complexity in this than I was expecting. This would be a great everyday beer if it was more available. Is it worth dropping $ on www. .com? For me, it certainly was. Is it worth dropping $ on www. .com again? Not sure. I will say 10 minutes after finishing this I wanted another one. There is something delicious about this beer that just hangs in your mind. A year later, and I am still thinking about this beer. The answer is YES, worth dropping $ again.

Bottle from the_epeeist. I don’t know if this wasn’t cellared well or what. Cap is dated for 10/07, so I guess this is about one year old. Beautiful pour, super cloudy off-yellow with a lovely foam cap. Aroma is grainy, husky, slight dough. Kind of herbal flavor, husky wheat, perhaps a touch of barnyardy brett/hay. The slightest hint of fruit in the finish. Harsh. Simply not that enjoyable. This bottle must be no good, considering how every other review mentions fruit and I got almost none. I’ll be in Belgium in a few months, so I’ll give it another shot there.

In de Vrede, Westvleteren, Belgium. Wonderful Blonde, fruity in the accurate, much damson plum, crystallized fruits, floral point soft and cooling.............................In de Vrede, Westvleteren, Belgium. Blonde maravilhosa, frutada no ponto exato, muito damasco, frutas cristalizadas, floral suave e refrescante.

The Dan Journal #91. Tasted 6/25/2007. 330ml bottle. Slightly bubbling golden honey hue. Finger width of off-white head. Wheaty citrus honey aromas. Medium bodied with smooth wheats, sharp citrus and tart fruits. Vanilla start and a honey finish. This is a huge medium bodied style. Slightly granular. Another wonderful offering!

[Shared with Troels and Godfather.] Hazy light golden look with a great aroma of yeast and fruits. Flavor is fresh, dry, bitter, woody and strawy and soft in a sharp way. Nice!

Courtesy shrubber85. Pours a very cloudy light orange color, with a small bubbly white head. Very fruity aroma. Nice pineapple, candy sugar, yeast, and grapefruit smells. The taste has a little bitter grapefruit to it, that was pleasant and unexpected. Definitely has a profound yeast presence. Nice drinking blonde, full flavored. Solid, but you’d expect it coming from these guys.

Courtesy mgumby10, thanks!!!! Color is a murky, cloudy yellow. Aroma is the fruitiest non-fruit beer aroma I have ever come across. Redolent of fresh pressed cider, with some stonefruit and tropical undertones. Flavor is slightly biiter with a bit of that fruity aroma coming through. Very good.

Bottle @ In De Vrede, along with a cheese plate and some Croque Monsieur. This was the last Westvleteren I tasted, and while it is the worst of their ales it is my favorite Belgian blonde ale. Appearance is a perfect golden-orange color. Aroma is slightly citrus with spicy notes thrown in. The mouthfeel is smooth and subtly complex, with the citrus notes coming out to shine at the end of the beer. Another good job by the monks.