Westvleteren Extra 8

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

Beige long lasting head. Dark brown colour. Aroma is malty, fruity with raisins and light yeasty and coriander notes. Flavor is maty too with fruity, raisins, dark fruits and light caramel and wooden tones, ending in a fruity finish. Full bodied.

POured a murky brown color with a small off white head. Aroma was very strong, figs, dried fruits, brown sugar and some alcohol. Flavor was also very complex, sweet candy sugar, some nuts, dried fruits, and a slight alcohol burn in the finish.

Bottle Pours deep brown with a tall foamy head that hassome great lacing. Has a oak and fruity (grape, pear) and light malt aroma with some sour notes. Malty, caramel, flavor with a yeasty body and fizzy sweet grapes that goes dry as it passes. Full bodied, spicy-fizzy and dries out at the end.

Appearance: Pours a murky, dark brown body with a thin, creamy, beige-colored head. Smell: Malty, fruit nose smelling of molasses blended with homemade caramel sauce, dark fruits, apple slices, and French vanilla. Taste: Rich, sweet maltiness tasting of chocolate, caramel, and molasses. Maybe a sprinkle of brown sugar and dark candi sugar, too. Splash of fruity Beaujolais. Flavors of figs and golden raisins and Red Delicious apples. Pass the Baked Alaska!! A touch bready. Slight yeastiness. Rather warming alcohol presence, particularly on the finish. Finishes sweet and resoundingly fruity with a lingering red wine taste. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation. Smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Drinkability: Rich, punchy and packed with a fruitastic estery character, although it lacks the depth of the yellow-capped twelve or the drinkability of the green-capped blonde. Still recommended, though.

Had this @ in de Vrede with a massive hangover from my trip to Bruges, so this rating needs revision someday. Deep dark brown, beige head. Aroma is a bit musty, yeast, dark fruits, brown sugar/caramel, raisins and malts. Flavour is sweet, fruity, caramel, dark chocolate, slightly bitter finish. Complex but soft and subtle.

Shared with 1_2many. Nice dark brown beer with a slight ruby hue. Smallish beige head, could be a bit larger and stick around longer. Aroma is bready with yeast and a hint of red wine / grapes. Excellent inviting aroma, but not quite as strong as I had hoped. Flavor is a wonderful mixture of grapes, raisins, sweet malt. Has a unique flavor compared to other Belgian ales. Palate is awesome...damn near perfect carbonation. Proof that a beer doesn’t have to be big and overpowering to be world class. A great beer that I can’t wait to revisit.

Bottle thanks to Belgianbeergal. A copper-brown with a small fizzy head which disappeared quickly. Almost zero lacing which was a little disappointing. Rich caramel malts, dark fruit, especially raisins, and a nice doughy aroma also. Flavor is amazing and grows on me with each sip. Sweet with some fruit tanginess that seems perfectly matched. Alcohol presence is non-existent. Great medium bodied feel, lots of carbonation but it doesn’t choke you like some others. Very drinkable and wonderful.

three vintage tasting...

bottle BB 7/12/02 by way of hopdog drank exactly 11 years after it was produced! poured a very deep woody brown/rich amber with a super fluffy off white head. the yeast is almost homogenized into the beer. there’s no clumps and no sediment at the bottom of the glass. it’s the palest of the three but has the best head retention. the smell of this made me stutter... so malty and rich, incredibly well oxidized, caramel-y, vanilla, sweetened cream cheese (not in a bad way), golden raisins and brown sugar. it tastes like a really well aged grand cru white burgundy... wood, caramel, malt, cinnamon, yeast, vanilla and a touch of umame. there’s almost no sugar left in it! it finishes so smooth and rich. medium to full bodied, soft, creamy, luscious and velvety but not sticky... insane. 10/5/10/5/20...trump the appearance and this is my first 5.0!

bottle BB 7/9/03 also from hopdog... poured dirty brown with black clumps of yeast and little to no head. smells quite spicy/tingly in the nostrils... wood, grass, cinnamon, cream cheese, chocolate and malt powder. it’s prickly and spicy on the palate as well... quite woody, very fruity/golden raisins, cinnamon toast, astringent bitter yeasty finish along with alcohol vapors. there’s a nice acidity to it that was not present in the 97. mouth feel is prickly (most carbonation of the three) and light. 8/4/9/4/19/4.4

bottle BB 1/9/10 by way of eric or jason (sorry guys i forget these things). either way, i owe you both big time! the darkest brown pour of the three with a beige head. lots of clumpy yeast and spotty lacing. smells like bubble gum and malt liquor yeast... seriously. really floral aroma with notes of spice, caramel and fermenting golden raisins. very spicy on the palate and the sweetest of the three (yet not sweet?). flavors of oxidized red apple, golden raisins, caramel, a little chocolate and a bunch of yeast. quite astringent and bitter hoppy and yeasty finish lingers a long time. incredibly airy mouth feel... a bit sticky and rich but so light. i want to chew it. 7/4/7/5/18/4.1

obviously i enjoy this aged so i’ll score it to reflect that...