Westvleteren Extra 8

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

Dark brown with a nice head, but also a lot of yeast (the transport must have been a bit too shaky). Aroma of caramel, prunes and perhaps a bit of nuts. Flavor is first of dark fruit, then there is a bitterness and then again the dark fruit such as prunes and raisens - a sweet finish.

Bottle. Stored for about one year. Brown color with hints of red. Beige shrinking head that leaves some fine lacing. Aroma: Sweet and toasted malt, yeast, spices, raisins, plums, apples, and brown sugar. Taste: Sweet and a bit toasted, tea, spices, coffee, licorice, plums, raisins, apples, toffee, honey, chocolate, light alcohol. A bit of hop bitterness towards the end makes a fine balance. Medium bodied, but very creamy. Complex.

1 year old bottle. A pleasant surprise from a good friend. Poured dark copper with a wonderful creamy head. Nose was bread pudding with a bit of dirt, sand, raisins and caramel. Body followed with similar flavors adding a pleasant minerality that was well tamed. Mouthfeel was slightly viscous but still fresh and lively with carbonation. Overall an extremely well balanced, very well executed effort. I will remember this one.

This beer is often overshadowed by it’s big brother the 12 but I believe this one is the shining star of the Sint Sixtus abbey. This is more enjoyable than the 12 to me but is definatly not as big of a beer. But this one is the best beer I have had to date. It’s creamy and slightly sweet and everything that I love in a beer.

Thanks cmubeerman, 2+ year old bottle. Creamy head, ruddy chestnut color. Aroma of figs, dates, caramel and toffee. Smooth and round, lightly tart. Had side-by-side with Westy 12; this is much drier. Less fruit, less boozy, and a dusty finish. Nutty. World class without a doubt.

Smells a bit like banana and not so sweet as the 12. A bit bitter but still nice. A very nice beer.

thanks cmubeerman. looks just like the westy 12, so see my rating of that. the 12 is much sweeter in aroma. bready aroma. much drier and breadier than the 12. super super balanced and perfectly crafted. nearly perfect.

[Archive] Some vague dark fruit and cellary aroma. Somewhat like a dryer Chimay Bleue. Dark chocolate and... raisins?