Westvleteren Extra 8

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

Terrific story of monks making beer out of necessity.... This beer is beer at its best in traditional sense without high-tec filtration techniques. If I imagine monks making beer in Belgium back in the day, it is Westvleteren. The beer is so complex with malts, spices, candies, and hops that it is sensory overload. All of this great flavor is mixed with imperfections, such as floaties, clill haze, and Opaqueness. This is beer people!!! This is a great blend and I think the imperfections are a plus.

My birthday beer, courtesy of Garrett! Poured into a Lost Abbey snifter, color is dark brown with a creamy, dense head. Aroma of rich, lush dark fruit, especially dates and raisins. Slight papery aroma noticeable, but not a detriment IMO. Bready, malty, peaty. Flavor is rich, warming, starting with milk chocolate, a hint of coffee, and dark fruit. For some reason, I kept thinking, “chocolate-covered strawberries.” Mid-palate is bready, but it is a sweet, creamy bread. A little bit of oxidation present. Finish is very dry, with chocolate, raisins and lingering sweetness. A winning beer, and I am honored to have tried it!

Yes, I finally drank one of these too! On my trip to Europe, when we went to Belgium. Yes it too, like the 12, is as great as everyone says (actually better). I rank this #2 on my all time list of beers. Andech’s Doppelbock #1.

[bottle--thanks, fonefan!] Tangy herbal and spice aroma with plenty of dried fruit, banana, clove, brown sugar and faint walnuts. Slightly vinous as well in the nose--almost balsamic. Cloudy, dark reddish brown under an eternal, beige blanket. Sweet, complex flavour that includes figs and dates, raisins and tobacco, almonds and walnuts, coffee and bitter chocolate. The bitterness level is good an almost offsets the sweet flavour. Slightly sugary. Medium body, moderate carbonation, molasses plus slight bitter finish.

Bottle courtesy of a tade with BelgianBeerGal and cracked in honor of my 2 year mark on RateBeer. Cheers! Pours a dark thick brown, opaque in parts and a bit brighter, red, and with some decent light, a nice bigger light brown head that dies to a sufficient level, laces fairly well. Aromas are a deep fruitiness, apples and bananas dance with cherries, brown sugar, bread, caramel, toffee, a touch of spice, vanilla. The fruitiness is prominent, a bit deeper and darker overall, without too much sugar and spiciness, almost a winey aroma in some ways. Initial is a nice full mouthfeel, fruity banana, apple, pear, cherries and pit fruit (light plum and very light raisin), light caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, a bit of Belgian yeast spice on the tounge. A touch boozy, but pleasant enough. A fruity must almost, a decent bitterness on the backend with mellow fruity and malty flavors lingering. A pretty good beer, surprising at 8 ABV, and fairly light on the palate for what it is. Quite quaffable.

Bottle in de Vrede. Dark brown hazy body with lasting head. Aroma has some sweet and sour maltiness, breadlike. Fragile hoppiness. Flavor has some hoppy bitterness, but strong malt with some sour tastes. Leaves lasting aftertaste. Strong mouthfeel, can’t say it better, bitter and overwhelming.

A nose of yeast, red wine, plums and a certain flouery character that reminds me of the yeasty smell of bread-dough. Taste is of red wine, vinegar, coffee, chocolate, liquorish and cassis. Finish is acidic, dry and with a little bit of bitterness and alcohol in the end. I really thought this beer were overrated, due to Westvleterens legendary standing in the beer-community. However, it turns out it really is a elegant, complex and unique brew. I’m glad I tried it. Believe the hype!