Westvleteren Extra 8

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

Aroma of dark over ripe fruit, grapes - rather vinous, fruit cake, light yeasty spice, figs, raisins, brown sugar, caramel. Pours brownish red with a great fizzy head and a cascading flush of carbonation suspending all the floaties throughout the drink. Looked wonderful actually. Lots of dark fruit - raisins, plums, figs, grape notes - vinous and a little winey, caramel and brown sugar, banana bread perhaps, light yeasty spice. Drinks wonderfully. Smooth with lively carbonation. I wish I was a monk and could live off beer like this and not eat....

Aroma of fermented fruit, yeast, prunes and red wine. Appearance is dark brown with big white/brown head. Flavor is sweet, unagressive and in many ways complete hints of coffee, chocolate, liquorish with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Overall one of the best beers I’ve tasted, amazing!

Slight gush of opaque tannish-mahogany with a lightly-beige head. Nose is incredibly malty with tea, dates, brown sugar, nutty banana bread. Lots of depth, not quite 12-level. Heavy yeast and malt in the flavor, light pepper, date, raisin, and nut as a combination. Never too sweet, the palate is full and smooth, light carbonation giving the body some pomp while lasting on and on and on. It doesn’t have the depth or sweet fruit of the 12, but it’s damn good. Comparing this to Rochefort 8 is a crime. Westvleteren is far and away king of abbey beers, case closed.

bottle thanks to jlindros from BA. Pours a dark brown with a fabulous, off-white head. Nice lacing. Beautiful brew. Nose is of vinous fruit and brown sugar. Similar to Westy 12. Taste is very nice fruit and brown sugar with some spice. Mouthfeel is medium-thin and dry. Very good brew.

From a bottle at the Belgian Beer Weekend in Brussels. Lots of people were trying to get this so I had to go for it for an 11:00 am breakfast beer before it sold out. Malty and citrus aromas with a slight tartness. Dark reddish brown with a rich creamy head. Flavors are tart dried fruits, bounces around in the mouth with flavor changes. Dryish on the finish and bitter but with a light balancing sweetness. Long duration wraps around the tongue. I assume this was a fairly green bottle and will improve a lot with age. Still, it was quite good and a great atmosphere to try it in the Grand Place in Brussels.

33 cl bottle at Den Tatoverede Enke, Copenhagen. Dark copper color, nice off-white head. Aroma is dried fruit, some spice, hints of alcohol and belgian yeast. Flavor is dried fruit, sweetness, spices, hints of alcohol, fine bitterness. Not as good as 12, but lovely in the mouth.

Bottle, many thanks to duff. Sweet fat and malty to the nose much like a non-alcoholic beer except for a slightly pungent spicy alcohol note underneath. Huge puffy mouthfeel. Tongue tingling and awfully exciting. Clean yet stuffy, with hints of menthol and thick caramel. Fruity and still with a massive depth. Now my glass is empty so I’ll leave it there until i get another one.

330 ml bottle - 2005 vintage; thanks after4ever!! light brown, slightly murky with quickly fading off-white head; very mild gusher; aromas of candy malt, prunes, dank fruit and sugar; like the Westy 12, you can basically smell the rich texture; not as strong or sweet as the Westy 12, and at first sip comes of as the Jr. version; apples, fizzy, a little spice and some dark, fruity sourness; intoxicating candy, caramel, fruit and yeasty nose; as expected it becomes much better as it warms; love the nose and texture, but flavor kind of a letdown again