Westvleteren Extra 8

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

This bottle was labeled best before 6/8/09 (american style) and we drank it on 3/31/07 to celebrate my girlfriends birthday. I poured it into a Chimay goblet and served it at around 51 degF. It has a thick off white head that sits atop a very dark brown body. It’s not black like a stout, but light doesn’t get through the sides either. It’s kind of weird like that. The aroma is very sweet and malty, but it isn’t very strong. The taste is good, but not as good as I had hoped. Granted, my expectations were very high and it still is a good beer. It is very malty and sweet with some dark fruits in there, but there is a slight bite from something in there. The mouthfeel is dead on...perfect full bodied creaminess. The drinkability is also pretty high, although I do prefer the 12 to this.

Pours deep dark brown with a thin tan bubblie head. Aroma of malt and alcohol. Taste of carmel, roasted malt. High carbination.This was a good beer, I really wanted to like it more.....

Poured dark brown with a huge off white bubbly head. I had to wait a couple minutes for this to go down so I could pour the rest. Aroma of fruit, cinnamon, and a tad bit of hops. Beautiful smell. Very complex flavors of fruits, spice, hops, and candy all equally balanced with a crisp and refreshing feel. Thanks Matt Reusch for suppling me with yet another winner!

The Westvleteren Extra 8 (Blue Cap) is an outstanding beer and well worth the effort to locate. The aroma and flavor is truly incredible, hints of currants and christmas pudding.

330ml bottle. Shared Matty’s - cheers - you’re a saint! Coffee brown, tight thin self-supporting head light beige head. Sweet dark dense malty aroma, apple in this one too (just had the 6/blonde), but differently so. Taste is pleasantly aromatic, a little alcoholic, and therefore winey. Apple and pear flavours, and other esters are carried up the nose by the alcohol and initially fight to dominate. However, a gentle but potent roasted malty body stays in the mouth, some hints of cocoa. The hoppy component is of the sticky dense and almost woody type. Another high-quality brew, which was extremely tasty, but alas I wanted a little more in most directions - it was just a bit too subtle for me.

Bottle shared with Fatphil and Anna- Brown in appearance with a tight tan head. Apples and mild spices can be detected in the aroma along with some caramel and plain chocolate. Taste is initially quite tangy and sweet on the tongue but soon a fruity taste becomes more evident with plain chocolate and spices also there. Very nicely balanced.

Flaske. Langt mere tilbagetrukket end jeg havde forventet, men med lidt tålmodighed åbner øllen sig op og giver en lækker fornemmelse og smag af karamel. Heldigvis har jeg min kone til at fange de finere noter i øl da jeg bestemt ikke er god til det. Men sjovt at have prøvet.

Garrafa, em Amsterdam (HOL) e em Genebra (SUI), em novembro de 2007. Coloração escura, avermelhada, com creme bege não volumoso, mas que deixa uma fina camada perene. Álcool presente, mas suave, bem balanceado. Idem quanto ao amargor. Complexa, encorpada, mas suave. Equilibrada. Carbonatação média/alta. Notas levemente frutadas, suavemente doces. Possivelmente frutas vermelhas.