Westvleteren Extra 8

Westvleteren Extra 8 12 oz bottle Brewed 10/06, beatified 06/07 Moderate pour in a chalice and brandy snifter. Poured a mysterious dark brown with amber red highlights with a moderate somewhat lasting frothy off white head. Smelt of moderate candi sugar, spices ( cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, anise), dried figs and raisins, doughy yeast. Flavor was upfront strong sweet candi sugar and sweet dark bread and bitter spices. Very reminiscent of a warm slice of buttered cinnamon raisin bread or hot cross buns. On the follow through a buzzing strong bitter grassy hops presence is felt as well as a multitude of spices, with a moderate yeasty kick and sweet bread and caramel flavors on an average to long finish. Palate was medium bodied, oily to creamy,softly carbonated, lightly astringent and slightly alcoholic. Overall, this is like the 12 but with a less pronounced alcoholic aspect. The 8 seemed a bit hoppier too. Great balance again, in depth, strength and length of flavors. Overall, excellent stuff. Thank you monks! Much thanks to mreusch for the trade!

2005 Bottle. Hands down, the best appearance I’ve ever seen in a beer. Can I get a 6/5 please? Perfect frothy off-white head and a dark brownish mahogany color. Taste was caramel, figs, molasses, candi sugar, spices, a little bit of chocolate, and a fair amount of yeast. This thing definitely gets a whole lot better as it warms up. I’m not sure what these monks do to this brew - but just like the 12, it leaves a unique tingly film all over the mouth. I prefer the 12, though. Great beer!

Bottle courtesy after4ever. Thanks Tom! Pours a clear mahogany with a mountainous off-white head. Sweet and creamy full body with moderate carbonation. This beer smells and tastes more like malt than any beer that I’ve had for a long time. There are plenty of other things going on here, but it really seems like a malt celebration. Aroma and taste of figs, cookie dough, almonds, leading to a softly tang finish.

330. Thanks, Maria! Pours deep grainy and murky dark brown. Impossibly massive head, even splitting the beast between two glasses--20:1 ratio between head and actual beer for a good 30 seconds. Wet, earthy, leafy, and loamy nose. Medium body; pleasantly restrained carb and a fullness that’s not overbearing or overly weighty. Interesting mix of dark wet earth and some dark nut and cola notes along with it. Nice mild sticky sour finsh--great stuff; thanks again, Maria!

Pours a deep mahogany brown with a massive creamy, yet foamy beige head. Massive lacing from top to bottom. Aroma of dark fruit, spicy esters, freshly baked bread and fine yeast. Complex flavor of dark fruits, primarily figs and plums, fresh bread, spicy esters, black cherry, dark sugar, malts, chocolate and fresh yeast, Very well balanced and exceptionally crafted. Gets better as it warms up.

almost as great as 12. Great aroma and the flavor, well u know, legendary. Nice sweet, malty flavor heaven. alright now I’m craving one just thinking about it

Trapist beers belong to the best beers in the world. One more beer to prove it. A really full bodied and very tastfull beer. Still have some old ones to drink

Dark murky brown, with a thick & persistent head, and copious lacing. Huge aroma, fruity with cherry, figs, plums, but also spicy with cinnamon, coriander, black pepper. Vanilla, dark sugar, and some pleasant yeastiness. Very rounded. The taste was bold, but well-balanced. A very full spectrum, starting out sweet with dark fruit, then progressing into yeasty tanginess and finishing dry. Quite hot, but that fits the character of the beer very well. Mouthfeel was soft, low carbonation. Not bad, indeed.