Westvleteren Extra 8

Had this bottled at Gollem in Amsterdam at 10 euros. Beer was great. More smooth than I had expected. Complex and harmonic taste. Top belgian beer.

From the Bottle at Tom’s Ultimate Glasgow Tasting, Blackfriars 01/12/2007 Fruit and malt aromas. Amber red coloured and fruity with some spiced flavour and dryness in a crisp finish.

Pours a deep brick red with a creamy, thin, tan head. Aroma is very fruity. Grapes, light berries, spicy yeast, sugary malts. I’m surprised at how refreshing this beer feels. Nice fruity, yeast, spicy flavor. Some grapes, caramel malt, candied malts, some raisin, and a faint alcohol burn at the end. For an 8% Belgian Strong ale I was expecting a more full, powerful brew, but I honestly think this is better how it is. A little thinner than expected and one of the more refreshing strong ales I’ve had. Good stuff.

bottle from a buddy, nice brownish color, with some beige head. nose is sweet like grape bubble gum, some caremel. flavor is sweet but balanced, with a bit of a dry finish. really intresting beer

Bottle, big thanks to TampaBrew for sharing. Poured a dark copper color with a thick fizzy white head, very nice lacing on left on the glass. Distinct aroma of malt, spicy Belgian yeast, and dark fruit, rasins or figs. Full bodied with solid carbonation. Taste is quite complex, starts with some sweet caramel notes and Belgian yeast spice, later some of those fig and rasin notes become apparent as does some mild alcohol notes. Finishes mildly bitter.

18.01.11 Almost surreal. Senses heightened. Attention focused. Rich cola nut aroma, reminds me of many other Belgian strong ales I’ve had and while good, not shattering to my perceptions of beer. Maybe it’s like standing next to the Pope at a urinal and realizing that he’s still just a dude. In the end this is still beer. Dark murky brown, arrogant tan head receded on its own time while I wrote all of this and now some grape jelly comes out. Light pencil shavings also. I get too much alcohol here, some plum, more cola, and little of anything I’d call divine. I never want to be seen as that guy who revels in ripping on whatever’s popular, but I just don’t get this. I have another bottle older than this one and I’ll look deep into it when I crack it down the road.

Rating 400. Giant thanks to MrChopin for this one. Pours a deep, dark brown, with some ruby accents showing through, and an incredibly dense, light tan head. We’re talking cappuccino froth. Dark fruits, caramel apples (like honeycrisp apples dipped in real caramel), milk chocolate and spices on the nose. I don’t know how they make these brews so creamy while retaining so much carbonation. The palate may be one of the best parts - so silky smooth. Flavors line up with the nose, adding perhaps some grape must. The profile is akin to the 12 but without quite the knockout punch. My favorite part? The flavor lingers forever. Very full mouthfeel, quenching in the mouth, but finishes clean. The head lingers forever. This is superb.