Westvleteren Extra 8

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

Poured muddy brown, tasted of dust, dark fruit, raw sugar. much milder than expected, but great! A good choice for 500! Thanks to Duane for this Gem!

A deep, deep brown color; Head was dense but seemed to fade a bit quickly for the style; Aromas are just too varied to get my puny mind around. Round and fluffy. Heavy raisin followed by hints of anise. Toffee and small bits of caramel. The alcohol is well-hidden. Thick and full mouthfeel. Wonderful palate. A real joy to drink and a pleasure. Haven’t had the 12 yet, but this was outstanding.

(on bottle!)Never has been a great belgian fan, so I guess I had this one out of respect of the monke; solid brew here. dark brown colour, beige head. light caramel and tons of malt in the nose; no real alcohol fell. Quite sour, at least to what i expected, within all the dried fruits and cranberries, hint of rum too. Actually a fresh teat to drink.

From a distinctive no label 33 cl. slender bottle with a freshness date on the cap, 18.02.09, sampled at cellar temperature in a Westvleteren chalice a friend gave me last year. Poured a tasting looking dubbel brown with a frothy, foamy off-white head that settled into a thin bubbly lacing, small amount of sticking. Aromas of plum fruitiness, candied sugar, licorice, toffee and a soft spiciness, a great dubbel nose. Good steady soft carbonation and a crisp, dry, creamy smooth medium-light bodied mouthfeel, just excellent. A wonderful dubbel taste, plum brandy, coffee and toffee, a touch of licorice, a subtle honey graininess, a very soft herbal tea hoppiness, the alcohol is a bit spicy, like a well made rum, and warming in the palate, and a dry yeasty, malty finish with a little herbal flavor lingering in the palate. A delicious dubbel, tasty and balanced, I am thankful that I finally had a chance to try this, well worth seeking out.

three vintage tasting...

bottle BB 7/12/02 by way of hopdog drank exactly 11 years after it was produced! poured a very deep woody brown/rich amber with a super fluffy off white head. the yeast is almost homogenized into the beer. there’s no clumps and no sediment at the bottom of the glass. it’s the palest of the three but has the best head retention. the smell of this made me stutter... so malty and rich, incredibly well oxidized, caramel-y, vanilla, sweetened cream cheese (not in a bad way), golden raisins and brown sugar. it tastes like a really well aged grand cru white burgundy... wood, caramel, malt, cinnamon, yeast, vanilla and a touch of umame. there’s almost no sugar left in it! it finishes so smooth and rich. medium to full bodied, soft, creamy, luscious and velvety but not sticky... insane. 10/5/10/5/20...trump the appearance and this is my first 5.0!

bottle BB 7/9/03 also from hopdog... poured dirty brown with black clumps of yeast and little to no head. smells quite spicy/tingly in the nostrils... wood, grass, cinnamon, cream cheese, chocolate and malt powder. it’s prickly and spicy on the palate as well... quite woody, very fruity/golden raisins, cinnamon toast, astringent bitter yeasty finish along with alcohol vapors. there’s a nice acidity to it that was not present in the 97. mouth feel is prickly (most carbonation of the three) and light. 8/4/9/4/19/4.4

bottle BB 1/9/10 by way of eric or jason (sorry guys i forget these things). either way, i owe you both big time! the darkest brown pour of the three with a beige head. lots of clumpy yeast and spotty lacing. smells like bubble gum and malt liquor yeast... seriously. really floral aroma with notes of spice, caramel and fermenting golden raisins. very spicy on the palate and the sweetest of the three (yet not sweet?). flavors of oxidized red apple, golden raisins, caramel, a little chocolate and a bunch of yeast. quite astringent and bitter hoppy and yeasty finish lingers a long time. incredibly airy mouth feel... a bit sticky and rich but so light. i want to chew it. 7/4/7/5/18/4.1

obviously i enjoy this aged so i’ll score it to reflect that...

[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.

MY 500TH RATING!!! Awesome, very similar to the 12, almost black in color, great lacy head, very complex flavors & aromas, all around very excellent beer!!

Bottle sampled at cellar temperature for #600. Body is a very dark brown color with a massive ammount of tan head. Aromas are a bit weak... earth, yeast, a slight tartness, etc. Flavors are a very nice mixture of earthy/nutty/chocolaty tones with a sweetness that I can’t really describe other than by saying it is a creamy sweetness... more like condensed milk than any sort of sugar. Finish is smooth as can be and there is enough of a warmth from the ABV to let you know that it is for real. Merry Christmas to all!