Westvleteren Extra 8

Had this @ in de Vrede with a massive hangover from my trip to Bruges, so this rating needs revision someday. Deep dark brown, beige head. Aroma is a bit musty, yeast, dark fruits, brown sugar/caramel, raisins and malts. Flavour is sweet, fruity, caramel, dark chocolate, slightly bitter finish. Complex but soft and subtle.

Shared with 1_2many. Nice dark brown beer with a slight ruby hue. Smallish beige head, could be a bit larger and stick around longer. Aroma is bready with yeast and a hint of red wine / grapes. Excellent inviting aroma, but not quite as strong as I had hoped. Flavor is a wonderful mixture of grapes, raisins, sweet malt. Has a unique flavor compared to other Belgian ales. Palate is awesome...damn near perfect carbonation. Proof that a beer doesn’t have to be big and overpowering to be world class. A great beer that I can’t wait to revisit.

Bottle thanks to Belgianbeergal. A copper-brown with a small fizzy head which disappeared quickly. Almost zero lacing which was a little disappointing. Rich caramel malts, dark fruit, especially raisins, and a nice doughy aroma also. Flavor is amazing and grows on me with each sip. Sweet with some fruit tanginess that seems perfectly matched. Alcohol presence is non-existent. Great medium bodied feel, lots of carbonation but it doesn’t choke you like some others. Very drinkable and wonderful.

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...

Dark brown with a nice head, but also a lot of yeast (the transport must have been a bit too shaky). Aroma of caramel, prunes and perhaps a bit of nuts. Flavor is first of dark fruit, then there is a bitterness and then again the dark fruit such as prunes and raisens - a sweet finish.