Westvleteren has the smallest output of the Trappist breweries, with only a small part of their production going very far into the world.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by Phishpond417 from Madison, Wisc, USA who has tried this beer once. (5/13/2009 7:09:29 PM)
"The next 8 or so beers were courtesy of pfoxyjohn. A late morning early afternoon tasting in the Barrrrn: Into the glass it pours a bright cloudy golden colour with a fairly large white head. Noticeable tartness or maybe lots of yeast, that could be it. Lemon peel, orange rind on the nose with a very astringent mouthfeel. Has a pleasent carbonation all the way down with thousands of tiny little bubbles dancing around the mouth. "
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.8)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 11.2oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
[2] Review by BeerHunter from WI, USA who has tried this beer once. (5/11/2009 5:10:21 PM)
"Thanks again to Pfoxyjohn for sending this up my way. This beer poured a clear golden color with a tall white head and great carbonation. The head puffed up like a cloud and the aromas consisted largely of malt with some wheat notes coming through. The beer showed great head retention and even better lacing. I did detect some hops in the aroma, but it was masked by an abundance of complexity. The flavor was very balanced with hints of malt, lemon, hay, and fresh cut grass. The finish was dry. The St. Sixtus monks definitely live up to their reputation with this one."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.2)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 11.2oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
[3] Review by jerrymorrison from lockhart, TX, USA who has tried this beer once. (5/1/2009 11:17:51 PM)
"Aromas of fruits, spices, malts and yeasts. Appearance was a murky apricot hued body. ample carbonation gave it a thick pillowy white cap, that left thick lace. Flavor started with the fruits, then a spicy, bready malt presence showed, and it had a dry slightly bitter finish, with a nice fruity aftertaste. Overall a nice blonde thats worth seeking out. "
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 11.2oz @ $15 Unit Cost: $21.43 per Pint
[4] Review by dXIIIr from Grembergen, Belgium who has tried this beer a couple times. (6/13/2008 6:55:19 AM)
"bottled 17/05/'06 - tasted 13/06/'08: A clear and lively golden blond beer with a large white foam collar on top. Has a bitter hoppy aroma. Feels quite acidic, which tends to fade away quite fast as the beer warms up. The flavor is bitter hop and continues in the aftertaste. Ends up in a warming sensation.
update bottled: 17/05/'06 - tasted 26/12/'08: Once the beer warms up, there's a sense of honey in it's flavour. This also tempers the bitterness.
(=flavor +1)"
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.4)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 7920ml @ $25.96 Unit Cost: $1.55 per Pint
[5] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer a couple times. (4/9/2008 12:14:35 AM)
"Best By Date February 2009, Bottled February of 2006; Sampled November 2008
I didn't even have a slight chance of getting a clear pour. The full bottle looked quite clear when held up to the light, but as soon as I popped the cap the yeast started to get mixed in to the beer, it even foamed up a bit. The beer, as it sits in my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip, has a fat two-finger thick, light cream / off-white colored head. The head is fairly dense and takes quite some time to subside, it forms a varied surface as it does and also leaves some fat lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a muddy, murky, really down-right ugly, pale tan / amber color, that shows a deeply hazed (can't see through it), more orangish color when held up to the light. The aroma is quite nice though, vibrant fermentation character, a touch of hops and a solid pale malt / grain character comes through quite nicely in the nose. Aromatic notes of hay, lemon grass, Meyer lemon zest, a light green-herbal note, distinct star-fruit, a hint of ripe melon, pear, spicy clove, white pepper, a hint of ginger, whole wheat dough, sweet wheat, a touch of honey-like malt, soda crackers, . The nose is quite vibrant and has me quite pleased to taste the beer.
The beer has a peppery note to it that is a combination of the suspended yeast, the carbonation and the fermentation character. Soft and doughy feeling up front (can I actually feel the yeast or am I just imagining it), the beer picks up texture from the carbonation as it rolls across the tongue. The beer finishes with a green hop bitterness and a bit of yeasty astringency. As the beer warms a bit fruity notes of honeydew, a touch of pear and perhaps some apple start to become noticeable under the more dominant hop and spicy-fermentation notes. This beer is actually fairly hoppy (despite being two and a half years old) with lots of herbal notes, a substantial bitterness throughout the flavor profile and a touch of soft lemon zest citrus character. Nice and light bodied, makes this quite easy to drink, in fact I wouldn't mind having a couple bottles of this over an afternoon / evening; it is not thin though as it has some texture and body to it. The malt character, while more supporting, contributes nice bread-like notes, a touch of sweet whole grain, as well as a touch of toasty cracker-like flavors.
The aroma of this beer is quite fantastic, but it needs to really be warmed up for the flavor to start to open up (It started out at 50°F / 10°C so wasn't really cold even). This is still quite hoppy, and I would really like to try a fresh bottle to really get the most of the hop character.
December 2006 cap date; Sampled April 2008
Rating: 8/8/8/8/8, Total 4.0
A fairly soft pour summons forth a full three-finger thick, pale, off-white colored head that recedes with a dense textured surface all the while leaving some nice Belgian lace on the sides of my glass. The beer is a honey color, but shows a lightly hazed, bright gold color when held up to the light. Aromas of sweet, honey-infused grain with a backdrop of fruit aromatics like pear, apple, ripe-melon and sweet grape greet my nose. Some sharp spice and phenolics provide a bit of structure with aromas of black pepper, ginger, sweet clove and maybe a hint of anise. There is a light grassy note as well as some crushed malt, cracker-like aromas. I really like the mix of sweet malt, with the fermentation driven esters & phenolics; this is an awfully appetizing balanced beer in the nose.
Only lightly sweet & it has a soft hop character that provides a bit of herbal & hay-like notes that provides an easy balance to the sweetness. The sweetness accents fruit-like notes of ripe pears, a touch of lemon zest and some white-wine grape character. The beer finishes with a sharpness that is a combination of hop bitterness and spicy fermentation character; reminds me a bit of white pepper, ginger and tongue-tickling clove. A zippy carbonation provides a tickle to the tongue and makes this quaffable beer seem a touch lighter on the tongue; this has enough body for sweet, grassy grain notes to stick to the palate after the beer has left my mouth, but nothing so much that this beer ever feels heavy. The beer shows a touch of age around the edges with some light sherry notes and some dusty malt flavors. As the beer warms some honey flavors become a bit more evident, though of a herbal varietal.
Nothing bombastic about this brew, but it is quite solid, eminently quaffable and a beer that is quite enjoyable."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.2)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 330ml @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
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(3.8)
