Trappist Westvleteren 8 (VIII) - Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren)

Erdinger2003

Iowa

4.88/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Phawk for the bottle.

Poured into a Westmalle goblet with a good head and great lacing. I did see a small amount of dark yeast fall into the glass before I could stop the pour. Dark color almost like a light American normal stout, but it let's a purple-like color come through all over, not just the sides. Sweet malty and candy sugar tones waft into my nose. Still smell a bitter flavor inside of the sweetness. Mouthfeel gives a well carbonated, but smooth feel. Like drinking a highly carbonated pop/soda/coke without the bite. The taste is malty, slightly sweet, with spices and a lightly sweet cane sugar background. Very drinkable beer. Very enjoyable. Overall, if I lived in Belgium I would drink this more often it's so good.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2007 02:53:38 | More by Erdinger2003

dwoolley1

New York

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%

06-17-2013 17:09:15 | More by dwoolley1

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +5.1%

06-16-2013 23:59:40 | More by Bouleboubier

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

5/5  rDev +10.6%

06-15-2013 23:01:51 | More by IchLiebeBier

zounder

New York

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%

06-14-2013 20:04:57 | More by zounder

TheRuss9585

Vermont

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%

06-10-2013 17:22:48 | More by TheRuss9585

ystazi

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +5.1%

06-09-2013 19:28:39 | More by ystazi

Aliano

California

5/5  rDev +10.6%

06-09-2013 19:25:53 | More by Aliano

jroberts8811

Missouri

5/5  rDev +10.6%

06-08-2013 19:18:27 | More by jroberts8811

dazedandconfused

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +10.6%

06-06-2013 22:29:06 | More by dazedandconfused

HoppyLuckyGoGo

California

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%

06-06-2013 18:22:13 | More by HoppyLuckyGoGo

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brought back from Belgium and shared with rudzud.

Decent fluffy fizzy but smaller head fades fairly quickly, murky chestnut mahogany brown color with yeast sediment chunks.

Nose is brown malts, bit syrupy like, nutty toffee, caramel, almost molasses like, nice soft aged dark fruits, aged malt too, light phenols and touch of booze, nice candy brown sugar to round it off, very light oxidation.

Taste starts with lots more brown malts, fairly thick but not really syrupy. Nutty, toffee, and light molasses, with faint toasty malts and little chewy caramel candy. Also very light are candied aged dark fruits, covered in brown sugar. Sweet candy, lead to light booze warmth and a bit of phenols, but also a light oxidation again but very light and mostly toward the finish. Very light hops. Finish is drier, not sticky at all, more candy like flavors lingering, toffee nutty caramel flavors.

Mouth is med to fuller bod, not syrupy at all, decent carb, light warming booze.

Overall pretty nice. Maybe better than westy 12 but not sure. Tasty beer aside from the oxidation which is very light on the flavor. I'm impressed how it gets the sweet characters but not syrupy at all.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2013 13:48:45 | More by jlindros

clemson14

South Carolina

5/5  rDev +10.6%

06-06-2013 01:54:52 | More by clemson14

jeff1973

California

4.25/5  rDev -6%

06-05-2013 05:57:55 | More by jeff1973

chippo33

Vermont

4.25/5  rDev -6%

06-05-2013 00:07:44 | More by chippo33

jacwomyn

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev -6%

06-04-2013 22:46:18 | More by jacwomyn

DanimalFL

Florida

4.25/5  rDev -6%

06-04-2013 18:24:18 | More by DanimalFL

msinger1002

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +5.1%

06-02-2013 21:16:53 | More by msinger1002

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured out as a deep amber brown color with a quick fading tan head on top. There isn't much retention or lacing at all. The smell of the beer give off some Belgian spice notes with some cherry and vanilla in the mix. The taste of the beer is bready, spicy slightly sweet and earthy. The mouthfeel is very well carbonated and has a slight booziness in the finish. Overall it's a very good beer but it's nothing overly special. I believe the challenge of getting these beers adds to the hype which reflects the initial score of them. It's good just not as good as the score on here shows.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 20:11:21 | More by Knapp85

JamesShoemaker

New York

4/5  rDev -11.5%

06-02-2013 18:52:51 | More by JamesShoemaker

spoony

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

From a 330 ml bottle into a chalice.

A-The beer is dark, dark brown with just a hint of ruby red. The khaki/tan head of dense foam starts at about one and one-half fingers' height and drops to a thick cap. The retention is pretty good and there is a decent bit of lacing left on the glass.

S-Surprisingly aggressive alcohol on the nose...it warms you up. Otherwise, I smell brown sugar, prunes, raisins, banana, and clove spice.

T-The taste is intense and more peppery than the nose with lots of dark, dried fruits, particularly prune. There is just a hint of hoppy bitterness at the end. The alcohol, while still aggressive, is well-mixed and complimentary to the flavor. Pretty nice.

M-The feel is plush, softly carbonated and medium to full body. The finish lasts and lasts.

O-This is a very good dubbel. The looks, in particular, are a example for others to follow. The nose is a bit too aggressive for me, but the flavor is pretty solid. Interestingly, this beer is much less sweet and more peppery than the XII.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 23:00:25 | More by spoony

Anonymous1

Illinois

4/5  rDev -11.5%

06-01-2013 04:10:35 | More by Anonymous1

kwkdmk

Louisiana

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%

05-30-2013 13:05:12 | More by kwkdmk

gfx

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%

05-30-2013 08:27:03 | More by gfx

Paccamacca

California

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%

05-30-2013 06:07:22 | More by Paccamacca