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

Trappist Westvleteren 8 (VIII)Trappist Westvleteren 8 (VIII)
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From:
Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren)
 
Belgium
Style:
Dubbel
Ranked #1
ABV:
8%
Score:
99
Ranked #247
Avg:
4.47 | pDev: 8.05%
Reviews:
872
Ratings:
2,397
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 28, 2024
Added:
Jun 03, 2001
Wants:
  1,486
Gots:
  493
(Blue Cap)
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by atigerlife:
Photo of atigerlife
Reviewed by atigerlife from Hawaii

4.2/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Reviewed again 10/30/08, same vintage: Did not seem to age very well. Still good, best to drink fresh.

Ordered directly from Belgium. Poured into a Westy chalice.

A surpisingly dark brown with a lovely one finger light brown head. Very creamy head which lasted quite long.
The smell was of dark chocolate, fermenting plums. Some farm qualities and yeast.
The taste is quite intense. Lots of dark fruit powering through the alcohol. Some brandy hints as well as liquorice.
There is a fair amount of carbonation. Overall, this is a very nice dubbel. Would most likely be a good beer to cellar and let its character come through. Glad I have some more.
Nov 11, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by mmilyko from Nevada

Feb 28, 2024
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

4.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Dark ruby color with a great head and lace.
aroma of dark fruits, malts and bread grains.
The taste of dark fruits, malt, chocolate.
Medium carbonation with a medium body and smooth finish.
Just a delight to drink and better with one or two years of aging.
Feb 27, 2024
 
Rated: 4.6 by Bhubbard34 from Pennsylvania

Jan 17, 2024
 
Rated: 4.5 by akk14 from Illinois

Dec 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.36 by Antyk from Belgium

Dec 07, 2023
Photo of TheMadJack
Reviewed by TheMadJack from Virginia

4.22/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured room temperature from 12oz bottle into pint glass

Pour produced a vigorous light buff head that settled to about a quarter inch. Beer is an even walnut brown, cloudy, with amber highlights. Takes on a reddish tone towards the end as more light gets through.

Nose is rye bread, cola, raisins, plums, allspice. Understated, balanced. No bananas or yeasty funk. Dates and alcohol emerge during drinking. More esters escape as you drink as well, making this beer peak near the halfway point.

Taste is the real strong suit. Pumpernickel and mineral water base under demerera sugar, clove, and licorice. Alcohol comes forward on taste during drinking as it did on the nose. Also like the nose, the overall effect is of balance and restraint.

Feel is full and crisp. Soda-like carbonation carries a weighty brew over the tongue.

Overall, a fine, unpretentious brew suitable to a variety of contexts and with no true faults, but like it's monastic brewers it doesn't dazzle. Were availability or price not concerns, this beer would be just at home next to pizza and wings as it is in at a holiday dinner.
Nov 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.44 by SierraFlight from Virginia

Oct 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.2 by Chilmer from Iowa

Sep 07, 2023
 
Rated: 4.67 by a_pal0 from Italy

Jun 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.31 by belgocanuck from Belgium

May 03, 2023
Photo of MrJones07
Reviewed by MrJones07 from Spain

4.7/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
I did everything possible not to like it.

After serving it, I could still smell it from two meters away.


I tried it and although it does not reach the Westy XII the only thing I can say while I continue to dislike it is that it is simply epic, well deserved fame.
Apr 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by FarmerF from Netherlands

Apr 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.77 by myterpsr1 from Maryland

Apr 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.6 by JDRen from Michigan

Apr 08, 2023
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4.3/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a lightly hazy, medium to dark brownish orange with a fizzy, one finger khaki head that dissipates to patches with light lacing; a bit of particulates at the bottom of the glass despite a calm pour..Aroma of dry caramel malt, figs, raisins, dates and and some toffee. Flavor follows, with deep caramel malt, dried dark fruit, particularly dates and raisins, brown bread and cloves. Finishes a bit minierally but with residual dark fruit. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Has a much brighter flavor profile than any dubbel I've had before, almost a Belgian dark ale flavor. This is undoubtedly due to this having a bit of age to it with a best buy date of 2019, so likely about 8 years old. Probably my only chance to try this, so I grabbed a bottle. Despite the assumed lighter characater for aging, has a deep malt and great fruit notes. A slight sharpness (mineral) in the finish, but the residual fruit flavors make up for it. This makes me really want to try a fresher bottle, but I'm still impressed with the malty flavor depth of the 8; not quite a deep and malty as 12, but fine. A rare treat, I've wanted to try something from this brewery since I started my interest in craft beers and glad to try the dubbel and quad.
Mar 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.92 by rpmello81 from California

Mar 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.23 by MGibbons from Maryland

Mar 05, 2023
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.53/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured more beige foam than walnut colored beer into the glass, so I guess the unknown age of the beer isn’t too old.
The aroma was pretty mild for me due to Covid messing with my sense of smell, but I did get some dark fruit and chocolate and spice. Had to be potent for me to get any of that!
The flavor was really, really good. Dark fruit and dark chocolate and a menagerie of spices that were all wrapped up in what seemed like champagne flavors and texture.
The feel was excellent, the massive head didn’t dissipate the carbonation that I could tell and somehow that is what made it all work together. Maybe the bite of the bubbles kept it from getting too sweet? Not sure. But darned good dubbel!
Feb 23, 2023
Trappist Westvleteren 8 (VIII) from Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren)
Beer rating: 99 out of 100 with 2397 ratings