Beer review: Westvleteren Blonde

Hello, this is Haffy & Kjetil from Die By The Beer Blog. When Christer invited folks on Facebook to do guest reviews and we happened to be drinking some very special brews the same night, we thought why the heck not. Westvleteren just happens to be some kind of a Holy Grail for many beer lovers, as they make what many rates as the best beer in the world, and it’s not exactly easy to get hold of either. Lets start with the “Blond”…

Photo by Helge & Kjetil (Die by the beer)

Looks

Yellow, very yellow, I would say super yellow, hazy and so cloudy you can’t see your fingers on the other side of the glass. This beer has a clear white head, not a big one, which revealed that the beer is not as carbonated like many of its Belgian competitors.

Aroma

The smell of this beer is fresh and floral. You can smell the citrus fruit and the yeast, a slight herbal note also, it smells very nice to say the least.

Flavor

Lemongrass is all over this one, I would say this is an awesome lawnmower brew for monks. Nice bitterness, lemon, kiwi, cantaloupe, very balanced. You taste the yeast but it’s not dominating the beer.

Finish

The bitterness of this beer just lasts and lasts, it’s really nice, lemony with hints of honey.

Rating

This is a beautiful beer, this is the beer the monks drink themselves (every day) and I understand that it might help recruitment at the monastery. But I wouldn’t put on a robe just yet. Even though this 5.8% ABV Blonde is quite awesome!

Score: 4.6/5