About
The abbey was established in 1831. Already in the early days beer was brewed in small quantities, not for sale but just for their own consumption. In May 1839, the Abbey received a brewer’s licence signed by king Leopold I on April 19, 1839. Most likely a first test brew was produced the same month. In June 1839 the first official brew was produced.
Around 1860 a vast complex of buildings for amongst others sheds, a guesthouse, barns and a second brewery, was built. It remained however a small domestic brewery for personal use. Only from 1878 on production increased due to a good turnover of the tavern ‘In de Vrede’. Between 1886 and 1896 a third brew house, fully operational as from 1896, was built.
On 20 March 1922 the monks started the expansion of the brewery. On 27 October 1927 for the first time steam was used to brew in the modernised, fourth brew house. This brew house was operational till 5 January 1990.
In 1976 a fermentation room with six open yeast vessels and a laboratory were installed. Fermentation in open yeast vessels, a method that is used very rarely, is essential for the ester profile of the Trappist Westvleteren.
The present brew house was officially put into operation in 1990. The new bottling plant was put into operation in 2013. Since 2014, two brews are made per brewing day. This meant a considerable saving in terms of energy consumption and man-hours.
The lagering cellar and the fermentation chamber were modernised and automated, but because the capacity did not change, production also remained unchanged. The production amounts to approximately 6,000 hectolitres annually, spread over 42 brewing days. In 2016 a new secondary fermentation unit with storage space was built.
Around 1860 a vast complex of buildings for amongst others sheds, a guesthouse, barns and a second brewery, was built. It remained however a small domestic brewery for personal use. Only from 1878 on production increased due to a good turnover of the tavern ‘In de Vrede’. Between 1886 and 1896 a third brew house, fully operational as from 1896, was built.
On 20 March 1922 the monks started the expansion of the brewery. On 27 October 1927 for the first time steam was used to brew in the modernised, fourth brew house. This brew house was operational till 5 January 1990.
In 1976 a fermentation room with six open yeast vessels and a laboratory were installed. Fermentation in open yeast vessels, a method that is used very rarely, is essential for the ester profile of the Trappist Westvleteren.
The present brew house was officially put into operation in 1990. The new bottling plant was put into operation in 2013. Since 2014, two brews are made per brewing day. This meant a considerable saving in terms of energy consumption and man-hours.
The lagering cellar and the fermentation chamber were modernised and automated, but because the capacity did not change, production also remained unchanged. The production amounts to approximately 6,000 hectolitres annually, spread over 42 brewing days. In 2016 a new secondary fermentation unit with storage space was built.
8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 9
Vertical test: sample A: freshly bought, 8%, BBd: 21/02/06, points given as above; sample B: bought 10/87, no ABV, no sell-by date, points given between [brackets]in the text. Colour: A: thick, beige head, slowly collapsing; dark brown beer with burgundy shine; B: yellow-brown head, fast gone, thick coke-like bubbling, including the jets escaping from surface tension; brown beer, hazy [4]. Nose: a: chocolate, roasted malts, ripe pears, mocca, some faint hops, summer haystacks and more malt or maltbar; B: sweeter, molasses, something lactic, vintage portwine, hazelnuts [9]. Taste: A: bitter at first! a little bit of hops and lots of roasted/burnt malt. Enormous amount of malt overall, but much less sweetness than expected. Aroma's of walnut peel, black coffee, chicory even; B: bitter again, but now with a fine, spritzy, acid-like surrounding. Very fruity: dark wine-grapes, hazelnuts, dried plums, figs [9]. Mouthfeel & aftertaste: A: fairly chewy; little carbonation. Lots of lasting bitterness and a little restsugar; B: less dense, impact much more refined, would even be thirst-quenching. In the aftertaste, there is a sweetness in abundant, alcoholic tones [5] Overall: This is THE proof that truly decent beer ought to be aged. A well-made, dense beer is virtually indestructible, and will better and, like this, mellow with the years. The young 8° is a crude, uncut diamond; the old one is a shining brilliant. One thing the monks didn't get right: another five years and the cap would have rusted through. B: [18]
Tried
on 25 Jun 2003
at 12:31
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Jun 2003
at 23:00
9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 10
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
I wrote way too much for the Rochefort 10, but this is Westy 8...a true honour to drink. I sampled this at 55.8 degrees Farenheit. I'm sure it will rise a bit during the course of this comment and the drink. Good pour, with only the final .5 to 1 ounce giving large sediment. Noticablely thick tan head with the smallest bubbles i've ever seen. Coffee Geeks call this 'microfoam', but we can call it 'microhead'. The colour is dark brown but when you stretch it on the sides, some lighter brown shows through. Where do I start with the smell. If Westy 12 had the best smell i've ever had from a beer, this ranks a close second. Sour apples, candy, tartness and sugar all arise somewhere in the complex aroma. If the aroma is this complex, where does it leave the taste? A mouthful of the beer brings tons of carbonation and a coating, which tastes full of malt. Still some sour fruity tastes caot the inside of the mouth, and the aftertaste is phenominal. The taste is a bit alcoholic, but really only if you think about it. I really liked the aroma, and the taste is just a little too malty to be perfect (for my taste), but the beer is still very well done. I'm glad I got to sample this one, and I definately prefer Westy to Rochefort, even though I've sampled two of the former and only one of the latter. Definately a great beer though! I paid $10 for the bottle in Rochester, New York at Beers of the World, if you are looking for it in upstate New York.
Tried
from Can
on 14 May 2003
at 19:54
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
VERTICAL TASTING WESTVLETEREN 12. Beer A: recently purchased, BBd:07/02/06, 10.2 ABV, Beer B: BBd:17/04/99, 11 ABV, Beer C: purchased 10/87, "Cat. S", no BBd, no ABV mentioned. Points above are for the youngest version, beer A. Colour: (A) dark brown, reddish shine, thick brown head; (B)deep dark brown, reddish shine, hazy. Slight brown head, disappearing. [4]; (C) deep brown with reddish shine, no head [[3]]. Nose: (A) dark malts, blue cheese, wood, restrained hops; (B) creamy, dark malts, dried dark plums, chocolate, some madeirisation, biscuits [9];(C) caramel, portwine or madeira, cow dung (truly!), vineous, raisins, chocolate [[9]]. Taste: (A) roasted & dark malts reign. Excess sweetness is gone already, but enough sweetness left, chocolate cake; (B) roasted malts, chocolate cake, biscuit, crème de noix, walnut oil, madeira, dried fruit, vineous [9]; (C) portwine, old sweet Sauternes, vintage sherry, woody, dark, ripe fruit, restrained sweetness, slight roasted malts [[9]]. Mouthfeel: (A) very chewy, complex; (B) very chewy, extremely complex, alcohol [5]; (C) thinner mouthfeel, drier, infinitely complex, fusel alcohols [[5]] Aftertaste: (A) long lasting chocolate, sense of fulfillment; (B) big fruity aftertaste, full of tantalising glimpses of forbidden fruits [Overall:19]; (C) more old sherry-like aftertaste, but again, infinitely complex [[Overall:19]] It is obvious that the older this beer gets, the more complex it becomes. BBdates are bleedin' nonsense in this kind of beverage. I think the beer (B) is the youngest one should drink it. The difference between (A) and (C) is hughe, yet both are, qualitatively speaking, world-class.
Tried
on 01 May 2003
at 03:06
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Burned sugar and raisins, like dark chocolate icecream with rum-raisins. Murky red, creamy head, some yeastclumps. Aroma is again found in the tastenotes together with a lingering fruitynes (dates). Body is expectadly lighter than the 12 counterpart.
Tried
on 02 Apr 2003
at 12:42
9.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
Bottled(330ml). -my friend get it from Belgium, excellant beer but not my best, what to say about this beer when everything was allready known. Dark brown coloured, medium sized beige head, nice chocolate nose. Very smooth. Complex aroma with notes of vanilla, chocolate, coffee and cocoa, warming alcoholic finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Apr 2003
at 05:46
7.9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottled. (Off course) Not as dark as the Abt, but certainly as beautiful. Sweet aroma. Quite bitter and little bit spicy flavour.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Feb 2003
at 10:38
8.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
This is one hell of a unique beer. The aroma is like a sweet wine or a mead, very fruity and sweet. The body is a lovely burnt orange. There are considerable amounts of floaties, but that's my fault from pouring it. This has a very tingly, carbonated mouthfeel. The flavor is mildly sweet, yeasty, with notes of grapes, cherries, spices, bread.....and pez? The finish is creamy and dry at the same time, if that's possible, with a lingering, candy-like flavor. This is wonderfully different, but I'm not sure if it's quite worth the 10 bucks for the 11.2 ounce bottle.
Tried
from Can
on 13 Feb 2003
at 18:01
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottled. (off course) Beautiful blond colour. Almost a white beer. Little bit sweeter aroma tha the 8 and 12. Bitter flavour, but amusing bitter. A little bit a sticky palate.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Feb 2003
at 13:06
8.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9.5
Bottled (off course). Today I went and got a cisk (by train, god, I'm lucky I live in Belgium :p) It has an magnificent almost black colour, and a 'brown' head. Complex aroma, little sweet, malt. Dito flavour, but also a bit spicy. In Dutch, we have a proverb for this: "It's like an angel pissing on your tongue." Dito palate. Just Excellent!
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Feb 2003
at 11:58