Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus

Microbrewery in Westvleteren, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Associated with 2 Venues

Established in 1839

Contact
Donkerstraat 12, Vleteren, Westvleteren, 8640, Belgium
Description
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.

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8

Sensory x-mas Session #127: cloudy golden color and a white head. Malty, spicy yeasty, honey, belgany . Less sweet than expected. Spicy malty, crisp, decent bitterness.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Dec 2024 at 20:47


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle at "in de Vrede, Westvleteren": Dark brown coloured brew with well balanced sweet spicy taste and got some hints of banana.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Dec 2024 at 11:39


6.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle at "in de Vrede, Westvleteren": Hazy yellow coloured brew with an full well balanced sweetbitter taste.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Dec 2024 at 11:39


8.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9.5

Bottle 0,33 ltr: Hazy dark brown coloured brew with an complex sweet bitter taste. Hints of caramel, chocolate, prunes, figs, dried fruit, spices and an little burn of alcohol.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Dec 2024 at 11:12





8

Almost clear, golden color and a nice white head. Yes, my Westvleteren favourit. Nose Is malty yeasty,faint wheaty, spicy. Taste Is yeasty, sweetish mals, spicy and Long lasting. Yes, nice.

Tried from Bottle on 09 Nov 2024 at 19:59


7

Tried from Bottle on 25 Oct 2024 at 23:23


8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle from Stacks. Clear golden, stable, foamy, white head. Aroma of orange zest, freshly cut apple, unripe pear, yeast, grass, bread crust, straw, white pepper. Taste has sweetish apple, pear & plum in a bread-crusty malt body with a sourish hint of orange zest and some spicy yeast notes. Grassy & peppery hops in the finish, lingering spices and unripe yellow fruits. Medium body, moussy texture, fizzy carbonation. As clean & correct as a Belgian Blond can be executed.

Tried on 24 Oct 2024 at 12:55