“Westvleteren Blond is the basic beer for the monks’ own consumption, since 1999.”
Served in a Trappist chalice. Hazy light golden in appearance with quite a fair bit of suspended sediment floating around in there. It only manages a short head that peels back to a ring but it’s still able to dispense a nice wavy lace as it ebbs.
Nice and easy going on the nose – light, citrusy and sweet but still packing a healthy amount of yeasty complexity. Clove, orange peel, bubblegum, honey, coriander and a kind of grainy barnyard hay accent seals up a pretty darn fine aroma. Certainly smells like much more of a bang-able summer beer this one.
The mouth feel is mild and effortless with a delicate Co2. Such a smooth and silky texture that compliments the medium body so well. Way too easy to drink for a beer sitting at 5.8% ABV.
The front palate certainly projects from the malty side – bready with a hint of honey sweetness flowing through. A nice fusion of spice and grassy hops provide that suggestion of bitterness through the middle. Flavours of sweet citrus and a somewhat herbaceous note punctuates the finish and offers good duration on the rear.
Geez these guys have it dead set dialed in! Well, after 180 years of mastering your recipe we guess you couldn’t expect anything less. It’s just a lovely beer to drink. Nothing aggressive, it’s well balanced and absolutely jam packed with flavour and aroma. Another top shelfer from Westvleteren.