Westvleteren 6
Note: If you had a golden-colored Westvleteren, it was not this beer. It was the Westvleteren Blonde. This beer has been retired for more than a decade, though bottles still exist.
3.9
206 reviews
Westvleteren, Belgium
Community reviews
Une belle couleur avec un ptit dépôt
Elle a une odeur de fruit (raison rouge)
En bouche et est asser sèche tres désaltérante
Vraiment très sympa !!
[08092007] bottle (1998) @ Kulminator. Way past it’s BB date, but you have to try it when you find one .... Hazy brown beer, small beige head. Dusty, sweet malted aroma with some spices/mint that indicates oxidation. Taste is the same actually. Thin mouthfeel. Not so good, but still drinkable and some extra points for the excitement of finding one.
This is the beer brewed internally by the monks for eachother, low on alcohol but still very very tasty. The red capsule ones ripe in an amazing manor. Pours brown with a tiny head. Aroma is malt, sugar cane, raisin. Still some CO2 which makes it a low EBC beer that withstands time. One would love to taste a fresh onee, when staying in the abbey.
Aroma: honey, molasses, malts. Appearance: hazy pale gold, medium creamy white head. Taste: light bitter. Palate: bitters turning very sour, slightly watery, average-long finish, dry. Overall: nice Belgian Ale, great aroma. Bottle at Cambrinus, Bruges.
Bottle @ 10K + OT. Thanks, Chris. Amber pour with a fair amount of hazy/floaters and a small off-white head. Smells mostly of soda water with some caramel. A touch of banana and raisin. Hints of yeast. Somewhat sweet taste of honey, caramel, and fruity esters. Light banana and raisin. Soda water, a bit of yeast, and maybe some grenadine. This is dead.
[ Bottle ][ JealousChalice ][ 33cl ][ 10K+OT Tasting ][ Stemless Wine Taster ][ 5/3/14 ]
>> Thank you Chris for the share! Pours low haze deep amber, low carbonation with spotty lacing. Nose is minty oxidation, orange peel, perfume, cognac. Taste is watery, minty, orange peel, no sugar or body. Fairly drinkable, more fun to try. But clearly over the hill and probably wasn’t meant for aging.
Rating #1000. 33 cL bottle from Cracked Kettle in Amsterdam, served in a vintage Westvleteren glass alongside the Blonde, 8 and 12 at the opening of Chris’ new bar. Pours hazy chestnut with a small tan head that fades to a thin cover and leaves a small amount of fine lace. The nose is simply gorgeous with beautiful notes of figs, caramel, molasses, raisins, chocolate and a touch of earth. The flavour is medium malty sweet with notes of caramel, candi sugar, grain and a touch of grass. The finish is long, malty and a bit grainy. On the palate it is surprisingly light with a watery texture and soft carbonation. Overall, this is a great ale that has been surprisingly well preserved. The nose is amazing but the body was lighter than I expected. Most similar to the 8, it has a more complex and nuanced nose but lacks in body. It would be nice if the monks could release this one again so we can see how a younger bottle would taste. 2014-03-29
16.06.2012, 0,33l bottle sampled @ BBGTC summer tasting:
Lett sødmerik fruktig oksidert lukt med preg av karamellmalt, humle, smørkaramell, rosin, toffee, mørkt rørsukker, honning. Oksidert lett tynn og sødmerik smak med preg av smørkaramell, beiskt gras, våt papp, mørkt rørsukker, honning. Middels bitterhet og lengde. God, for å vere det den er.
The colour is dark brown, very few foam. Aroma of liquorice, caramel with a touch of hazelnut. Very dense and heavy flavour. Very long finish.
Bottle @ Amundsen Bryggeri, Oslo. Vintage 1997. Clear dark brown with a small off-white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, caramel, oxidized and dried fruit. Flavor is quite sweet and moderate bitter. Sweet and moderate bitter finish. Soft. This has aged beautifully. 280713
got a sample by some awsome italians, at the kulminator! epic thanx , dudes !
98 vintage
pours very dark, small white foam. smalls aged, caramel. taste is likewise, very subtile carbo , nice to try , but not realy unique. aged realy nice, though !
33cl bottle poured into Crooked Stave tulip. Vintage: mid/late-90’s, I gather from discussions with the individual who passed this my way.
I shared this at a random Wednesday afternoon tasting at Crooked Stave (thanks Chad for welcoming us!) as part of "December to Remember - 2012". Drank alongside Westvleteren Dubbel (which is interestingly non-ratable on this site), amongst others.
Appearance is light brown. Quarter, (tan) fingernail, bubbly head on medium pour. Smells of dark fruit, raisin, light brown sugar, and breadiness. Touch of mild cherry here too. Taste follows smell - hidden cherry starts things off followed by soft dark fruit, caramel, and cardboard. Touch of sour too and I know this thing is past its prime. Medium/full bodied with soft (nearly flat) carbonation. Surprisingly bad and over-the-hill. Quite strange to me considering this bottle is younger than the Red Cap. I find it amazing that the lower ABV withstood time more resiliently than this. Granted they are different styles, but they generally have the same characteristics in my opinion. My recommendation, do not bend-over-backwards to get this.
Okey då harmsne provat sin första Westvleteren (har en tolva kvar i gömmorna, tack Thomas).som väntat en besvikelse, helt okey men den här ljusa stilen hör inte till mina favoriter.
Non si puo’ dare meno di 5.0 a questo nettare...non scherziamo....ma cosa avete bevuto?
Bottle. Dark bruin pour with no head. Dark fruit, some lighter spice tones, oxidation has taken a hit on both flavor and aroma. Although for a 6 % it hasn’t all gone. Flavor and texture leave something to desire. Thanks Ryan for the share.
A huge thanks to drabmuh for sharing this whale of a beer with us on his birthday.
The beer is orange hued, displaying a thick, lasting head that coats the chalice with a sheet of lacing.
The aroma offers malt, butterscotch, basement, rain water, canteloupe. Interesting. It does smell old...like a monk’s closet.
The flavor was decent, especially given the age of the beer. Interesting to say the least. Dank basement, melons, butterscotch, caramel malt.
I was really impressed with the mouthfeel. Perfect carbonation and silky smooth on the palate.
Overall, what an experience. Thanks Matt!
330 mL bottle @ De Heeren van Liedekercke. The illusive red cap bottle I finally found at De Heeren. Thanks to Joost for sharing one of his last bottles! Dark reddish orange appearance with a cream colored head. Rich candy sugar, dark caramel, plum, date aroma. Seems to may have thinned out a bit though I have no point of reference. Delicious mild chocolate, caramel, rich fruity estery, somewhat dusty, rich bready yeasty, smooth flavor. Really still tastes quite tasty. 1996 vintage.
Bottle, shared with Bergen Beer Geek Tasting Crew. My rating no. 2000!!! :-D It seems like a fitting milestone to open the missing link of the Westvleteren series for this rating; the long-retired "Red Cap", no. 6. No exact date on the bottle, but I guess it’s from the mid-to-late nineties somewhere. Exciting indeed; this is one of the oldest beers I’ve had and definitely the oldest out of a bottle. Anticipation is tense around the table as I pop the cork. Will it gush? Will it be dead as a doorknob? Fortunately, a little hiss is all that escapes and soon a deep clear coppery body emerges in our glasses, topped with a medium off-white head. The aroma seems to have survived all these years as well, with prominent oxidation tones: raisins, butterschotch and dark fruits. Also, there is caramel, dark malty tones, eggnog, lots of honey and some faint traces of sulfur in the back. All in all, it wears the age very well in my opinion. In the mouth, I detect caramel, dark dried fruits, slightly astringent bitter hop tones, hints of candi sugars, raisins and wet paper. The lack of body is perhaps most appeared; the palate is thin and seems to have lost something over the years. Still, Westvleteren 6 is - around 15 years old, and with a humble ABV of 6,2 % ABV - an impressive work of brew art. It’s quite incredible that it has retained so much of its older self for so long. A worthy and fun tick for my 2000th rating here on Ratebeer. A big thank you to BBGTC for sharing so many great beers with me and all you great Ratebeerians out there worldwide. Cheeeeers!!! :-D
bread, citrus, alcohol, vanilla, pale, clear, minimal head, medium bitterness, light sweetness, full body, average carbonation, long finish,
Murky brownish small film of foam
Dates and raisins, caramel and candy, oxidized notes and earthy
The nice fruityness witch comes up front is fast Subdued by weird oxidated tones. Earthy and cellar, a faint hint of a once great beer, now its broken body laid out for the final test
Watery and light
Bottle from late 90’s
33cl bottle, several times @In de Vrede and Cimmeria..
This i had rated, but somehow my rateing just vanished.
Nice strong belgian ale, overall sweet, malty, spicy touch.
33cl Bottle at AHBS. Slightly hazy amber colour, off white head. Aroma is light tart, almost Brett-like, dark fruits/berries, light caramel, prunes. Flavour is medium sweet, caramel, light tart tingle, sweet rosebuds, light tart finish with some pepper. Light bodied. This one held up pretty well. Nice to have tried this one, thanks brabander!
Huge thanks to drabmuh for acquiring this bottle. Served in a small Westvleteren chalice.
A: Pours a very slightly-hazed amber-copper color with a half-finger white head and just a bit of spotty lacing on the way down.
S: The nose carries a pretty heavy amount of fruit. Slight oxidation plus a bit of cherry and other dark fruits. Almost a touch of melon waiting in the background.
T: The flavor is a bit less traditional. Some melon-type flavor comes through along with a bit of bread and a touch of caramel. Really quite interesting. Maybe a bit of strawberry. There are definitely fruits present, but not in the traditional way. Hard to place.
M: Body is light to medium with good carbonation and a semi-dry finish. Very light bitterness.
O: This has held up fairly well. Good fruit presence and a bit of malt. Assuredly past its prime, but still certainly worth a try.
33 cl. bottle sampled @ RBWG 2012 – thx to Pallieter85 – apparently a “different from the regular Westy 6” late 90’s version that never made it to the market – fell asleep to find the remains / bottom of this bottle / probably not “correct” to drink & rate it but since this is not a beer I will be seeing any time soon – just interpret this as a more sediment heavy sample which is basically what this was – murky, hazy dark brown with not much in the way of head – sweet milk chocolate, soft beady malts, lots of yeast (obviously), muting the still present soft dark fruits, plenty of raisins, small hint of liquorish, touch cake, slight caramel, touch lemony sourness in the finish – carb is good with body going towards full, this has held up quite well, nice beer but like all westy not worth exactly worth the prices that this is going for in many places
Sampled @ RBBWG. Courtesy of Pallieter85. Cloudy hazy brownish color, small off-white head. Smell sweetness, alcohol, bread. Taste lightly sweet, raisin, bread, slightly sour hints. Slightly bitter finish. Still a nice mouthfeel, good body.
Had at Akkurat. Pour is slightly murky brown with ruby red edges and a light tan head. The nose has tons of sweetness, loads of raisin, caramel malt, syrupy dark berries. The taste is more balanced but also less bright. Seems a touch oxidized, raisins and caramel are most dominant, syrupy dark fruits almost artificial berry-like, flavor thins out in the finish. Full bodied, very thin finish, syrupy texture on the tongue, light carb and slightly oily.
14/I/2012 33cl bottle @ RBBWG 2012 - BB: n/a - last botteling ever of the beer, not intended for sale, estimated late 90ies (2012-56) Thanks to pallieter85 for bringing the bottle!
Gusher (nooooooo!!!!), very cloudy dark red brown beer, no head. The head was on the floor, effin shizzlesticks. Aroma: raisin bread, yeast, bread, some milk chocolate. MF: good carbon, full body. Taste: milk chocolate, raisins, some rhum, caramel, bread yeast, bit cheesy, citrus and sour notes, some liquorish. Aftertaste: little citrus, mocha, bitter hoppy touch, more dried fruits goodness. Amazing how little this beer has portorized over time. Note: Finally, tasted all of the Westvleterens, great thanks to pallieter85!
(330ml bottle 1985 vintage :: Rating # 3700!) cloudy orange-brown with a tiny ring of tan bubbles, amazing given the age! Nose of raisin, very little oxidation, decadent, caramel, honey, plum, malty, complex and delicious! Taste of raisin, mild oxidation, a bit watery but rich in flavor at the same time, caramel, under-carbonated, but for a 26 year old beer this was pretty amazing. Everyone at the tasting loved this beer!
Rating 1100, Bottle purchased in amsterdam, what a find. Bottle just sitting there. Worth the dish out to try this whale. this beer has held up through the aging. It had a good head and I drank my share over able 20 mins maybe even 30 and the beer was carbinated til the last sip. The body on this one had thinned a bit but it was really enjoyable to sip on. it had light brown pour. the taste had the typical westy dark fruit finish, like currants and dates. Really good beer. too bad I will more then likely never have this baby again
12 oz bottle generously brought back from scotttron and ontbeermaker. i believe this is from a 1995 batch. the aroma was a little faint, maybe because of the age. still got some raisins and dates though. deep brown pour. strong flavour of raisins, dates, yeast, peaches and plums. the best part was 5-10 seconds after the sip you get hit with a strong raisiny aftertaste. really great beer.