Westmalle Extra

I've been spending some time in the rarefied atmosphere of Beer Planet recently. It may not be extraterrestrial, but it does have one out-of-this-world offer (groan). When you buy a certain amount of beer, they give you a rare bottle on the house. Last time I was down, they handed me a Westmalle Extra.

This is one I'd barely even heard of before, and no wonder: apparently, you can only buy it at the Westmalle Abbey Café. But hey, I didn't buy it. I got it for free.

The taste is excellent, with a thinnish mouthfeel and dominant hop and herbal flavours. It also has a bit a spiciness, maybe cumin? Overall, it's light and refreshing. At 4.8%, it's not too demanding either.

I'm impressed. Neither Westmalle Dubbel nor Westmalle Tripel made it to my list of top ten Belgian beers. But Westmalle Extra might just challenge for a slot up there.

Oh, and how about that bottle cap? Is that the niftiest top ever, or what?