Head to Head: Struise Pannepøt vs Westvleteren Extra 8
Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two undefeated Belgian Strong Ales. Both beers are from Belgium. The first is Struise Pannepøt. The second is Westvleteren Extra 8
As usual the tasting was done blind and rated to style.
Price: Pannepøt by $23.50.
Pannepøt - $6.50 (12 oz)
Westvleteren - $30 (12 oz)
Appearance: Winner – Tie
Pannepøt – Pours a clear brown with decent sized off-white head.
Westvleteren – Pours a slightly cloudy brown with a thin off-white head. The head leaves a trace of lace on the glass.
Aroma: Winner – Pannepøt.
Pannepøt – This has a wonderful pine aroma with caramel sweetness, a bit of wood and lots of nutmeg.
Westvleteren – There are hints of molasses/caramel and chocolate and a little roasted coffee but nothing is very powerful. This is all sublte.
Taste: Winner – Westvleteren on balance
Pannepøt – This starts with lots of sweetness then the spiciness comes on giving the taste a bit of balance.
Westvleteren – This is all about subtleness. First you get the fruit and wweetness then a bit of chocolate, a little alcohol and last a trace of bitterness. This is a really complex and sublte beer.
Body/Finish: Winner – Pannepøt
Pannepøt – This has a creamy finish to start but as the sweetness fades a little bitterness shows up.
Westvleteren – The beer has short finish with a slight bitterness with a nice creamy feel.
Overall: Winner – Pannepøt
This was pretty close. The Westie scores high for having great balance and incredible depth. The Pannepøt scores and ultimately wins because it has so much good flavor and aroma. Yes it is not as balanced as the Westie but the fruit and spiciness is just heavenly. It is a beer that brings a smile to my face win I think of it. If I was stuck on a desert island and could only have ten beers the Pannepøt would be on my list the Westie would not. If you like your beers a bit less sweet go with the Westie assuming you can find it and don’t mind the price.
I would like to thank my friend Joe who brought the Westie down from Ohio so I could do this tasting. Cheers.
This one goes in the cellar unless the Pannepot beats it in a Head to Head.
Is this really a fair H2H? The Pannepot is a quad, while the Rochefort is a Strong Dark and the Westy is a Dubbel. Wouldn’t a more appropriate H2H have been the Pannepot vs. Rochefort 10 vs. West 12?
My $.02. Cool site none the less!
Your point is well taken. This is one thing that I hate about beer. Who decides what style a beer is? Obviously the brewer to the largest extent but what if they don’t tell you. What is the real difference between a Strong Dark and a Dubbel. Why is one brewers 8 a dubbel and anothers a Belgian Dark. I do not have all the answers. What I do plan on doing is trying the beers that don’t fit certain categories well with beers that seem more similar. Take the Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel I can’t wait to see how it does against some good Imperial IPAs.
One last note. I tend to lean towards ratebeer.com categories vs beeradvocate.com. The main reason is that I find it a more accessable site especially for those less in to beer. I use both and like both and I will concede that Beeradvocate is the better for true beer geeks and snobs.
Keep you comments coming.