The Abbay of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren

Location(s)

Donkerstraat 12
Westvleteren, B-8640
Belgium

Comments

wipala's picture

the west vleteren beers are

the west vleteren beers are one of 7 "trappist ales". only the breweries within the walls of belgian (6) and dutch (1) trappist monasteries are allowed to name their beers "trappist ale", what makes them quite exclusive. however - imho - west vleteren beers are far from the best in the world, many beerlovers claim them to be, they probably will be the most exclusive ones amongst them, due to their success on web-fora after the "12" was proclaimed "Best Beer of the World" by RateBeer.com.
west vleteren plays hard to get since, the monks sell only ONE (24 bottle) crate per car and it's only on sale at the abbey upon prior reservation many months ahead (+ 32 70 21 00 45) - you will have to be patient though, there are but a few brews each year, and they are limited in capacity (less than 5.000 hl/yr - that's less than 1,4 million bottles)
for the ones lucky enough to collect a reservation:

  • West Vleteren blond (5,8% - green crown cap) : 20,00 €
  • West Vleteren 8 (8% - blue crown cap): 25,00 €
  • West Vleteren 12 (10,2% - yellow crown cap): 30,00 €

prices per crate of 24 bottles x 33 cl (excl. deposit for crate and bottles: 10,00 €)
you can store the 8 & 12 for many years in a vertical position, the taste will get ever better, the blond, however, should be drunk within a couple of years after purchase. don't drink the 8 & 12 chilled, it will kill the beer, just at the temperature of your cellar (usualy 12°C), the blonde can be served chilled at 4°C.
if you're visiting belgium for just a couple of days and when you couldn't arrange a crate at the gate of the abbey, the nearby café "In De Vrede" has the ales on sale, 2,80 - 3,30 and 3,80 € each!
for those who are unfortunate - or very hasty - the nearby Watou brewery of "Sint Bernardus" has similar beers named Sint-Sixtus. they can be found in any major beer outlet throughout the country.

cheers!

mikese's picture

Being a member of a beer of

Being a member of a beer of the month club we get to try brews from around the world and reading up on some of these reviews i think were going to try and order some next month.

marygladies's picture

Generally speaking, the

Generally speaking, the older a wine becomes, the higher the price will be. This is virtually assured with stellar vintages.

Thanks,
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anuj's picture

thanks Provence Wine

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Provence Wine

anuj's picture

thanks for sharing Savoie

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aman's picture

Beer is the world's oldest

Beer is the world's oldest and most extensively consumed alcoholic beverage. It is formed by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains. Beers are basically classified into two main types—the pale lagers and the ales. The celebrated "Beer of the month" title signifies the popularity of beer as beverage. I'm obsessed to beer. Thanks for sharing the information.