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.
Comments
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:
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!