Hooray!!! Last Tuesday, I bought my first 2 crates of Westvleteren Trappist beer!! Although stocks have always been low and supplies have always been limited and uncertain, even for Belgians it has become very hard these days to obtain a crate of the world-renowned Trappist beer. Ever since the Westvleteren 12 was chosen best beer in the world on RateBeer.com in June 2005, each car is rationed to two 24-bottle crates and the beer has to be reserved through a beer phone beforehand. This means that the monks will not sell you any beer if you just drive up to the abbey hoping to get some. Aside from the brewery itself, the only other official sale point for the beer is the abbey-owned meeting center 'In de Vrede', just in front of the abbey. All beers can still be bought there for immediate consumption only. The monks themselves are charmingly stubborn: they have repeatedly stated that they only brew enough beer to run the monastery, and will make no more than they need to sell, regardless of demand.
Before I went to collect my two wooden crates of Trappist Westvleteren 8, I tasted the Westvleteren 12 and I must admit that it is truly an exceptional beer! I won't try to describe its flavour as I terribly suck at describing beer, but believe me - its reputation as the world's greatest beer is totally justified! A profound beer drinking experience!
At the end of the month, the Westvleteren 12 will be available too. I can hardly wait... again.
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