I was going back through the blog posts that I have made so far on this page and realized that one story is missing that highlights what a noob I am to this blogging thing. It is the story of my beer quest. The one that led to the name of this blog....
It all started with my fiancée reading about what some would call the number one beer in the world and our desire to try it. The fabled Westvleteren. Otherwise known as Westie. Now why would this lead to a "beer quest" you might ask? After all, most beers can be purchased on Ebay for a premium. While this is correct there are details I must explain about this beer.
This beer has a very certain mystique about it. The beers are brewed at the Abbey of Saint Sixtus located in the small farm town of Westvleteren in Belgium. The monks have been brewing their beer since 1838. They are very aware of the popularity of their beers but they do not care to up production. They make enough beer to support their monastery. One of the fathers at the brewery put it clearly when he said "We are no brewers. We are monks. We brew beer to be able to afford being monks.".
This approach is what makes the beer so hard to get. You can only buy it at the abbey. We did find it on eBay, but at $30 a bottle it was a rip-off. It was then that I decided it was time to make a very long beer run. I called my fiancée and said "how about we go to Belgium to buy some Westie". Her first response was "Are you serious"? Followed by a enthusiastic "YES"! My friends kept asking me why I was going on the world’s longest beer run. I told them it was my Beer Quest!
We booked the trip and I decided to stay up late one night to call the beer monk. The phone was answered by a monk speaking either Flemish or French, I was not sure. I asked if he spoke English and he told me that he did speak some. I was so stoked to be talking to the beer monk that I have to admit I was somewhat star struck. (Yes I know being star struck because you are talking to a monk makes little sense.) I said "Hello I am from the US and I really want to taste your beer"! His reply was perfect. He said back to me "Hello! I want you to taste my beer! When will you be coming to the abbey"? When I told him 3 months from now he let out a slight laugh and informed me that he can't hold beer that long for me but that I should call him when I arrive in Belgium. I couldn't wait to get on that plane.
Now in order to get any of the 3 beers the monks make you have to travel to Belgium. When you arrive in Belgium you need to call their "beerphone" before you even attempt to head out to the Abbey. If you just show up at the Abbey you will not be leaving with any beer. This is to stop people from coming to buy the beer then resell it. They want the beer lovers that make the trip to have a chance to get some. The "beerphone" has a recording that tells you which beer is available and when to call to get on the list. You then have to call the "beer monk". You have a 3 hour window, 9am - 12pm each day they are selling beer to get a hold of him.
We tried 2 phones for the entire 3 hours on 2 days and failed to get a hold of him. The line was always busy due to the insane demand for this beer. At one point as we were walking through Brugge the phone started to ring. My fiancée said "IT IS RINGING"! I grabbed the phone from her and said we can't move. If we do we might lose our cell signal. After 15 minutes of standing there with it ringing the call got dropped. There was much sadness following our missed chance. I still have him on speed dial under beermonk but I have yet to get through while in Belgium.
If you do get through to the "beer monk" he will take your license plate number, name, and make of car. Then add you to the list for buying beer on the day he tells you. The purpose of these details is to limit people from buying more than 1 case a month. Once there, you can purchase one case of the beer that is on sale that day. It could be the Blonde, 8, or 12. The 12 is the highest rated of them all. Now if you are lucky enough to get on the list you will be able to buy the one crate with 24 bottles of heavenly goodness. The monks give you a receipt that says Niet verder verkopen ("Do not resell"). Now I don't know about you but the last thing I want to do is end up in beer hell, which is why I flew to Belgium to get the beer rather than buy it from the grey market on Ebay. The monks try to stop places that resell their beer. Now that is method 1 to get some Westie
Method 2 was what we used. If you can’t get through on the "beerphone" you can drive out to the abbey and spend the day at the cafe called In De Vrede. It is across the street from the abbey and they have all their beers there on draft and good food to go with it. We spent the entire day there having these amazing beers. We had a toasted Trappist cheese sandwich and beer ice cream, which was fantastic. They have cheese plates and other snack foods as well. It is a nice location and a fun place to spend the day. The picture at the top of my blog was taken in their cafe. That is a glass of the legendary 12. Lucky for us they had gift packs that came with 2 blondes, 1 of the 8, and 1 of the 12. It also came with a chalice to drink them in like the one in the picture.
All in all it was an amazing trip. The beer lived up to the hype and I will do reviews on them once I drink some of the bottles I currently have ageing. I will say that the 12 was an A+ as was the 8. The Blonde was an A. If you ever get a chance to make your own beer quest I highly recommend a stop at the Abbey of Saint Sixtus. If you love beer you will not regret the drive as it will get you a little closer to heaven.
Cheers!
Cromster
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