The End...Sort Of.

Day #721 Westvleteren 12 / Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren, Westvleteren, Belgium
Previously from this brewery:  The blonde and the 8

First, before the review allow me to announce that there are changes coming to your favorite beer blog.  No, not that one.  This one here.  Going forward, you are likely to not see a post every day, as you have for the past 721 days.  The writing staff have agreed that after nearly two years, we've lost some steam and maybe some passion, and schedules are currently making it difficult to drink, review, and write on an every day basis.  This by no means spells the end of this blog.  Quite the opposite.  There will still be reviews and commentary, but on a more manageable pace that fits in with our lifestyles.

So, to close out this phase of the blog, I'm going to pull out my last review that I had stashed from Belgium; quite possibly the rarest of the white whale beers, the Westvleteren 12.  Regardless of what source you consult (like this one, or this one, or this one), Westy 12 is likely to be the #1 ranked beer in the world, and if not, then somewhere near the top of the list.  That lofty - and let's face it - cult status stems from the fact that it is delicious (more on that soon), but also because they don't distribute their beer anywhere other than a cafe across the street from the abbey.  So, unless you have some well connected friends or a plane ticket to Belgium or the abbey has a serious financial need, you aren't having one of these.  And that makes it special. A running joke I have with some beer friends is that if you want your beer to become famous in the increasingly crowded world of craft beers, make a good beer.... and then don't sell it to anyone.  Might be some truth in that.

This may actually be the Westy 8... but go with it

So, the review.  In the glass, this quad pours a dark brown color, with a thick and lingering off white head. The aroma is an intoxicating mix of dark fruits, sweet malt, and Belgian yeast.  You could inhale this beer all day.  But even better than that would be actually drinking the beer, and when you do there are wonderful flavors of apple, raisin, and malt, with some caramel and spice in there as well.  Rich and complex, this beer definitely got even better as it warmed up a bit.  I'm probably not doing this beer justice, but trust me when I say that this is indeed an amazing, world class beer.

But is it the best ever?  I guess it all depends on your definition and what styles you prefer.  I've had more complex beers, I've had more flavorful beers, I've had more unusual beers.  All that being said, this is a very delicious beer, and the inability to get this beer easily definitely ratchets up the value.  However, I'll leave it up to you to decide if this is the best beer on earth when you drink one yourself.

As we leave this phase of the blog and move into the next phase, allow me to pause and again say thank you to you, the readers, who stopped by frequently, liked posts on Facebook, and every now and then would mention in person that you took our advice on a beer.  That means a lot.  And of course, thank you to Marci, my co-author, who had the crazy idea to launch this blog in the first place.  Been quite an adventure, and thank you for that.

Thing to Think About Today:

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Ice Cream? ICE CREAM.

Beer #623 Westvleteren 8 / Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren, Westvleteren, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: The blond, the blond, the Westy 8

Sunny and warm Saturday on deck, so I guess that means I'm spending part of it in front of a computer screen.  I should at least take my laptop outside and work on my tan, I suppose.

Next up from Sint Sixtus is the Westvleteren 8, a dubbel beer that pours a dark mahogany color.  In fact, it's basically the same color as the Westvleteren 12, so we had to continually make sure we knew which was which so photos and notes could be organized.  A small price to pay to be able to sample three of the world's best beers, to be sure.  Served in a gorgeous chalice, there are aromas of malt and stone fruit, and when you take a sip you find a wonderful balance of caramel, stone fruit, brown sugar, and chocolate. There's a good bit of sweetness, but nothing overpowering.  Very complex, yet I could easily drink this beer all day.  I wish I could drink this beer all day, in fact.  This abbey beer was delicious from the start, but improved as it warmed a bit.  Want to know how good this beer was?  Some members of our group thought this beer might have been better than the legendary Westy 12.....

The 12, the blond, the 8

Tiny bit of history: the abbey has been in existence since 1831, although there have been other religious orders in the area dating back to the year 806.  You know, as in the 9th century?  And just in case beer isn't exactly your thing, there's also a killer ice cream made with the Westy 8 available at In De Vrede, the cafe next door to the monastery.  Here's your beer ice cream review:  it was freaking delicious!

heavenly (small pun intended)

Thing to Think About Today:
Keeping with the saintly theme related to Sint Sixtus, Louis Armstrong takes us home with When the Saints Go Marching In. Enjoy.... see you all again soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLjbMBpGDA

Religion In a Glass

Beer #621 Westvleteren Blond / Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren, Westvleteren, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Blond and Westvleteren 8

And so we come to one of the reasons I thought going on the Beercycling trip would be a lot of fun - getting to Westvleteren to sample some of the rarest - and widely regarded as best - beers in the world: the abbey beers of Sint-Sixtus.

Time to wandelroute!

Marci has done a far better job than I could on explaining Trappist beers, so I'll just link to her comments and move along.  Visitors aren't actually allowed in the Abbey where the beers are made, but we were able to make a stop and pay our respects in a grotto on the grounds with a religious shrine.  As it was said while we were there (and I'm paraphrasing), "a holy spot before we have a holy beer."

Very cool, peaceful spot to contemplate things

Despite not being able to hang out with the monks, the cafe next door had all three varieties of the beer brewed on tap, as well as whatever they want to sell you.  Seriously, some days they have beer for sale, some days gift packs, some days cheese, some days they sell out and go all Belgian Soup Nazi and it's NO BEER FOR YOU. Although I doubt they yell when they say this.  To get a full case, you need to call a special number and pray someone answers; they don't, apparently.  If by some small miracle you get them to answer they tell you what day you can come pick up your case, and then do everything short of take a DNA sample to make sure you don't try to buy another case and resell it.  Our group hit the jackpot, as they had an abundance of six pack gift boxes, which came with two glasses.  SCORE!

Did we buy some Westy?  Why, yes.  Yes, we did.

I'm fascinated by these monks.  They only make as much as they need to pay the bills and support the religious order.  If they have a special need, as they did when they needed a new roof in 2012, they release a small bit of beer in America and other places, and watch as beer geeks line up for days to pay exorbitant prices for the rare chance to sample this beer.

Ah, this beer... we ordered and shared all three drafts during our lunch at the cafe.  The Blond pours a hazy gold color, and you get prominent notes of grain, biscuit, and grass, and there's definitely more bitterness than a typical blond.  There's some light citrus in there as well, and drinks very smooth. There's not much malt sweetness, but enough to balance out some of the flavors.  Just a wonderful beer.  While the Westy bruins take all of the credit, this blond holds up to any beer out there.

Thing to Think About Today:
The monks at Sint Sixtus as about as close as I come to believing in religion.  So, let's celebrate with The Shins and a live version of the lovely Saint Simon.   Good night, my friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjLJcCvMpow

"Nothing really holds a candle to / The solemn warmth you feel inside of you"

Day 612: Westvleteren 8

One of the things I found very interesting about dining in Belgium is that bread and butter weren't handed out freely like in the United States. In fact, most places would charge you for it if you requested it. On the other hand, frites (never call them French fries in Belgium!) were inexpensive and everywhere. I'm fairly certain I had frites with every lunch and dinner that wasn't a picnic.

And after pedaling through farmland for ten days, much of which was dedicated to potato farming, I'm certain I'll be able to identify potato crops for the rest of my life.

Potatoes as far as the eye can see!

I'm also fairly certain this guy is going to give me nightmares for a good long time.

Monsieur Frite! What have you been smoking?

 Enough about potatoes, let's talk beer and close out my reviews from Sint Sixtus. I had three beers at In De Vrede (the cafe nearby Sint Sixtus Abbey)--the blond, 8 and 12. The blond was reviewed in my last post and I'm saving reviewing the 12 until I can put together a tasting dinner. If you're really nice, I might invite you!

The Westvleteren 8 pours a medium tone, hazy brown color with a light tan head. It has a light mouthfeel. For some reason I expected it to have a lot of body. The smell is rich with chocolate, plum and malt. The flavor is full of caramel and chocolate with dark bread notes. I'm sure it goes without saying since this is a Westvleteren beer, but it was excellent!

Beer stats
Style: Dubbel
ABV: 8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Sint Sixtus
My thoughts on the blond

Day 610: Westvleteren Blond

Being an admitted beer geek, one of the highlights of the Beercycling trip was the opportunity to get my grubby little hands on some beer from Westvleteren--the only one of the eight Trappist brewers that doesn't ship to the United States.

In case you were wodering, the Trappist order originated in the Cistercian monastery of La Trappe, France. Various Cistercian congregations existed for many years, and by 1664 the Abbot of La Trappe felt that the Cistercians were becoming too liberal. He introduced strict new rules in the abbey and the Strict Observance was born. Since this time, many of the rules have been relaxed. However, a fundamental tenet, that monasteries should be self-supporting, is still maintained by these groups.

Monastery brewhouses, from different religious orders, have existed across Europe since the Middle Ages. From the very beginning, beer was brewed in French Cistercian monasteries following the Strict Observance. The Trappists, like many other religious people, originally brewed beer to feed the community, in a perspective of self-sufficiency. Nowadays, Trappist breweries also brew beer to fund their works and for good causes. Many of the Trappist monasteries and breweries were destroyed during the French Revolution and the World Wars. Among the monastic breweries, the Trappists were certainly the most active brewers. In the last 300 years, there were at least nine Trappist breweries in France, six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, one in Germany, one in Austria, one in Bosnia and possibly other countries. Today, eight Trappist breweries are active; six in Belgium, one in the Netherlands, and one in Austria. 

Trappist beers must meet strict production criteria:

• The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision;
• The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life;
• The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need;
• Trappist breweries are constantly monitored to assure the irreproachable quality of their beers.

Westvleteren is brewed by the monks at Sint Sixtus Abbey. For awhile, the monks outsourced their recipe to Saint Bernardus and some people say that the Saint Bernardus 12 and the Westvleteren 12 are pretty much the same beer. I'm going to reserve judgement until I can do a side by side comparison.

Our trip first took us to a lovely grotto adjacent to the abbey. It seemed appropriate to visit a holy place before enjoying a holy beer.

We then rode over to the front of the abbey but I didn't get any photos. After that it was another two minutes around the corner to In de Vrede, a cafe and visitor centre, the only place to purchase Westvleteren beer other than the abbey. The gift shop is not guaranteed to have anything from the abbey for sale, but the day we visit we hit the jackpot. They were selling six packs of Westvleteren 12 that came with two tasting glasses. I am very happy to report that all six bottles and both glasses made it home safely. No small feat considering that they were tucked in our bikes' saddlebags for the next several days and had to survive being checked in our luggage!

Once our group raided the gift shop, we sat down to a well-earned lunch and shared quite a few bottles of the blond, 8 and 12.

If you're wondering, from left to right: 8, blond and 12.

The blond poured a hazy, deep gold color with a bright white head. It has a zesty, bready aroma with hints of white grapes. I also wrote in my notes, "What is that? Apple?" Do what you want with that comment. The flavor was also a little bready, grassy. I noted very light fruit and some honey as well. There's a perfect balance to this beer. There's a reason why the beers of Westvleteren are often ranked among the best in the world. They are damn tasty.

Beer stats:
Style: Blond
ABV: 5.%
IBUs: Uknown
Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Sint Sixtus Abbey
First out the limo!