Kris Neuharth’s Blog

Trappist Westvleteren 8

I have to give a huge shout out to my friend The Hooch for hooking this beer snob up with what could possibly be the best beer I have ever had. While on a recent jaunt across Europe in his European Pickup Volvo, he found his way into Belgium where he picked up a case of the famous Trappist Westvleteren 8 beer direct from the abbey itself and smuggled it back home and thought it (foolishly) appropriate to share.

The beer itself comes in an unassuming unlabeled brown bottle with only the signature blue cap as the sole indicator that what you are about to consume is special. It pours thick, I had to wipe a little yeast residue off the lip of the bottle before pouring, with a nutty, malty, and slightly spicy aroma. Its complexity is what interested me most about this beer. A lot of Belgians tend to have a very strong alcohol taste and a lightness about them. This particular gem tends toward a very smooth and mellow flavor that only develops as it warms a little in the glass. Its mouth feel is very smooth and almost creamy, coating the palate with its goodness at every sip.

Also impressive about the beer is the process required to get it. From this site:

The Westvleteren “Trappist” is exclusively sold in the abbey. The ‘Trappist Westvleteren’ can from now on only be purchased after reservation (+32 (0)70/21.00.45).

How to make reservations?

1. You call the beer phone (+32 (0)70/21.00.45) to know when, how much and which beer can be reserved at that time or click here.
2. You call back at the indicated time.
3. You make an appointment with the operator (date and time) and you give the licence plate number of the car that will collect the order.

The beer is always sold per kind and in limited quantities. Since we would like to reach as many customers as possible, orders will henceforth be limited to one order per customer per month.

Please consider the fact that our telephone lines can have very long queues and that you can therefore get the busy tone. The use of anonymous numbers is not longer possible. We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding and your patience.

The best things in life ought to be hard to get. While considering a career change to become a Trappist Monk I perused the abbey site some and ran across this daily schedule:

The monk is continually called. Whatever he is busy with, he is reminded on fixed times that he is not in the monastery to be absolutely absorbed in his daily work, but in order to devote himself to God. He is expected in church seven times:

• 3.30: vigils
• 7.00: lauds
• 8.30: terce and mass(*)
• 12.15: sext
• 14.15: none
• 17.15: vespers(*)
• 19.30: compline

This may seem a hard programme for an outsider, but this fixed pattern is an aid for the monk in his search for God.

While extreme by most standards, it would be a small price to pay for the privilege of enjoying this delicacy on a regular basis. While apparently closed for the next several years for renovations, the Guest House option of living with the monks would be awesome. The prospect of no computer, good food, good beer, and simplicity is wildly appealing in this hectic life I have going lately.

I am usually a glass is half empty kind of guy anyways, but in this case, the glass is definitely empty and I am left to ponder life and yearn for another bottle.