I promise I’m actually studying on this study abroad. It just so happens that in one of my classes I’m studying beer.
Yesterday, we took a train to the city of Poperinge where we rented bicycles and rode through the hops fields and cow farms to reach the famous monastery that brews Westvleteren Trappist beer, named the Best Beer in the World many years in a row by RateBeer.com. It has since gained a reputation for not only being a great beer, but also for being incredibly hard to come by.
I can only imagine trying to find this place using public transportation (well… err… see a couple posts back, I’m not very good at it.) But really, even for someone well versed in the public transportation of Belgium, I think you would still have to take a very long walk. Luckily, our bike ride was full of great scenery. The hops fields grow on wires strung vertically so that the plant doesn’t turn into a bush, and grow about 4 inches per day.
The beer at the abbey is brewed 70 days out of the year, and is only sold by the monks in order to maintain the monastery and serve their daily needs. It’s sold exclusively at a tiny cafe across the street from the monastery and at the monastery itself, but the quantity that each person can purchase is limited to 12 bottles. You can also call the monastery. There is just one monk who is allowed to speak on the “beer phone” but even so, it’s very hard to get through. The local who gave us our bike tour told us he probably called hundreds of times and got through once. Also, you have to reserve the beer up to 2 months in advance.
The exclusive factor is really a big part of what makes this beer special. I truly did enjoy the Trappist 12 which is the specific beer that was named best beer in the world. It’s a very dark beer and is also very high in alcohol content at just over 11%. But, I’m an even bigger fan of their 6 which is the Belgain Blonde pictured to the left. Sampling these different beers was picturesque, on a terrace overlooking the farms and beautiful rural scenery of West Flanders. The tiny farm houses had been refurbished to look like something out of a fairy tale, complete with white picket fences and beautiful, colorful flowers. It was almost shocking to see so many people at this cafe considering I would’t even picture that many people living in the tiny village, but I suppose if you live next to the only cafe that serves the best beer in the world, you might frequent the place.
Mack's Compass 