Westvleteren- The True "King of Beers"

If you are a beer snob, Westvleteren beer is the stuff of legends. These beers, made by the Vleteren Monks, have been named some of the best beers in the world by all sorts of beer gurus. And what really sends all of us beer nerds into frenzies is the fact that they are nearly impossible to procure. You literally, have to go to the Abbey of St. Sixtus gates in Ypres, Belgium where this is made and wait in line to get your greedy little mits on this stuff. This is because this beer is made by monks who don't care if people are clamoring to get more of it. They make enough beer to support their monastery, period. These guys are the ultimate in quality control. They make beers of epic complexity and quality- largely due to the fact that they simply refuse to alter their brewing process to make more beer, faster. How novel! They only sell their beer at the monastery gates and across the street in the cafe. What's more, this beer is never advertised and never exported- at least not by them. If it was up to the monks, this beer would never make it out of Belgium. Somehow- I can only assume by some divine miracle- a bottle appeared in our beer cellar. I just hope the monks aren't too upset. I hope they understand my need for delicious beer sometimes leads me into temptation. I realize you can order contraband cases of this stuff through online beer warehouses and pay big $$ for it. But I believe that this would be disrespectful, not to mention being condemned to hell for all eternity for stealing from those nice beer brewing monks. But back to the miracle beer, which we managed to cellar for a year. For the purpose of scientific tasting studies and the overall betterment of mankind- I'll have you know! The Westvleteren 8 and the 12 are both known for cellaring well, although the 12 is known for cellaring with improved results for up to 10 years! Lord knows what kind of sick, hoarding, madman managed to hold onto a case of Westvleteren beer for that long. We tried the Westvleteren 8, a year ago, and it was spectacular- but dare I say it- the flavor and sweetness were almost too much. A year later it is still a dark, fresh, finely carbonated beer with a tight and lofty head. The flavor has evened out a bit though, subtle hints of licorice, and a glorious, grapey aroma, but only the slightest sweetness. The finish was amazingly crisp and dry, belying it's relatively high alcohol content and dark color. Needless to say, it left us panting for more. It is worth noting, that although this is undoubtedly a wonderful beer, there are so many others that can be enjoyed without traveling to Belgium or spending a huge amounts of money. St. Bernardus, for instance, did all of the brewing for Wesvleteren for many years and their St. Bernardus 12 in the 750ml bottle is a pretty tasty relative of the Westvleteren 12.