The world's best beer.

Is this glass the Holy Grail as it holds the worlds best beer? I think so!

So, let's see if I can come up with a massive claim here..... I have drunk the Worlds Best Beer. I know it sounds far fetched and that the claim is ridiculous to some who love their chosen beer. So maybe I shouldn't say The Worlds Best Beer, but I guess I should say MY Worlds Best Beer. We actually found it through reading some tourist information. It is found in the little hamlet in Westvleteren. The beer is a trappist beer, so it is made by monks as a way of funding a monkish (or is that monkey) lifestyle. They are quoted as saying:

"We are no brewers. We are monks. We brew beer to be able to afford being monks."

I guess that is just a shame for the rest of the world! Anyone who lives in Belgium would be more than happy with this. Also, the fact that the monks are planning to seek legal advice to stop secondhand or grey selling is also really a great thing for them. Then again, they probably have to sell more beer to pay for the legal advice!The view over brussel sprouts to the cafe and monastery. Brussel sprouts! I mean any more cliche Belgium?!

Anyway, let's get to the beer. The beer itself is actually quite hard to buy as you can only get it from the Abbey where it is brewed, by calling a special beer phone and it is also limited as to how much you can buy per car. The other alternative is that you go to the little cafe "In De Vrede" which is across the road to the abbey, this is what we did.

It was magnificent weather, bright sunshine, warm not scorching, and only one spare table in the garden!

The beer arrived, it was dark, it had a head on it that was creamy and looked almost coffee like.

When drinking something so great, you need a side dish to compliment. What better than some cheese and pickled veg?

Ahhhh gherkins, you inspired me to make my own!

Oh dear god! That half vanished unbelievably quick! Please stay longer, second half, I can only have one of you as you are 12% and I have to drive!

The tide is certainly on its way out here!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is gone, my beautiful beer has gone!

OK, so I have pulled myself together now, even though looking at these photos hurts to think I can't get another one of these until our next trip to Belgium.... Marty, where will the honeymoon be again? So what was the beer like?

The 10.2% beer that I had (Marty had a ladylike 8% one) was fabulously smooth. It had tastes of caramelly coffee flavour and a hint of sweetness like a date or fig. It wasn't as sweet as other beers of such high alcohol that I had tried. I think that a good thing is that because it is high alcohol you really sip it slowly and enjoy every mouthful. I think the high alcohol content may also assist in making it a smoother, which can take away the sometimes overpowering malt flavour in dark beers and it ends up making it creamy. I checked a couple of online stores just to get an idea of the price in the grey sales. They are going for around 20Euros a bottle! for 330ml!!!! That is $AUD/USD28, nearly PLN 80, GBP17 or, if you are reading this in Chile you crazy miners, that is 13,000 Pesos my friend! Also it is ranked the best on Rate My Beer, so I can't be totally balmy!