The Rare Westvleteren 12 Belgian Ale Hits Chas

Author: 
Pete Preston
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(Westvleteren 12 on right)

 

For the first and possibly only time, the Trappist Westvleteren Brewery (owned and operated by the monks of the 1831-founded Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus) is releasing their Westvleteren 12. The best part? It’s being sold at Total Wine in Charleston!

One of a very select group of beers that I’ve seen with an overall score of 100 on both BeerAdvocate (readers) and RateBeer, Westvleteren 12 has garnered itself a reputation for smooth, deliciously complex profile. I haven't had it, but I will be swinging by Total Wine today (12/12/12) to see if there’s any of this stuff left.

The monks of Saint Sixtus usually only sell their special brew at the abbey located in the Belgian countryside, but due to an urgent need for a new roof, they’ve decided to release it to the world. According to a spokesperson for the Westvleteren Brewery, this will likely be the last time this beer sees wide release and following this sale the monks will go back to selling it directly from the abbey.

I’m very curious to see how this beer stacks up. There’s a lot of hype out there about the Westvleteren 12 being “the best” in its class, so there’s a chance that I might just be a little star-struck when sampling. If you happen to get there in time to grab a sixer of this rare drink, please send us a note or tweet about it using #Westy12.

This is about as much as I can write because I have to run out to secure mine (it comes with two glasses, kind of like a pair of trophies) before Total Wine sells out.

Good luck and happy drinking. We’d love to hear from you if you get your hands on it. If nothing else, it’s an awesome experience. Swing by the CharlestonBrewCrew site or tweet us @chsbrewcrew.

Cheers,
Pete

PS: If you’re reading this outside the Charleston area, here’s a link to a list of retail locations across the US that are getting shipments: http://121212xii.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/hello-world/

 

Image from TravelandBeer.com