World’s Best Beer Now Available to the World… for a VERY limited time

Valerian was a bad dude.  He ruled the Roman Empire from 260 to 264 AD and he is famous--or rather infamous--for being the only Roman emperor to be captured in battle.  He was taken by the Persians at the Battle of Edessia (present-day Turkey).  Before he was captured he ordered the beheading of Pope Sixtus thus ensuring the pope’s martyrdom and creating a following of true believers.  Henceforth known as St. Sixtus his legion of admirers created the St. Sixtus Abbey in a remote region of West Flanders, Belgium in 1260.  

The 21 monks of St. Sixtus take a vow of poverty and live a very pious and ordered life.  They begin each day with prayer, spiritual enlightenment, and farming.  Later, they gather to do what they do best, brew beer.  The beer is the true focus of the monks.  It is, according to many beer authorities, the best beer in the world.  In a post from last month we wrote about the radler craze, this beer ain’t no radler.

The beer is brewed without a special malt, instead the monks use generous amounts of rock candy in the process to create a rather sweet, yet dark and heavy beer.  It is the kind of beer one thinks could be eaten with a fork.  It is only available for purchase at the abbey located deep in the Belgium countryside with the only neighbors being pigs for as far as the eye can see.  Beer fans need to call ahead to see if the brew is available but often that is not as easy as it sounds, the monks go days and sometimes weeks without answering the phone.  The monks do have a website so you may visit www.sintsixtus.be. The site has purchasing details and information.

Now just in time for the holidays the St. Sixtus Abbey brew, known as Westvleteren 12 will be available for purchase in the United States and other parts of the world.  The brew is available starting 12/12/12.  Very select retailers will have this magic potion and connoisseurs--or very confused drunks--can buy six bottles for $84.99.

The kind monks are not bringing their brew to the rest of the world for holiday sales because they believe in the commercialism of Christmas, no.  The abbey needs a new roof and if you take a look at the photo, it is quite a roof.   

The monks brew about 3,800 U.S. barrels each year.   Sale of the nectar is under strict control and supervision.  The monks sell just enough each year to maintain the abbey and their farm but the roof repairs called for a special exemption to their rules.  

Once this sale is complete the beer will not be available for purchase outside of the abbey again.  So, if you are true beer lover, this is your once in a lifetime shot at drinking beer’s Holy Grail.

Visit our website www.stickybottleteam.net.  We have a photo montage of the 2012 World Tour team jerseys under PHOTOS plus RANDOM THOUGHTS and a VIDEO of the Cardboard Bike!