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Westvleteren 12, the Belgian beer considered the best in the world, is available in the US for the first time. Connoisseurs are willing to pay up to $100 on a six-pack of this rare Belgian beer.
Why rare? Well this beer is brewed since 1945 by Belgian monks and until Wednesday, December 12th, it was sold only at the St. Sixtus Abbey. Beginning this past week the beer became available at select locations in the US, but since the beverage is manufactures in limited amounts, you really have to hurry if you want to get your hands on the gift set containing six 11.2 ounce bottle and two glasses.
On December 14th, beer enthusiasts lined up starting with 4 a.m. in front of a Binny’s Beverage Depot in Chicago, which opened at 9 a.m. Retailers from Delaware to Oregon said they have sold their limited supply of Westvleteren 12 hours before it hit the shelves. Although the suggested price for the gift set was $84.99, the pack reached $92.50 in places such San Francisco.
People even began selling empty gift packs on eBay for more than $200 and on Friday morning, December 14th, full six packs were being sold for about $500 on the site. This might be the only time the beer gets to the US as the St. Sixtus Abbey monks reluctantly agreed to sell the beer abroad in small amounts as they need the money to renovate their home, including fixing a leaky roof.
“They say, ‘We are monks, we don’t want to be too commercial. We needed some money to help us buy the new abbey and that’s it,’” Bode said. “Back to normal again,” said Mark Bode, the longtime spokesman for the Westvleteren Brewery regarding the monks’ decision.
