The Woodman - Ide Hill

It’s strange how sometimes you can be living somewhere and not really know what is literally at your feet. I’ve resided now in the pleasant town of Tonbridge for 30 years; literally half a lifetime, so there aren’t many pubs in this part of West Kent which I haven’t visited.  Until yesterday evening, the Woodman at Ide Hill was one of them, but all that changed when I joined some of my work colleagues, plus visitors from Japan, for a meal at this attractive, but isolated free-house.

The company I work for is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan’s second largest dental manufacturing company. Every year, at around this time, a number of top officials from our parent company make the trip over from Japan for a directors’ meeting. Other meetings take place as well, but it is something of a joke amongst us that the visitors really come to do a spot of Christmas shopping; even though Christmas is a festival which is not really celebrated in Japan!

No matter, as it is always good to meet up with our overseas colleagues and to spend time together discussing projects and issues of mutual benefit. One longstanding tradition is that of going out for a meal with our guests, so yesterday evening we  headed over to the Woodman at Ide Hill; the venue selected by our General Manager for this year’s informal evening get-together.

Ide Hill is a small village situated on one of the highest points of the Greensand Ridge about five miles south-west of Sevenoaks. To the west of Ide Hill, but separated from it by an area of woodland, is the tiny hamlet of Goathurst Common, and it is here that the Woodman is situated. It was a wild and windy night as our taxi driver negotiated the narrow country lanes which traverse this densely wooded area, so we were glad when the lights of the pub appeared as we pulled into a clearing. It was then that I caught my first sight of the Woodman.

It’s hard to describe the exterior of the pub, as not only was it dark when we arrived, but we entered and left by the rear. It was evident that the interior has recently had a make-over, and whilst there were signs of obvious antiquity, it was difficult to discern which parts were original and which were modern additions made to look old by the use of old and reclaimed oak beams.

The interior certainly seemed Tardis-like, and with two levels. The bar was at the lowest level and to the rear of the pub. There was reasonable, but not terribly imaginative selection of cask ales – Harvey’s Sussex Best, Otter Bitter and the dreaded Doombar, whilst the keg offerings included Meantime London Pale Ale, Pilsner Urquell, Moretti and Noble Lager (from Greene King). I stuck with the Harvey’s - my first drop of English ale since returning from Austria 10 days before, and can report it was in excellent condition.

The food was good too and we had a most enjoyable evening with our Japanese visitors.  The pub itself was strangely quiet; although I imagine the foul weather had put people off from venturing out, but without our party of 13 it would have been virtually empty. One nice touch was a group of local carol singers had been booked to entertain the guests (and, I suspect to practice as well), and whilst they were singing some distance from where we were sitting, their presence (and carols) added a nice pre-Christmas touch to the evening.

Having whetted my whistle, I intend making a return visit to the Woodman, but in daylight next time. There are some good walks around this part of the Greensand Ridge, and a lunchtime stop at this tucked away pub would add to the pleasure of a ramble through the woods and hills of this attractive part of the county.

Feldschlößchen Lager

I picked up a few bottles of Feldschlößchen Lager 4.5% in ASDA at the weekend. They were retailing at just 90p each, so they seemed too good a bargain to miss.

The Feldschlößchen Brewery, based in the Coschütz district of Dresden, is described as one of the largest breweries in Saxony, and brews a wide range of different beers, so at first sight these bottles seemed a bargain. A closer inspection though revealed that this particular beer is contract brewed in France, so I have to ask why?

Well a look at the company’s website reveals a rather convoluted history for Feldschlößchen Aktiengesellschaft, which began under communist rule with the nationalisation and grouping together of three Dresden breweries - Feldschlößchen, Felsenkeller and Waldschlößchen, to form the state-owned company VEB Dresdner Brauereien. After the collapse of the communist regime and reunification in 1990 there was further reorganisation and the founding of the Sächsischen Brau-Union (SBU). In 1991 SBU commenced production of Feldschlößchen Pilsner, and production at the original FeldschlößchenBrewery on Budapester Strasse then ceased

In 1992 the Holsten-Brauerei AG acquired 100% of the Sächsische Brau-Union, and three years later SBU was renamed the "Feldschlößchen Aktiengesellschaft Dresden". In 2004 Carlsberg A/S, of Denmark acquired the majority of shares of the Holsten Brauerei AG. Feldschlößchen thus became part of the Carlsberg Group Deutschland.  In 2011 November the Feldschlößchen Brewery found itself back in German hands when the Danish Carlsberg Group sold the brewery to a medium-sized brewery group, which already owned the Frankfurter (Oder) Brauhaus and the French brewery, Brasserie Champigneulles.

So now you know a bit more about this eastern German giant, and why they are brewing some of their beers in France.

As for the beer itself; well it’s pale, refreshing, reasonably well hopped and quite dry tasting. It’s not exactly spectacular, but then what do you expect for 90p? With the first bottle I thought I detected a hint of diacetyl, with is tell-tale butterscotch flavour lurking in the background. It wasn’t really noticeable in the second bottle, but its presence would suggest that maturation (lagering) of the beer may have not been quite as long as it should. By the way, this particular beer is not listed on the company’s website; indicating it may well be a budget-priced brand produced especially for supermarkets. Still at 90p a throw, you can’t really grumble!
 
I am tempted to stock up on a few more, if there’s any left, just so to have some bottles of easy-drinking quaffing lager to hand, over the Christmas period. They will also be a good contrast to all the really heavy stuff I brought back form Belgium with me!

Another CAMRA Branch Milestone

I attended a rather special reunion on the last Friday in September, when I went along to the 40^th Anniversary celebration of the Maidstone & Mid-Kent Branch of CAMRA. Although not a founder member, (I was still at university back in 1975), I joined the branch in late 1978, after moving to the county town following the purchase of my first property.

Despite having been a CAMRA member since 1974, this was the first time I had joined up with the local branch in the area I was living. MMK branch made me feel welcome, and I soon began to play an active role within the organisation, which culminated in me joining the branch committee. As well as assisting with local beer festivals, I also helped deliver the branch newsletter, “Draught Copy”, around local pubs. Eventually I would go on to edit it!

Things changed in late 1984 when I moved to Tonbridge; some 17 miles south-west of Maidstone, and said goodbye to the many good friends I had made during my stay in the town. Despite not wishing to become too involved with another CAMRA branch at the time, I was persuaded to help kick-start the then moribund Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells Branch (now known as West Kent CAMRA) back into life. It was rather ironic then that just a few months after the latter branch celebrated 30 years since its reformation, I should receive an invite from an old friend at MMK to attend their 40^th birthday celebration.

The event took place at the Dog & Gun; a Shepherd Neame pub which is just a short hop from Maidstone’s rather grim-looking Victorian prison. Even more ironic was the fact that when I lived in the town the Dog & Gun was my old local, being just five minutes walk away from my house. Friday was therefore a double reunion, as I don’t think I had been back to the pub since moving away from Maidstone.   

I caught the train over from Tonbridge and arrived at the Dog & Gun shortly before 7pm. Like many pubs it had changed in the intervening 30 years, with the former public and saloon bars now knocked through into one. They hadn’t made a bad job of it, and there was a good choice of beer on the bar. All Shep’s of course, which isn’t my favourite, but the Whitstable Bay Organic Pale was in good form, as was the company’s No.18 Yard Green Hop Ale; a very quaffable 4.5% ABV Golden Ale. To make things even better, the first pint was on the house!

I soon noticed a few familiar faces; most with hair either greyer, or non-existent, but with one or two exceptions I was able to put names to most of those present. It was particularly good to meet up again with Richard and his wife Gill and with Dave and Jan. Dave was chairman when I first joined the branch, but moved down to Hampshire to run a pub in Andover, on behalf of Bourne Valley Brewery; one of the pioneering first new wave of micro-breweries. Following Dave’s departure Richard had taken over the reins of chairman.

I also met up with friends whom I have kept in touch with over the past three decades, and it was good to see them all again. Dave and Jan had brought a large display of old photos, press-clippings, newsletters and other memorabilia. The pub had laid on an impressive buffet; something I was particularly glad of as I had rushed over straight from work without having time for anything to eat. Something solid to soak up the beer was therefore especially welcome.

I chatted with numerous people that night, swapping stories and bringing ourselves up to date with what had happened in our respective lives over the years. One story which is worth repeating is that the night Maidstone CAMRA branch was formed literally went with a bang; for about half a mile down the road, on the other side of the prison, the Provisional IRA exploded a bomb outside the Hare & Hounds pub. This was at the height of the IRA’s mainland bombing campaign; the pub being targeted because it was popular with soldiers from the nearby barracks. Fortunately no-one was seriously hurt, and despite extensive damage the Hare & Hounds was eventually rebuilt. Those present at the inaugural meeting though, certainly heard, and felt, the explosion!

The other thing worth noting was the dearth of real ale pubs in Maidstone back in 1975. The real thing was only available in the town’s nine Shepherd Neame pubs, plus the odd Courage and Whitbread-Fremlins house. By the time I moved to Maidstone, the latter company, which had both roots and their former brewery in the town,  had embraced cask ale in a big way, bringing back the Fremlins name for their excellent Trophy D bitter, and launching a new stronger beer called Tusker; named after Fremlins famous elephant trademark.

These improvements were thanks in no small part to the campaigning work put in both locally and nationally by CAMRA, and not long after I joined the branch a guide to all the Real Ale pubs in the local area had been published by MMK.

I left the Dog & Gun around 10.30pm and made my way back to the station; arriving in time to catch the last direct train back to Tonbridge. It had been an excellent evening, but not completely devoted to nostalgia. MMK branch has gone from strength to strength over the past four decades and is now one of the most successful of the Kent branches. I am proud to have played a part, albeit a small one, in that success.

Footnote:

I waited a couple of months before publishing the post, as I was expecting to see some photos of the evening’s celebrations. None seem to have appeared, and unfortunately I didn’t take any of my own. If any do surface, I will add them above.

Augustinerbräu Kloster Mülln - Salzburg

Salzburg in all its finery

My recent short break in Salzburg represented my third trip to this delightful and picturesque Austrian city. My first visit took place in late December 2006, at a time when I was very much in need of a break. I was six months into a new job, whilst at the same time trying to sell our Off-Licence business as a going concern. It was all getting a bit much, so when my wife suggested I get away for a few days, I jumped at the chance.

I’m not sure quite why I chose Salzburg, but my desire to escape to somewhere person-sized and with a touch of class about it undoubtedly influenced my decision. Whatever the reason though I was glad I selected Salzburg as my bolt-hole. The weather back then was cold and crisp and, part from a sprinkling of snow on our first full day in the city; it was pretty much the same this time around.

One place I was determined to visit on that first trip was Augustinerbräu Kloster Mülln; a brewery attached to a monastery, not far from the centre of Salzburg where the beer is served straight out of wooden casks. Ron Pattinson’s excellent European Beer Guide website had first drawn my attention to this establishment; so on my first full day in the city, I set off to try it out.

Augustinerbräu does not open until 3pm during the week, so after a morning’s sight-seeing, followed by lunch in an establishment in the newer part of the town, I set off in the rapidly fading daylight and the increasingly cold air to find the place. It was a short walk from my hotel down to the river Salzach, which I crossed by means of a footbridge. It was then a case of following the road along the riverbank until the floodlit exterior of the monastery church, perched on the edge of the Monchsberg hill, came into view.

Entrance to the Bräustübl

The entrance to the Augustinerbräu Bräustübl is through a large wooden door, where a long tiled passage leads to a further door behind which a flight of steep stone steps leads down into the heart of the establishment. The first thing I noticed was the half dozen or so kiosks where customers can purchase a variety of hot or cold food to accompany the beer. Alternatively you can bring in your own picnic, as many of the locals do.

There are three large, cavernous beer halls, plus a number of smaller, more intimate rooms that are available for private hire. For the summer months there is a large, shaded beer garden to the rear. The main attraction is of course the beer and as mentioned before it is served direct from large wooden casks. A full-bodied lager, known as Märzen  with an ABV of 4.6%  is brewed all year round, whilst from November through to Christmas a stronger Weinachtsbock (Christmas Bock) at 6.5% ABV is produced.

Unfortunately, despite visiting the day after Boxing Day, the entire stock of the festive beer had sold out, so I never got the chance to sample it. The well hopped, malty and satisfying Märzen though more than made up for it. As the beer is served straight from a wooden cask there is no excess gas to bloat one’s stomach, and the beer slips down a treat!

Grab a bite to eat from one of the kiosks

I quickly sussed out the ritual necessary to obtain a beer. There is a serving area just round the corner from the end of the food kiosk corridor. Here you help yourself to a stoneware mug (litre or half litre) from the dozens laid out on a series of wooden shelves. You then rinse the mug at the ornate marble fountain before queuing up and paying the person sitting behind a glass screen. In exchange for your money you are given a ticket, which you then hand to the man dispensing the beer. He takes your ticket, fills your mug with beer and then slides it back over to you across a perforated metal counter.

Grab a mug

You then wander off and find a seat in which ever beer hall takes your fancy. When you want a refill you simply take your mug back to the central kiosk, pausing perhaps to rinse it clean at the fountain, before repeating the process.

I tried all three different beer halls during the two visits I made to the Augustinerbräu Bräustübl on that first trip, but preferred the non-smoking one to the left of the serving area. As it was still relatively early in the evening there were plenty of wooden tables to sit at. What I especially liked was that Augustinerbräu appeared popular with people from all walks of life and also from all age groups. Groups of young people were just as eagerly getting suck into their mugs of beer as their older counterparts. When I left, after more than a few mugs of beer myself, I witnessed no signs of trouble.

Rinse your mug

Some eight months later, I found myself back at to Augustinerbräu; this time accompanied by my son and at the height of summer. On that occasion we sat outside in the shady beer garden at the rear of the establishment. The beer was now being served from one of a number of hatches (the others were dedicated to serving food). The same ritual of selecting and rinsing your mug still applied though. The place was packed, but we managed to squeeze around one of the tables, and sat there, under the shade of the chestnut trees, enjoying our beer. Matt was only just old enough to drink at the time (16 years is the legal age in Austria), but he enjoyed the beer every bit as much as I did.

Fast forward eight years to last week’s trip, and I’m pleased to report to Augustinerbräu Bräustübl  is every bit as good as I remember it; in fact I’d say it was even better than I recall. My wife, son and I arrived shortly after the 3pm opening time, having caught the bus up from the Old Town. As we walked along the corridor and then descended the steps to the corridor where the food kiosks are situated, everything came flooding back

My favourite of the three halls

We settled on the furthest hall; the one past the serving area. This hall allows smoking, much to my wife’s approval. It was fairly empty, so we grabbed a table, but before I had the chance to go and get some beers, a waiter appeared and asked what we would like to drink. I was slightly disappointed to be missing the self-service bit, but it seemed churlish to send him away. I ordered a beer each for Matt and I (Märzen), plus a lemonade for Eileen, and we settled down to enjoy the whole monastery brewery experience.

It was whilst we were sitting there conversing, that Eileen’s confusion became apparent. For some unknown reason she had thought I was taking her to the abbey where the opening scenes of the Sound of Music were filmed. She seemed far less impressed that I had brought her to a beer hall; albeit one of the finest and one with definite spiritual connections. I thought I had made the nature of our current location abundantly clear, but obviously not. Fortunately, the opportunity to enjoy a cigarette indoors in the warm won the day and we started laughing about the mix-up.

Weinachts Bock at last!

A small “A”- fold sign on our table advertised the presence of the Bock Bier; something I‘d already ascertained by the sight in the serving area of a smaller wooden cask alongside the larger one. This time I went for the self-service option, and ordered myself a mug of the Weinachts Bock.

The beer was everything I expected and more, being rich, malty and strong enough to taste the alcohol. In short, it was excellent. I was tempted to go for another, but thought I might be pushing my luck. I settled for another Märzen instead. During the hour or so we were there, the hall had really begun to fill up; such is the popularity of the Augustinerbräu Bräustübl.

It was dark when we left, and the gods must truly have been shinning on us that day as, when we reached the bus stop, I noticed a No. 27 bus was due along shortly, and this would take us directly back to where our hotel was situated, adjacent to the main railway station.

Märzen on the left; Bockbier on the right

I managed a second visit to Augustinerbräu, but this time I went alone. This was on the afternoon of our last day in Salzburg, and having done the majority of our packing, I remarked to the family that I fancied a wander into the town for a last minute look around. Neither my wife nor my son were keen on accompanying me, so I set off set of on my own. Eileen gave me that knowing look as if to say “I know where you’re going”.

She was right of course, and after a short bus ride along to Mirabellplatz, I crossed the river, by means of a footbridge, and arrived in the Alt Stadt. I was a bit early for opening time at Augustinerbräu, so I had a quick look round before heading up in the direction of the monastery. I arrived at a similar time to the previous day, but before grabbing a beer ordered a Schnitzel roll from one of the food counters. I then obtained a mug of the Weinachts Bock and took myself into the beer hall to the left of the serving area. This was the one I preferred from my first visit back in 2006.

The main entrance for those walking up from the city

It was already quite busy, but I found a seat ok and sat down to enjoy my food and my drink. One thing I noticed was the large number of signs on the wall, stipulating that many of the tables were Stammtisches. These are tables reserved for groups of regulars but, as the signs indicated, most were only reserved on specific days or at specific times. For example, one such Stammtisch was for a pensioners’ group which met at 19.00 on the first Thursday of the month. This meant that at other times, the table was available for other customers to use.

I liked this aspect, and also the rows of coat pegs hanging up along the walls. This is another welcome tradition in the German-speaking world, and it prevents people hogging a disproportional amount of space by spreading their coats along the benches or over the chairs. I was very tempted to have another Weinachts Bock, but I wasn’t quite sure how strong it was. (I later found out it was 6.5%). I opted for a Märzen instead, and before leaving I enquired about the availability of bottles to take away.

I discovered they were only sold in packs of six; an amount which would have put my baggage weight allowance over the rather paltry 15 kg allowed by Ryanair, but the helpful man at the cash desk told me there was a shop across the road at the back of the brewery which stocked Augustinerbräu bottles.

Not exactly small beer - the impressive brew-house.

I left by the back door, pausing to look at the beer garden which stripped of its tables for the winter, looked rather bare and forlorn. I also saw the impressive brew-house at the rear of the Bräustübl, and was surprised by the sheer size of it. Brewing at this monastery is certainly no small beer!

I found the shop alright, but they only had bottles of Märzen available, and no Bockbier. I bought one anyway, and then made my way back to our hotel on foot. My route was the same one I’d taken back in 2006, and despite stopping on a number of occasions to take photos, I was back with the family within half an hour.

Footnote:

If you ever go to Salzburg, whether for business or pleasure,  a visit to Augustinerbräu Kloster Mülln is a must. Not only is the Bräustübl tavern the largest in Austria, it is also one of the finest and most traditional beer halls anywhere in the world!

Beer in Salzburg

Austria isn’t a country particularly renowned for its beer; a fact which is rather surprising considering it borders both Germany and the Czech Republic. There is no Reinheitsgebot in place ensuring Austrian beers are brewed from just malted barley, hops and water, although it is fair to say many of the country’s 170 odd brewers do adhere to the principles of that 500 year old consumer protection legislation.

There are of course, pockets of excellence and I mentioned one such example in my previous post about my impending trip to Salzburg. I arrived back home yesterday, and pleased to report that the beer at Augustinerbräu Kloster Mülln is as good as ever, and I even managed to sample the Weinachts Bock (more about that in a separate post).

So far as the rest of the beer in Salzburg is concerned, I managed to sample beers from several Austrian breweries, along with a few from the city itself, and whilst they weren’t world classics, they were still perfectly quaffable beers which suited the time and the occasion. This largely means they were enjoyed in various pubs, bars and restaurants, normally as an accompaniment to a meal. The trip was, after all, a family holiday, rather than a beer-hunting expedition!

Like in neighbouring Germany, it is often difficult to know exactly which of a particular brewery’s products you are sampling. Point of sale material on beer founts is often restricted to just the brewery logo, and menus, particularly in restaurants, will just list the brewer of the beer, rather than specifying the particular type. This is quite surprising as in common with their Teutonic neighbours many Austrian breweries brew a bewildering number of different beers, many of which have suspiciously similar strengths. Moral of tale - it’s no use being a “ticker” in this part of the world!

The beers I did get to sample include, in no particular order, Stiegl Goldbräu and Paracelus Naturtrüb; Wieninger Dunkel; Hofbräu Kaltenhausen Original; Gösser (variety unknown); Zipfer Urtyp and Sternbräu Stern-Bier. However, rather than write about the beers it’s probably better to describe a few of the pubs and kellers they were enjoyed in.

I intend doing this in a subsequent post.

Salzburg

I’m off on my fifth overseas trip of the year at the weekend. The destination this time is Austria; Salzburg to be precise. What makes this trip even better is my lovely wife is picking up the tab!

We both hit the bit six-O this year, so a short break in this lovely old city, taking in the Christmas markets (which start early in Austria), seemed as good a way as any to spend a bit of time before the Christmas rush begins.

I’ve been to Salzburg a couple of times before, and whilst it’s not the most exciting city beer-wise, there are some fine traditional beer halls in the old town. There is, or course, one place every beer lover should visit and that is Augustinerbräu Kloster Mülln. Attached to a working monastery, a kilometre or so from the city centre, in the suburb of Mülln, Augustinerbräu should not be confused with its better known Munich namesake.

The entrance from the street is quite easy to miss, and once inside, you descend a couple of flights of stone steps, which takes you to the beer halls.  First you pass a number of kiosks selling various food items. The kiosks include a bakers and a couple of butchers; the idea being to allow customers to buy “picnic-style” food to go with the beer. As in many German Beer Gardens, patrons are also allowed to bring their own food, and many local seem to do this.

The beer halls are towards the end of the corridor and here there is a choice of three large rooms; all with high ceilings and long, sturdy wooden tables. You can then either queue up for your beer at a self-service counter or pay a little more for a waiter to fetch your beer for you.

The beer itself  at Augustinerbräu is an excellent 4.6% ABV Märzen served directly from large oak barrels. As it is served in stoneware Krugs it is difficult to determine the colour, but it tastes delicious and is lovely and fresh.

Around Christmas, a stronger Bockbier is available, but I unfortunately  missed it by just a few days on my first visit to Salzburg, in late December 2006. I wonder if I will have more luck this time? I will produce a more detailed report upon my return, but in the meantime zum Wohl!

The Best Beer in the World?

Westvleteren 12 - Best beer in the world?

In terms of beer production, the St Sixtus Monastery at Westvleteren in West Flanders is the smallest of the 10 Trappist Monastery Breweries, with an output of just under 4,000 barrels, or 126,000 gallons, a year.  Contrast this with Chimay, the largest and probably best-known Trappist brewery, which produces about 3.2 million gallons a year, and you get some idea of the differences in scale between the two establishments.

Three brews are produced at St Sixtus - Westvleteren Blonde (green cap), 5.8% ABV, Westvleteren 8 (blue cap) 8% ABV and Westvleteren 12 (yellow cap) 10.2% ABV. The latter is by far the best known and most renowned beer brewed at the abbey.

Back in August, whilst in Belgium for the European Beer Bloggers’ Conference, I was fortunate to visit Westvleteren. I didn’t get to see the brewery; no-one ever does as St Sixtus is the Willy Wonka chocolate factory of  breweries. But if you think the monks occasionally hide "golden tickets" in amongst their packs of beer, then think again! The closest anyone gets is to either visit the modern and spacious In de Vrede café, located just across from the abbey in the Donkerstraat 13, or to try their luck at the drive-thru pick-up gate.

In de Vrede- Westvleteren

I would strongly recommend the former, as at In de Vrede not only can you drink the beer by the glass, but you can also buy limited quantities of bottles to take home with you at the café shop, (maximum of two six-packs per person). Or at least you can normally, but on that hot, late August Sunday, when we called by, In de Vrede was packed out with thirsty customers and was not doing carry-outs. After speaking to other beer lovers on my return to the UK, I discovered you will have much better luck mid-week, when the café is usually much quieter.

Attempting to buy your beer at the monastery gate though is a much more fraught experience, as not only are you limited to just one case per car, but your order must be reserved at least 60 days in advance. You do this by calling the brewery over the "beer phone"; a dedicated number which is supposed to put you through to the brewery. However, when the phone system was first introduced, the call volume was so high that the local exchange crashed, forcing the monks to switch to a national high-capacity number. This has made little difference and at peak times as many as 85,000 calls are made per hour. It is reckoned that  only around 200 callers get through during the two-to-three-hour window when orders may be placed.

Determined drinkers do get through though as on most afternoons, a line of cars forms outside the monastery walls at a pick-up point for the latest coveted batch. Drivers stay in their cars as staff check registration plates, load the single crate and then take the credit card payments.

So what is it about Westvleteren beer which makes it so hard to get hold of, and why are supplies so limited? The situation dates back to 2005 when the beer-information website RateBeer.com rated Westvleteren 12° as the best beer in the world. The monks at Saint Sixtus who brew this dark, quadrupel-style beer were not at all pleased by the ensuing publicity, despite this award being an achievement that most brewers can only dream of. The problem is they are not in the business of brewing beer in order to win awards; neither are they in it for the money. They brew beer only in sufficient quantities to support themselves and their abbey.

Awaiting the thirsty hordes - glasses at In de Vrede

As you can imagine, a beer which few people had heard of suddenly rocketed in popularity. One day, a few dozen people were drinking the beer; the next, there was a huge line of cars queuing up at the abbey gate to buy it. Stories began to appear about the abbey's stocks of Westvleteren 12 starting to run low, so to counter this situation the monks were forced to reduce the amount of beer sold to each customer. In a rare interview one of them explained that the abbey had no intention of increasing its production, despite the clear demand for the beer, adding "We make the beer to live”, he said, “but we do not live for beer.”

In 2015 Westvleteren 12 is again on RateBeer's list of the best beers in the world. The monks of St Sixtus remain detached, as much as possible, from the ongoing publicity, and continue to decline requests for either interviews or visits. However, it’s probably fair to say that the abbey is secretly proud of the title. Brother Godfried, who is in charge of the brewery, reportedly told a news agency, "It's good to know our customers appreciate what we make."

Westvleteren is part of Vleteren; a small rural town in West Flanders, close to the French border.  Situated in an agricultural region known as the hop country of Belgium, it also consists of other small villages such as Oostvleteren and Woesten. The combined population is around 3,600 inhabitants.

Hidden behind a high wall - Sint Sixtus Abbey, Westvleteren

The St Sixtus monastery was founded in 1831 by Trappist monks from the Catsberg monastery in France. In 1838 a brewery was added at Westvleteren, to brew beer primarily for the monks own consumption. The brewery was ‘modernized’ in 1871 and brewing continued apace; even surviving both World Wars. In 1931, the abbey began selling beer to the general public; having only served beer to guests and visitors up until that time. During the 1930’s the monks even used trucks to distribute their beer!

Things came to an abrupt end at the end of the Second World War when Gerardus, the Abbot at the head of the monastery, decided to downsize the Sint-Sixtus brewing operation. He believed that brewing was taking up too much of the monks’ energy and was beginning to interfere with their true spiritual calling. According to the Abbot brewing beer on a commercial scale was not part of that calling

In 1946, deal was struck with the owner of a local cheese factory in nearby Watou, to brew the beers. To assist with the start-up of the new brewery, the Brewmaster from St Sixtus became a partner in the new set-up and brought with him the recipes, the expertise and, most important of all the St Sixtus yeast.

For many years, the Watou brewery produced and marketed the beers under the names "Trappist Westvleteren" or "St Sixtus". Beer also continued to be brewed at the abbey to cater to the needs of individuals buying it at the gates as well as three local cafés connected to Sint-Sixtus. This was done to continue providing beer for their own consumption as well as to keep the tradition alive within the monastery walls.

The contract with Watou was renewed in 1962 when the Abbey gave them a second license; this time spanning a 30 year period. This agreement ended in 1992, primarily due to changing laws and regulations which stated that in order to be labelled a Trappist, the beer actually had to be made (mainly) by real Trappist monks at a working Trappist monastery. That same year, the abbey opened its new brewery to replace the older equipment. In 1992 that license came to an end and the production was completely taken over by Sint-Sixtus again.

St Sixtus brews about 70 days a year, starting at around 9 a.m. and finishing at approximately 5 p.m. The brewery currently employs three secular workers for various manual labour tasks; however, the primary brewing is done by the monks only. It is the only Trappist brewery where the monks still do all of the brewing. Of the 26 Cistercians who reside at the abbey, five monks run the brewery, with an additional five who assist during bottling.

As soon as the Watou Brewery got over the loss of the Westvleteren beers they started to produce and market their own line of abbey-styled beers, under the name, St. Bernardus. One of the beers they came up with was St. Bernardus Abt 12. Many claim this to be the same beer as Westvleteren 12, as St. Bernardus had the recipe and almost 50 years of experience and, more importantly, knew how to brew it.

Special edition - Oak aged St Bernardus Abt 12

Others dispute this, claiming that if you compare the two side by side, you will certainly find similarities but they are clearly different beers. I have tasted both, but not at the same time, so I don’t consider myself qualified to judge. In addition both beers are bottle-conditioned, with a five year shelf life, so there are bound to be subtle differences anyway, depending on age, storage conditions etc.

What I do know is I have a half dozen bottles of St. Bernardus Abt 12 sat in my cupboard. The beer is easy to come by in Belgium and also closer to home. A work colleague has a Belgian friend who visits England quite regularly, so I always get him to bring me a case over with him.

It was interesting that whilst in Belgium we met the Managing Director of the St Bernardus Brewery. He, of course, was adamant the beers are the same, but then he would say that, wouldn’t he? Unlike St Sixtus, St. Bernardus is open to visitors and offers a wide selection of speciality beers including St. Bernardus Tripel, Prior 8, White, Pater and Christmas Ale plus the lesser known 'Grottenbier' and 'Watou Tripel'.

A few of the St Bernardus beers

So after all the publicity and hype surrounding Westvleteren 12, and the controversy surrounding St Bernardus Brewery’s claim that their St. Bernardus Abt 12  is the same beer, which one is better and is either of them the best beer in the world?

I have drunk quite a few bottles of St. Bernardus Abt 12, but only one bottle of Westvleteren 12, so am unable to answer the first question. Both beers are very good, but at 10% ABV they are not the sort of beers you drink every day. This leads me on to the second question, and here I would argue there is no singular “best beer in the world”.

The reason of course is beer is such a diverse drink, with a myriad of different styles and strengths, that there are in fact dozens of “best beers in the world”. The choice of beer depends on many things and is influenced by location, climate, company and occasion, so whilst a nice cool Pilsner is to be enjoyed whilst sitting out at a pavement café on a hot summer’s day, a cool, well-hopped pint of traditional English bitter is equally appreciated after a long walk to a traditional country pub. Conversely, the two aforementioned Abbey beers are best enjoyed sat in front of a roaring log fire on a cold winter’s night.

In this respect rating sites such as RateBeer have not only done a disservice to the holy brothers of St Sixtus Abbey, but they have turned the world of beer drinking into little more than a "list-ticking exercise", rather than what it should be – the appreciation and enjoyment of beer. It is one thing for writers and beer aficionados to recommend certain beers, but to select beers of different styles, tastes and strengths, and then try and rank them in a table of “best in the world” is sheer hypocrisy and self-indulgence of the worst kind.

Are people so shallow minded and herd-like that they need ranking sites to tell them what to drink? Make your own minds up people. Don’t rely on rating sites; especially as they can leave themselves open to manipulation. Don’t follow the crowd; do some proper research of your own. Get out there and try these beers for yourselves. Even better, try and visit some of the places which produce the world’s classic beers and experience how better they taste on home turf. You know it makes sense!