SIBA South East Beer Festival 2019 - Overview

It’s well worth reporting that the weekend’s 13^th SIBA South East Beer Festival was a most enjoyable event, and looking at the numbers of people present, especially on Saturday afternoon, I would say it was a successful festival as well.

My son and I popped down on Friday evening, where we met up with a few local CAMRA members. With a list of nearly 180 beers, there were plenty to chose from, so I made a conscious decision to stick with the dark beers (porters and stouts), for the Friday session, leaving the paler, lighter and more refreshing beers for the longer daytime session the following day.

This seemed a wise move in view of the forecast and one which was vindicated by the hot and sunny conditions which prevailed on Saturday. The latter session was also a family affair, with wife and son, wife’s niece, niece’s partner, plus assorted friends in attendance. We found ourselves a suitable spot out on the grass, close enough to the beer tent, without being bothered by too many people coming and going to re-charge their glasses.

There were plenty of other family or other social groups sitting out as well; many like us with foldable picnic chairs, blankets and picnic food to match. For those less well-prepared, there was a barbecues stand, offering burgers, hot dogs and pulled-pork baps. All in all, it was a gloriously warm and fine English summer day.

Whilst coming out of the tent, after re-filling my glass with beer, I heard the unmistakable roar of a WWII Spitfire overhead. The aircraft made several passes over the sports-ground, flying really low on the final one, before heading off to “buzz” someone else’s event. I presume it was planned, but it was a nice touch to the afternoon.

The crowds had seemed a little sparse to begin with; they were certainly quite thin on Friday evening, but by mid-afternoon there was quite a queue for glasses and tokens, and people were one or two deep at the bar.

We left just after 6pm, with one or two members of our party somewhat over-roasted. Mrs PBT’s had, as always, come prepared, but a few individuals foolishly declined my wife’s offer of Factor 30, to protect themselves from the fierceness of the sun's rays. I’m glad to say I wasn’t one of them, so was in the “smug zone” this morning.

Once again this had been an excellent festival, made more enjoyable by the company of family and friends. There were some good beers as well, plus the odd dud one. 

The ones which really stood out were: Bedlam Porter, Brumaison 1770 London Porter and Three Sods Brewery Dark Magus Milk Stout for the dark beers. The pale ones which really shone were: Bishop’s Gold and Stoke – both from Steam Town Brew Co, Reunion Ales Talwar, plus Maharajah from West Berkshire Brewery.

Look them up and see what you think, and also keep an eye out for the judges results from the competition that took place, earlier on Friday. The results aren’t on the SIBA website yet, but I expect they will be soon. They were printed out and placed on the bar at the festival, but not being a fan of such contests I wasn’t bothered one way or the other about who won.

I do know though that, like at GBBF, the cask which came out as overall winner, ran out quite quickly on Friday evening, which does demonstrate the power and kudos, that winning such awards, brings to the breweries concerned.

13th SIBA South East Beer Festival

This coming weekend sees the return of the SIBA South East Beer Festival which, once again will be hosted by Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Club (TJs). The festival seems to grow larger every year, with the 2019 event marking the 13^th in the series. The festival will feature around 180 cask ales, selected from some of the South East’s finest independent brewers.

There will also be an even wider range of traditional Ciders & Perrys; drinks which seem increasingly popular. Soft drinks and food will be available at all sessions, with a popular barbecue area as usual.

Apart from my own CAMRA branch festival, which doesn’t take place until October, the SIBA/Juddians event will probably be the only beer festival I will attend this year; certainly in this country. I have written before about “Festival Fatigue,” so I don’t intend why I have gone off beer festivals, but I always make an exception for the SIBA event.

For me, the best aspect of the festival has always been its family nature, with the  large marquee, where the beers are kept and served from, opening out onto part of the playing area, giving plenty of room for people to sit out and soak up the sun, along with the beer. To me there’s nothing finer than sitting out in the fresh air, whilst enjoying a few beers in the presence of friends or family

The other big plus about the event is I can walk there, and can take the family along as well. The local nature of the festival also means I am bound to meet up with quite a few other people I know, and it’s always good to catch up with them.

TJ’s Rugby Club is located in the centre of Tonbridge, close to the town's 12th Century castle, just off the High Street and is a 10-15 minute walk from the railway station. The Festival is held in a spacious marquee on the rugby club pitches, with all of the clubhouse facilities available to festival goers. Opening times are as follows:

Friday 5^th July 17:00 to 23:00.  Saturday 6^th July 12:00 to 23:00

As usual, entry is FREE with all beers purchased using tokens (1/2 pint tokens at £1.80 each). All beers & ciders are sold at the one price of £3.60 per pint, which keeps things a lot easier for the bar-staff. I wish my own branch would follow suit with at their joint festival with the Spa Valley Railway!

There will be live music on  the Saturday, when the “Music Lounge” will be filled with the sounds of the Acoustic Reverb Collection, aimed at introducing some of the finest, local young musicians to a wider audience.

All 180 + cask ales are entries in the SIBA South East Region Competition. The tasting and judging of these beers takes place during the day, on Friday, and I know several people who volunteer as judges each year.

This is a little too serious for me, as I prefer to drink and enjoy my beer, rather than analyse it, but it is obviously good for the brewing industry and for SIBA, that these types of competition take place. Once the judging has finished and the winners announced, the festival is turned over to the rugby club, and the paying public are admitted.

The SIBA Beer Festival has now become firmly fixed in the Tonbridge social calendar, and is well-supported by the townsfolk and people from further afield. If time permits, I will produce a brief synopsis of the event, after it has happened.

The Ugly Bug Lurcher

OK, it wasn’t the next post, as I squeezed the one about Carlsberg in between, but in case you’re wondering about the Norfolk pub Mrs PBT’s and I were unable to have a  meal at the other Saturday, it was the Norfolk Lurcher, at Colton, less than 10 minutes drive from the Premier Inn we were staying at.

It’s weird as son Matthew and I had stayed at the pub four years ago, when it was known as the Ugly Bug Inn. I never liked that name for a pub, so despite father and son having a very pleasant stay there, the place kind of fell off my radar.

It was pure chance that the pub re-appeared as it cropped up whilst searching for nearby Good Beer Guide pubs using the GBG App on my phone. We visited the other nearby GBG pub, the Honingham Buck, in the village of the same name, during our previous stay at the Norwich West Premier Inn, and this time around wanted to try somewhere a little different.

There was nothing wrong with the Buck, I hasten to add, and the fact that it sold Lacon’s beers was a particular point in its favour, but if truth be known, the lady of the house thought it was a little too posh. I personally though that an unfair criticism, but ever keen to explore and try somewhere new, I tapped the coordinates into my phone, with the filter set to indicated just GBG pubs.

The search threw up the Norfolk Lurcher, alongside the Honingham Buck, and after selecting the former, the truth dawned that the Lurcher was formerly the Ugly Bug Inn. I then read that the pub restaurant is still named the Ugly Bug, and what’s more the pub was Norfolk and Norwich CAMRA Rural Pub of the Year 2018, and runner up for 2019.

Well that was it, and our choice of pub for Saturday evening sorted, especially as the menu looked rather good. Looking also at the Lurcher’s website, it appeared that the pub was still run by the same people, as it was back in 2014.

Now I mentioned in the previous post that I didn’t book a table, and the reason behind this was we’d planned a visit to the north Norfolk coast after seeing dad, so didn’t really know what time we’d be back, or whether we’d be having a substantial lunch. I planned to phone the pub, and book as soon as we were back at the hotel; which was when I discovered that the Lurcher is closed between 2.30 and 6pm.

Shortly before opening time, we drove over on the off-chance that the pub would be able to squeeze us in. The Norfolk Lurcher is certainly well off the beaten track, on the edge of the tiny village of Colton, to the south of the main A47 road between Norwich and Dereham. As we got nearer, I recognised the long lane which leads to the pub.

Interestingly, the place has only been a pub since 1992. Prior to this it was a private home called the Ugly Bug Hall - hence the previous name. Before that it was an old fruit barn workshop dating back to around 1810. It is now a thriving village inn,  serving good quality local cask ales and equally fine food whilst offering a warm friendly welcome.

Despite arriving shortly after 6pm, we noticed the lack of spaces in the car park. This didn’t bode well, but undeterred we made our way inside to be greeted by Alfie, the pub dog after whom the pub is named. I remembered him from my previous visit, although I have to say that with his rough coat, and absence of a long pointed face, he doesn’t look like the archetypal lurcher.

I enquired at the bar as to whether the pub had a table free, but the friendly barman informed us there was nothing available until 8.30pm. This would have suited me, but Mrs PBT’s likes to partake of her main evening meal a couple of hours earlier than that.

Disappointed, but not entirely surprised, we decided to stay for a drink, before heading back to the chain restaurant at the Premier Inn. The Lurcher prides itself on only stocking cask beers from local Norfolk breweries. The other Saturday there were three beers from Grain Brewery and one from Beeston.  I went for the Grain THREEONESIX, a pale-coloured and well-hopped beer, which I scored at 3.5 NBSS.

It was a nice evening, so we went and sat outside, at one of the tables overlooking the large pond, at the far end of the car park. We were unable to stay for another beer, as a phone call to Table Table revealed that we could reserve a place at 7pm, but after that there was nothing available until an hour later.

A quick thrash back along the A47 saw us pulling into the Premier Inn car park with minutes to spare, and was a shame as I would have liked to linger a while longer at the Norfolk Lurcher.  Despite the disappointment over the lack of dining space – surely a testament to the pub’s popularity, my good lady wife was quite taken with the place, so I have pencilled it in as somewhere to stay on our next visit to Norfolk.

For me, it would be just like my solo visits to the county; a room in a pub, above a bar stocked with several excellent beers. What more could a thirsty traveller desire?  

Probably NOT the best beer in the world

I picked up these “bad-boys” a week ago at the George Inn in Southwark, after attending the Annual General Meeting of the British Guild of Beer Writers. Prior to the AGM, the Guild had held a seminar about "branding," which aimed to show how beer has led the way in bringing a fresh and innovative approach  to drinks packaging.

I wasn’t able to attend the event, but amongst the questions posed by the seminar were: How, why and where do brewers find the inspiration for their packaging? And how can breweries turn a re-brand to their advantage? Does this matter, and how important is sustainability when it comes to packaging?

A representative from Carlsberg was at the seminar, but to maintain a balanced presentation, so was the sales & marketing manager from Harvey’s. You may remember the latter successfully re-branding their portfolio a few years ago, but for the purpose of this post, it’s Carlsberg that I want to concentrate on. For a start I have the Danish brewer to thank for the six-pack of cans, you can see in the photo.

Unless you’ve been asleep these past few months you would know that Carlsberg have recently re-launched their standard “cooking lager" here in the UK, replacing it with a re-vamped brew called Carlsberg Danish Pilsner. The decision came on the back of declining sales for all main stream lagers, including Carlsberg, rather than the “change of heart” claimed by the brewery.

This relates to  the current ads that Carlsberg are running, which pour cold water on its famous strap-line that it brews “probably the best beer in the world.” Now the brewery have admitted that its standard lager was not up to scratch, and even gone as far as suggesting the former head brewer has met a sticky end.

All marketing b*sh*t of course, but what Carlsberg have done is, in their words, “Re-brew the beer from head to hop, to deliver a smoother, fuller mouth-feel and a perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness.” They have also tried to retain the light, refreshing qualities of its predecessor.

Carlsberg then go on to talk about “Distinctive citrus and floral hop aromas that deliver greater depth of flavour, and a hoppy moreish aftertaste, that will stay with you until the final sip.” Despite such glowing words, it is worth remembering that the beer remains at 3.8% ABV (too weak for a Pilsner, in my opinion), and is brewed at the company's UK plant in Northamptonshire, rather than in Copenhagen.

Carlsberg had obviously turned up at the seminar with the intention of winning over hearts and minds, as they brought with them a massive stack of tinnies. These were available to take home, for Guild members attending either or both events. It therefore seemed rude not to take advantage of their hospitality, and to grab a six-pack for me to try at home.

My excuse was the cans were for my son, who is a well-known lager lout drinker, but I was actually quite keen to sample the beer for myself, particularly given all the hype surrounding it. One claim put forward by Carlsberg that I do whole-heartedly agree with is that of  “Minimising the beers’ environmental impact".

This is because the cans utilise Carlsberg's snap-pack glue joins, which do away with the more-or less universal plastic ties, used to hold the cans together. Cans in the multi-pack are held together by small dollops of specially developed glue, which can be snapped apart.. Carlsberg claims this innovative system will reduce plastic use by 1,200 tonnes across their global brands every year.

So what is the beer actually like? Well, I have to say it tasted considerably better than I expected although, as stated previously, it is not really strong enough to call itself a true Pilsner. There was certainly some hop aroma present when poured,  and there was some delicate malt notes in the background.

I can’t help thinking though that Carlsberg haven’t gone far enough with the re-vamp, by upping the strength to 4.4% - to match the classic Pilsner Urquell – the original pilsner, and the world’s first golden lager.

Despite these misgivings, I still managed to knock back several cans over the course of the weekend, so Carlsberg must be doing something right. It’s low strength allowed me to whet my whistle, without experiencing too much of an after effect from the alcohol.

For a more in-depth, and also a more balanced view of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, have a read of this article by  beer historian and published author,  Martyn Cornell, on his  Zythophile website.

Never travel on a Friday

Never travel on a Friday. How many times have I had that thought but then gone ahead and done exactly that. Invariably I end up stuck sitting in traffic for what seems like hours on end, having forgotten quite how bad it was the last time I set off on the last working day of the week. It’s a case of getting caught a few times on the hop, but then thinking it can’t possibly be so bad next time.

Oh yes it can, especially if last weekend’s trip to Norfolk was anything to go by. In fact I would say the volume of traffic was amongst the worst I have experienced in over 15 years of doing the trip on a regular basis. Rather than the usual shenanigans at the Dartford Crossing, the hold-up  this time round was on the M11, just north of the junction with the M25.

There was nothing Mrs PBT’s and I could do except sit in the car and creep slowly forward. We stopped at Birchanger services on the M11; somewhere I would normally avoid, but with bladder capacity almost reached, and the hunger pangs catching up with us, the Waitrose sandwich,  cup of coffee and “comfort break” were all much needed.

There was another hold-up, further on; this time as we approached the Barton Mills roundabout. This was down to just sheer volume of traffic, so I decided to turn off, up towards Brandon and Swaffham, passing the massive USAF airbase at Lakenheath, en route. Unfortunately the town of Brandon was snarled up as well, but by then I was almost passed caring.

I could almost do the drive up to Norfolk in my sleep, as I know every stretch of the road, every roundabout and virtually every pot-hole, along the M11 and A11. Mrs PBT’s and I were journeying up to Norfolk in order to visit my father in his care home. It was just over three months since I last saw him, although my sister had been to visit him more recently.

It’s always difficult, especially when you’re feeling slight guilty for not having visited more frequently. It is perfectly possible to do a trip up to Norfolk and back in a day, but it does obviously depend on traffic conditions and how willing the driver (me!) is to remain in the saddle for five to six hours!

It is also feasible to do a day trip using public transport, especially as there are some real bargain rail fares available for advanced bookings. There is also a regular and frequent bus service which runs from Norwich station to Dereham, but that still leaves the final and most problematic leg of the journey.

It’s around three and a half miles from Dereham town centre to dad’s care home in the village of Gressenhall, but it’s not a journey I’d want to undertake as a pedestrian. With no footpaths once you reach the edge of the town, and narrow roads busy with speeding traffic, walking is not an option; much as I enjoy being on foot.

A pre-booked taxi, for that final leg, is the answer, but the last time I made the journey I had to re-schedule the taxi, as my train was delayed for 45 minutes at Ipswich, on the outward journey. (That day was a Friday, too!). Taxi companies are often fully booked for the return school run, during term time, and having to change my pick-up time, meant I was left with only a limited amount of time at the care home. Despite these pitfalls, I am still tempted to make use of the public transport option for future visits.

My preferred option though, is to make a weekend of it, and drive up either on a Friday or a Saturday, book into a convenient B&B, and combine the trip with a visit to dad, followed by some time spent enjoying all that Norfolk has to offer. I have been doing this for the last four or five years; more if I take into account the visits I made whilst mum was still alive.

Son Matthew would often accompanied me on these trips, but more recently Mrs PBT’s has decided to join me. The cynic in me would say that’s because my mother is no longer with us. The well known antipathy between wives and their mother-in-laws certainly limited my wife’s trips to Norfolk to just the occasional “duty visit,”  but that’s not really fair, as ever since her spell in hospital, last year, she has been much keener to accompany me on visits to see my father.

So now, instead of an unspoilt country pub, or a quirky B&B in the middle of nowhere, it’s the good, solid and eminently reliable Premier Inns, even if at times they are  somewhat more expensive. And with me picking up the bill, what’s not to like, as far as Mrs PBT’s is concerned!

Last weekend we again found ourselves at the Premier Inn, Norwich West, directly opposite the Norfolk County Showground. We have stayed there several times in the past, as its location to the west of Norwich means that dad’s care home is just a short 20 minute drive away.

Dad seemed much better than he’d done on my previous two visits, and rather than falling asleep in his chair, he was up and walking about. We stayed whilst he had his dinner, and watched him demolish both courses with some relish. Seeing him active and alert like that made the trip all the more worthwhile.

We didn’t get up to that much on the pub front, particularly on that first evening, as after nearly five hours behind the wheel, neither of us fancied jumping into the car again, even for a short while. Instead we popped next door to the Table Table (daft name for an eatery) chain restaurant, adjacent to the Premier Inn.

We’d eaten there before of course, and whilst the food offering is pretty good for a chain, the beer range is piss-poor. With Doom Bar as the only cask ale, and some very lacklustre, big-name international brands of lager (Carling, Stella & San Miguel), on sale, Table Table’s saving grace was bottled Brew Dog Punk IPA – despite its eye-watering price of £4.50 for a 330ml bottle!

We ate there on the second night as well, but only because the pub we’d driven out to was fully booked. In my defence I had tried to book, but the pub is closed afternoons, between 2.30pm and 6pm, and they don’t answer the phone during that time!

The name and location of the pub will be revealed in a future post, but we did manage a drink there after making a frantic phone call to reserve a place at Table Table. You leave me enjoying my roast breast of chicken and rack of ribs, complete with bottle of Brew Dog Punk IPA. 

Until next time……………….

The George, Southwark - a slice of history

I was in London on Tuesday evening, attending a function at the historic George, in Borough High Street, just a short hop from London Bridge station. The meeting I was at, took place in one of the upstairs rooms, in the galleried section of this old coaching inn, and when the evening’s business was over, there was beer and sandwiches for those in attendance.

I will reveal the nature of the meeting later, although it is not particularly relevant to this narrative, but for now, the main reason for writing this article is to draw peoples’ attention to the pub itself, as it is a real survivor from a bygone age.

The George dates from the 17^th Century and is London’s last remaining galleried coaching inn. As such the building is Grade1 listed, but despite this, it is worth remembering that today’s pub is just part of a building which, in its heyday, was much more extensive. The George is tucked away from the busy Borough High Street, and is reached by means of a passageway marked by a wrought iron arch bearing the pub’s name.

Unsurprisingly given its pedigree, the George is owned by the National Trust, although it is leased to Greene King who, it must be said, make a pretty good job of running it on a day to day basis. The company have also opened up and restored parts of the building which were not previously accessible by the public. These include some of the upstairs rooms, which would once have been bedrooms for guests, either arriving or departing  by one of the many horse-drawn coaches which once operated from the inn.

My first visit to the George took place with an old school friend, back in the mid-1970’s, and it’s no exaggeration to say that the place literally took my breath away. It was like stepping back into a bygone age, with its picturesque, galleried upper stories overlooking the courtyard, and its narrow entrance leading to the busy thoroughfare beyond. I thought I knew London reasonably well, but was really surprised that such an ancient old building was still standing, given the ravages of the Great Fire, the Blitz and modern day property developers!

Stepping inside the pub was equally impressive. With its bare wooden floors, low-beamed ceilings and the serving hatch for a bar, the interior was every bit as good as the outside. The section of the pub which my friend and I visited that day is the area on the far right. Today it is known as the Parliament Bar, so named because of the old Parliamentary Clock hanging on the wall, above the fireplace, but the bar was once a waiting room for stage coach passengers

I still remember my surprise on that first visit at finding the beer being dispensed from an unusual, and rather ancient set of beer pumps, which resembled a cash register. They were reputed to be over 200 years old, and back then dispensed two different draught beers; namely Draught Bass (or Bass Pale Ale as it was then called) and London-brewed Whitbread Bitter. I was pleased to note the other evening, that these unusual “cash-resister style” beer pumps, are still there, even though they are no longer in use.

I have, of course, been back to the George on numerous occasions since that first visit, four and a half decades ago, and if anything the pub seems to have increased in popularity over that period. I was therefore somewhat surprised to discover that, the following morning at work, when I mentioned my visit to a few of my colleagues, not many of them had heard of the George, or knew its historical significance.

During medieval times, there were many such inns in this part of London. Probably the most famous of them was the Tabard which Chaucer used in 1388, as the starting point for his Canterbury Tales.  In 1677 a serious fire destroyed most of medieval Southwark including the two inns, so the Tabard and the George were subsequently rebuilt. However, only the George survives today as, despite its historical significance, the Tabard was demolished in the late nineteenth century.

This is because, with the coming of the railways, the old coaching inns fell into disuse, as their original purpose had been superseded by a faster and more efficient means of transport . The George itself was acquired by the Great Northern Railway, who used the premises as a depot, and pulled down two of its frontages to build warehousing. Now just the south face remains, as a splendid survivor from a bygone age.

So, returning for a short while to the other night’s visit, I was at the George for the Annual General Meeting of the British Guild of Beer Writers. This was my fourth such meeting, and incidentally the second Guild AGM I have attended at the George.

I’m not going to write anything about the meeting, because unless you were there (and you would have to be a Guild member for that), you would probably find the whole thing rather boring. What I will say though, is that the Guild’s current chairman, the well-known author and beer-writer Pete Brown, has written a book about the George, called Shakespeare's Local: Six Centuries of History Seen Through One Extraordinary Pub.

Now this isn’t a plug for Pete’s book, as I haven’t read it – not yet, that is! But after my recent visit, combined with all my others over the past 45 years, I fully intend to purchase a copy, and read up on the history and background of this fascinating old coaching inn.

Finally, if you haven’t been, and are a lover of old pubs, then do pay the George a visit. Unless you are a fan of crowds, I would recommend choosing  a quieter time, say just after the 11am morning opening. The beer is Greene King, but also includes a selection of different beers from other breweries; some which are unusual for the capital.

Do bear in mind though that given the location, and the fact the National Trust own the property, that prices are on the high side. Personally I feel that for a slice of history, the prices are worth it, but like everything in life that comes down to personal  choice.

Trappists go hi-tech

Back in November 2015, I wrote an article about the visit I made to the St Sixtus Monastery at Westvleteren in West Flanders. St Sixtus Monastery is the smallest of the 10 Trappist Monastery Breweries, with an output of just under 4,000 barrels, or 126,000 gallons, a year, but its beers are amongst the most sought after.

I was in Belgium for the 2015 European Beer Bloggers Conference, but didn’t actually set foot inside the abbey or even get much of a glimpse of the place. To say that the monastery, hidden behind its high brick wall, is rather secretive would be an understatement, but the world-class beers brewed by the monks can be enjoyed at the modern and spacious café, located just across from the abbey.

The café is known as In de Vrede, and not only can you drink the beer by the glass there, but you can also buy limited quantities of bottles to take home with you at the integral shop, (maximum of two six-packs per person). Those wishing to buy more have to do so at the monastery gate, and that is a much more fraught experience. 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, but more often than not, it is impossible to get through. It is claimed that at peak times as many as 85,000 calls are made per hour, and 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 manage to place an order 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 why bother, and why all this secrecy and fuss? The answer lies in the title of my 2015 post; “The Best Beer in the World?” Back in 2005, the beer-information website RateBeer.com ranked 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.

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 the brothers explained that the abbey had no intention of increasing its production, despite the clear demand for the beer. "We make the beer to live”, he said, “but we do not live for beer.” . In other words, they brew beer only in sufficient quantities to support themselves and their abbey, and are not in the business of brewing beer in order to win awards, or to make money

Despite this reticence, things are about to change at St Sixtus Abbey because, in a bid to stop the thriving black market in this most sought after of beers, the holy fathers have been forced to go digital. Because of its credence and ranking amongst the top beers in the world, Westvleteren 12, which has been brewed since 1838, is a highly sought after beer. The brothers sell a crate of 24 bottles for £40 at the brewery gate, and insist the beers should only be sold to private individuals and not businesses.

In practice, this does not always happen, as despite the ban, it is possible to buy Westvleteren 12,  in a number of off-licences and bars in Belgium, invariably at an inflated price. For example, a bottle can sell in Brussels for about £14, and reach up to £40 in the USA. Its providence is increased by the Trappist monks’ resolve to only brew as much each year as they need to cover their annual costs.

Things came to a head last year, when a Dutch supermarket chain placed 7,000 bottles on sale priced at £9 a bottle. The chain received a stern rebuke from the monks, although at the same time it prompted the holy fathers to abandon their complicated phone ordering system, described above, in favour of an online shop.

The new system allows orders to be placed at anytime, and the software  has been programmed to give first-time buyers an advantage over regular customers. Every beer and every shopper will be given an online code, which means customers can be linked to the beers they buy.

The beers must still be picked up from the abbey, and no customer can return until 60 days after their last purchase. This ruling was also enforced under the old system, as the monks demanded the registration number of their visitors' cars.

Speaking about the new system to Flemish broadcaster VRT, brother Manu Van Hecke, Abbot of St Sixtus Abbey said, “We like to give as many people as possible the opportunity to buy our beer at the right price.”  He went on to warn though that, “Anyone who does not adhere to the sales rules and abuses the system will be denied access to the web store."

The new system certainly seems a lot easier, although whether it can prevent the black-market sales, feared by the monks, remains to be seen. I mentioned in the 2015 article that a work colleague has a Belgian friend who visits England quite regularly. In the past he has brought over various Flemish beers for me, so now, given the new digital system, I am tempted to order a case of Westvleteren 12 and get him to deliver it next time he comes over.

Finally, I wish to express my solidarity with the monks of St Sixtus Monastery, along with my contempt for sites, such as RateBeer, which created this un-holy mess in the first place. They have turned the world of beer drinking into little more than a glorified, "list-ticking exercise", rather than what it should be – the appreciation and enjoyment of  good beer.

No self-respecting beer lover needs a ranking site to tell them what to drink; especially as such a forum can be open to manipulation. Why not make your own mind up? Don’t follow the crowd; do some proper research of your own. Get out there and try these beers for yourself. Even better, try and visit some of the places where they are produced, and experience how better these world classic beers taste on their home turf.