Westvleteren Brewery

First off In De Vrede is a cafe next door that always has Westy available to drink on site. Sometimes if your lucky they have 6 packs to purchase as well. Just in case you can't get a case.

Also my suggestion that I make to everyone is to spend a weekend there and stay at the St. Bernardus B&B. If you have a significant other they will love it. It's 5 miles from Westvletren and a miles and a half from Watou. They also give you bikes to ride into town if you choose. If you don't rent a car you can have the local bell bus service drive you from place to place.

Drinking it is easy. Getting a case, not so much.

 

Spent a few days in Belgium last fall and did exactly what was suggested. Stayed at the St. Bernardus B&B and it was amazing! Headed over to the Westy cafe with no reservation and had no problem getting beers. We tasted all 3 that they had and then each person in our party got a 6 pack of 12 (the only one they had available). We rented a car to get around, they are pretty out in the country. If you do this trip I would also recommend hitting De Struise Brouwers - the best experience we had (open only 1 day a year). There is also a pub right across the street that had amazing food and beer selection.

 

You can also forgo making the trip to the Abby and drink the beer in bars around Brussels for like 15€. Way to expensive but you can sample it since you want to. Where in Deutschland you going to be at?

 

We visited the monastery a few years back and brought home a case of the 12. I woke up at 3AM I believe (living in Ontario at the time) and called for about an hour until I finally got through. Since we were renting a car, they let us use our drivers license to get the beer, I'm sure you could do the same. I imagine they would like you walk up, but I don't know how easy it would be to get there on public transit, and the beer would be quite heavy.

 

Yes, but your likelihood of getting mugged increases by x10000.

 

And you still have the wooden crate to take with you :-) and don't forget you can pick up 2 crates each time.

Try to call them a week before you visit them .. just look at the shedule. Hopefully its 12 that you can pick up then...

Just tell them that you are on foot and give them your name. I have 2 cellphones and 2 cars so every 3 months i go for a pick up

 

Look carefully at the website. You usually book the time segment the week before. So look at the left hand column. That's the time when you have a window to call - look at the arrow to see which time the following week, the phone call window applies to. The right hand column indicates the time when you can collect the beer. There's usually a one or two hour windows in which you have to sit and call again and again until you get though. I went in December. I called for one hour and did not get through. I called in a two hour window the next day and eventually got through. then picked up the beers the following Monday.

 

Looking for a Spencer trappist for a westy 12 :-)

 

I picked up a couple crates of the Blonde once. I was on foot. Got some strange looks from the people in the cars in front of and behind me while waiting in line. I just loaded up a couple backpacks - didn't have to pay the crate deposit - and was on my way. I brought the beer on the train without any issues, but I stayed within Belgium. Crossing borders might be different, but I highly doubt it.

If you want to reserve beer on the "beer phone" when you're going to be on foot, you just have to give them your U.S. license plate number, then just bring that number with you on a piece of paper when you visit. The monks are nice.

 

Crossing boarders to other EU countries will not be a problem at all since there is agreements on free movement inside the EU.

 

I can make that happen in September. PM me if you're interested.

-Mike

 

a) As Albin said: There are no boarder-controls within mainland-EU. And even if you hit one of the random tax-controls, you can bring 120 liters of beer (= 360 33cl-bottles) from one EU-country to the other tax-free.
b) weren't their rumours that you now have to have a car to pick the beer up? When I was their last time I forgot to verify this (as I always go there by car), but I roughly remember having heard such a thing…
c)Have fun! And if you hire a car, there are so many other great beer-spots in Belgium you can hit, like Fantôme, the different Gueze-breweries in the Brussels-area etc! --> :-) And let us know where you'll be staying in Germany for more tips!!

 

So what you're saying is don't try to bring it into Switzerland...

 

I don't about any car rumors, but if it's at all helpful, my on-foot pickup was in March 2011.

 

You can try and you'll probably go thru customs (if you go by car) with no problems. But! If you get caught you'll probably have to pay swiss taxes and may get a fine.

 

Let me know i Always have westy in the cellar :-)