Westvleteren to begin labeling in 2015.

Noooooo I like the unlabeled bottles!

 

I guess a lot of people were accidentally getting this at the grocery store and not knowing it was beer

 

And to quote a post from the op @beerpirates:
My source ( in flemisch )

http://trappistbier.wordpress.com/

Last week was here and there to read and hear that on the famous Brown bottles of the trappist Westvleteren's should come a label. A new European regulation want ingredients mentioned on foods.

All that info would not fit on the Crowncork of the famous trappist. "But the European rule does not apply to our beer", emphasizes Mark Bode, spokesman for the Abbey of Saint Sixtus. He is not set up with the stream of messages that the Abbey will have to provide labels on its so typical "naked" bottles. "A few days ago I had a short telephone interview with a reporter of a particular newspaper. What has appeared in subsequent articles, I certainly have not said. It is true that Europe wants stricter standards for the labelling of food. In concrete terms, on the European Regulation No 136/66/EEC. 1169/2011 about giving food information to consumers. But article 16/4 allows the labelling of beverages containing more than 1.2% by volume of alcohol, free from the indication of the ingredients list. The directive shall enter into force on 13 december 2014, but does not apply to the bottles of Westvleteren. The FASFC (Federal Agency for the safety of the food chain, ed.) confirmed us that the current labelling of the trappist Westvleteren's corresponds to the requirements of the European regulation. The labeling on the bottle cap replaced by paper labels is not necessary. I hope all speculations and misunderstandings resolved. "

 

By the way, the incredibly interesting and creative podcast 99% Invisible did a story on Westvleteren a couple of years ago. The cap-only 'labeling' is mentioned, but the story is more about the abbey's decision to keep production small. Unlike a lot of podcasts about beer, I found it pretty interesting and mostly devoid of cringe-worthy mistakes. It obviously includes info that's pretty well known on a beer forum, but I'd recommend it nonetheless; well worth a listen:

http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/episode-55-the-best-beer-in-the-world/

 

And in all my data I generate, said the organization freak.

 

It was always sh*t. The bottles are not even wax topped.

 

Touche.