Sint-Sixtusabdij - Westvleteren

If you are lucky You can make a deal with them infront and pick up the goodies at the door Anyway. Really nice to have been here You can anyway buy the good stuff at The Cafe In De Vrede at the same place

As said before, hard to rate. Only pre-sale with a fixed pick-up time. So far so good. Presenting your invoice, small talk (the guy at the pick-up point isn`t a monk), maybe time to buy some cake or cookies. Thats it. But: It is an absolute nice feeling, standing at St. Sixtusabdij and waiting for two crate of this beer. Very friendly mindset, very relaxed.

This is the selling point of the monastery. If you have not called beforehand they won't even sell you the small non-beer products and refer you to the shop in the Cafe In de Vrede. Their counter is build from Westvleteren crates and looks quite nice though.

Eigenlijk niet te spreken over hun manier van handelen. Regeltjes om ziek van te worden, onvriendelijk, ze verdienen niet dat iemand hun bier koopt, hoewel het zeer lekker is! Zowel mijn vader als ik hadden 2 bakken bier kunnen reserveren, omdat het voor ons 2,5 uur rijden is zijn wij samen opgereden. De broeder wou ons niet helpen en wij keerde met slechts 2 bakken naar huis omdat wij er maar 1 auto bij hadden.

It seems a lot of people mistake this (the abbey) for the café opposite the road (In de vrede), where is where you go to drink and eat. The abbey is closed to the general public and all you can do is buy some crates if you booked them in advance and you have an appointment or stroll around the monastery (scenic and quiet walk, so go for it if you take my advice). Then go and grab a seat at In de vrede and enjoy one of the finest ales in the world (be it 12, 8 or blonde) with some Trappist paté or cheese.

Travelling here is as close as you can get to a pilgrimage for a beer geek. Had to call 700 times with 2 cell phones before I was able to get through to order, but we got great service at the site.

Not sure if this really belongs in the database. Yes, you can buy the beer, only after calling in on the dates and times mentioned on the weekly changing schedule on-line and only for the scheduled beer (most of the times the 12). I typically go once or twice a year. In the first few years I’ve gone inside a couple of times, to attend the praying moments of the monks in the chapel.

Quite a nice place belonging to an abbey in the middle of nowhere. Certainly worth the trip though as it is the birthplace of Westvleteren 12, a beer worth all the praises it gets. Obviously the restaurant serves only Westvleteren beers and does not overcharge for them - I mean 5€ for the 12? Come on, it’s cheaper than what some pubs try to pass shitty beer for. Food is decent if uncomplicated - definitely a place to visit considering its renown.

Visited last year. well how to rate this indeed, its interesting for sure. Nice view etc, service was good, selection... tricky its only 3 beers but well it westvleteren.

Very beautiful exterior...the money from beer sales are clearly showing with the expansion that is in place. You can step inside during certain hours of the day but no photography and you must remain very quiet and respectful. there’s not much else you can do but it is pretty. I wouldn’t consider this place ratable because they abbey does not server beer, only sells it.