ColoradoBear1;842042080 said:
Given the cost and time it takes to get to the abbey and get it back to the US, that means it's absolutely not prevalent in the US, $20-30 is well below market rate. There are a lot of people who will throw down $100 for a bottle just to try it... whether it's worth it is a function of who is buying. Are there lots of belgian beers in the $5-10 range that are just as good? I dunno, but they are still enjoyable.
Yes, there are! mainly Rochefort, which is the best beer in the world IMO (though Westvleteren is just as good). Unlike Westvelteren, Rochefort's grey market is fairly stable. It's available at BevMo for around $7/bottle, and it is also a small craft belgian trappist that you can only purchase in small crates at the monastery.
Both breweries have a range of 3 types of ales, Rochefort comes in the 6 (reddish), 8 (dark blonde) and 10 (dark). I'm surprise to find the red currently in stock at BevMo, because it's a very rare one.
Bo's BBQ in Orinda used to carry it, along with other great beers, and it actually goes incredibly well with american BBQ, their sweetness and complexities complement each other very well.
Other trappist beers (the designation means they are crafted inside monasteries by resident monks) like Achel and Westmalle are also excellent, though I prefer Rochefort. Orval a little less, while Chimay is the redheaded stepchild trappist beer that sold out, a much bigger operation and not up to par with the other trappists though still pretty decent.
Below the trappist designation you have abbey beers, most of which are still made under the supervision of monks but not necessarily in the premises, though some are almost purely industrial. But even the bigger operations are often excellent, like Affligem, which is a lighter more neutral-tasting ale with a very nice but more understated typically belgian aftertaste.
If you were to rank the top 100 beers in the world, at least 60 would be belgian, it's just one of the country's great gifts to the world. One caveat: the belgian style is not for everyone, it's a heavier and complex ale, often with a bittersweet taste structure (a taste that you find in many french desserts).
Most wine and scotch lovers will appreciate it though. It has layers of taste and complexity that you don't find in most other ales, somewhat like great scotch, brandies or wines, due to the double and triple-fermentation process (brewed once in vats, then re-fermented in the bottle). The beers actually age well, like wine. Just like a red wine though, some of these beers go better with food, and certain types of food as well. A triple blonde like Delirium Tremens goes extremely well with an indian curry, Rochefort or other darker triples go really well with BBQ or rich stews.
- My brother got one and is saving one for me. 