Highly sought after beer made by Belgian monks now being sold online

Previously customers for the coveted beers could only reserve a maximum of two crates and had to pick them up from the abbey gates, but online sales are now meant to solve its increasing demand.

Brother Godfried inspecting empty beer bottles in Westvleteren abbey Source: Reuters

Belgian Trappist monks who brew one of the world's most coveted beers believe they have finally cracked the problem of how to cope with runaway demand - online sales.

The Saint-Sixtus abbey, home to 19 monks, has been brewing since 1839 and selling to the public since 1878, limiting production so that brewing never took over monastic life or earned more than the community needed.

After World War Two they opted to sell only at the abbey gates, instead of via local cafes.

The system worked well until the Internet age and the birth of beer fan sites hailing Westvleteren XII, the abbey's heady 10.2% brew, as the best or one of the best beers in the world.

That led to a stampede and traffic jams in the countryside on the western edge of Belgium, prompting the monks in 2005 to set up a telephone system. This allowed customers to reserve two crates to pick up the following week and prevented them from buying again for 60 days.

Crates of the prized Westvleteren XII beer Source: Reuters

But it did not stop people finding ways to flood the system with calls or use different phone numbers and for some to put the beer up for sale elsewhere at vastly inflated prices.

Including a deposit, a crate of 24 costs 2.50 euros ($2.82) per bottle. The monks ask buyers not to sell to third parties, but in Brussels, Westvleteren XII can cost at least 12 euros and the monks say they have even heard of a single bottle on sale for $300 in Dubai.

Brother Godfried, one of the monks brewing the beer, said the final straw for change came last year when a Dutch supermarket got its hands on 7,200 bottles and sold them, in a campaign showing monks, at 9.95 euros each.

The new online sales system will stick to the principle that customers can only buy once every two months, but involve personal registration and also give priority to those whose last orders were the furthest in the past.

Traffic jams in the countryside on the western edge of Belgium, prompting the monks in 2005 to set up a telephone system to cope with demand Source: Reuters

Unlike at present, buyers will also be able to pick and mix from the three Westvleteren three beers - a 5.8% blond, an 8% ale, and the 10.2% dark ale that draws rave reviews.

The monks recognise it will not eliminate profiteers, but will make it harder to buy in bulk. They also hope the new system will make it easier for foreign beer lovers to order, although they will still have to come to the abbey to pick up the beer.