A Pricy Beverage

I have a query for my faithful readers: How much do you spend on a bottle of beer? On average I'm sure it's probably anywhere from $2 to $5 depending on what bar or grocery store you purchased said alcohol. I used to be a Budweiser or Miller Lite kind of guy, so my 6-pack price was relatively cheap. Recently I have been upgrading my taste in beer. As usual, this story must first be setup with a second story that I begin after starting the first story.

When my buddy Marcus moved to San Antonio around a month ago, he and I fell back into our old college ways of hitting up a bar a few times a week. Normally I have a beer at night right after a shower but before I cry myself to sleep in a fetal position. The benefit of having an old college drinking buddy back in town is we can relive the old days and drink like old times back in the old days, though our alcohol tolerance isn't what it used to be… not by a long shot. We were, like, the beer kings. Well, more I was the Beer Prince and Marcus was the Beer King. That boy could drink.

So we began to look for a good watering hole, settling on Flying Saucer. Because:

1: It is real close to my apartment. Worst case scenario I could walk home.

2: Their UFO Card.



Essentially their UFO card is a rewards program for drinking beer at their establishment. It is card that encourages you to drink, and the more you drink, the better the rewards. The goal is to try 200 different kinds of beer. When the 200 mark is reached you get your name printed on a Saucer. So Marcus and I decided it would be a fun goal to try for. Since I simplycouldn't drink 200 Budweiser, it forced me to expand my horizons.

Now when I go to the grocery store to buy beer, my 6-pack costs significantly more than before. There are so many other good beers I have discovered that put the generic stuff to shame. That began research into other facets of beer. Such as which beer is generally liked and which beer is generally spit out at the bartender who is then beaten for serving such a bitter brew?

After a little research, this led to the ultimate question:



What is the best beer in the world?





At first thought, I assumed this would be a relative question. After all, everybody loves something different and hates what his neighbor loves. So finding the world's best beer would be next to impossible to determine, right? I agree… or did.

Upon my quest to discover the world's best brew, I found that it wasn't that difficult to find what was widely accepted to be the best.

That title goes to Westvleteren 12.

(This is what the beer would look like if I took a picture)


Haven't heard of it? That's not surprising; it is brewed in a Belgium monastery. The monks do not export the beers. Literally the only way you can get a bottle is to travel there yourself and buy them from the monks. Or if you are lucky, find some one who did travel there and is willing to part with one. Now it may be the curiosity of the best beer ever or it may be that I simply cannot go up to HEB and pick one up… but I wanted to try it, bad.

As luck would smile down on me, I managed to find a single unopened bottle on sale on eBay. The guy recently returned from his trip to Belgium with his girlfriend and had one he wanted to part with.

I put in the bid, which was a bit high for my taste, and won!

The guy had a solid eBay rating, so it is legit… I think.

My bottle of Westvleteren 12 should arrive by Friday and I can give the ultimate beer, a taste. I just hope with the shipping costs, it will arrive in one piece. I can't tell you how excited I am to try what is called the "Best Beer in the World." This may be the and only time I get to try this. Hopefully it lives up to the expensive hype!

So how much did I spend on a single bottle of beer? I guarantee it's more than you have spent on a single bottle. Are you ready? For a single bottle of Westvleteren 12, dubbed the "Best Beer in the World" I paid $40.00.

And now you know.