Scarce Suds

The internet has brought about serious changes in the power wielded by consumers these days. Online review sites have enabled people to research products before having to go and shell out their hard earned cash. This comes with a darker side though.

Apparently some Belgian monks have been forced to stop selling their famous beer after it was voted the best in the world and was promptly sold out. In Westvleteren of western Belgium there is an abbey called Saint Sixtus which is home to 30 Cistercian and Trappist monks who lead a life of seclusion, prayer and manual labour (read : beer-brewing).

When thousands of beer enthusiasts from 65 countries on the RateBeer Web site (www.ratebeer.com) in June rated the Westvleteren 12 beer as the world's best, chaos ensued. The abbey only has a limited brewing capacity, and was not able to cope with the beer's sudden popularity. The resulting crush of consumers sucked the supply line dry leaving many a beer connoisseur with empty steins.

The monks changed their answering machine to say "Our shop is closed because all our beer has been sold out," and the abbey has no intention of making more beer to quell the thirsty masses. "We are not brewers, we are monks. We brew beer to be able to afford being monks," the father abbot is quoted as saying.

One monk told a daily paper that "Outsiders don't understand why we are not raising production. But for us life in the abbey comes first, not the brewery." I for one applaud their resolve. Most institutions would crumble under the possibility of the income. Beginning with the best of intentions, they would boost production to create a larger income stream with which to do the "lord's work". The mass cash flow would ultimately corrupt and the abbey, saturated in cash, would tear itself apart in conflict over what to do with the glut of cash. While the fight raged on, a crooked monk would dash off with the cash, forgo his vow of isolation and celibacy, and party like it's 1999.

At least that's the way they want you to believe it. I think that this is actually a brilliant move on their part to boost enrollment. Crazed beer fanatics will sign up to become monks and live the pious life. They would thumb their nose at the rest of the world, safe in the knowledge that the rest of the beer drinking world would be at their mercy. Doomed to drink second rate suds at the abbey's whim.

Damned beer illuminati!!