Trappist Monks Forgive Dutch Supermarket Beer ‘Rip-Off’ For Easter

Well it wouldn’t be very Christian if they didn’t, right? (We just added the ‘Easter’ part to keep this report timely).

Here’s the deal…

We recently reported on the Mad Monks from the abbey of Saint-Sixtus in Westvleteren who jumped ugly when they learned that their prized Abbey Ales which can only be purchased at their brewery were being resold at The Dutch supermarkets Jay Linders at a huge markup.

And given that the brewery only sells these prized beers for personal consumption and it takes special care to ensure that their beers don’t show up on the resale market…the monks unleashed their righteous wrath.

Of course the beer sold out at Jay Linders almost immediately (after all this kind of thing NEVER happens) but there’s more…

According to the NL Times the “Dutch supermarket chain bought the beer through “purchasing partners,” noting that the valued ales which  sell for 1.66 euros the abbey were being resold at 9.95 euros a bottle only added further fuel to the fire of an already contentious situation.

But the threat of litigation still lingered until just recently when  a spokesperson from the cloister told Belgian broadcaster VRT that the abbey would not be suing the supermarket chain (good thing its Easter season) for reselling their ales without permission.

And the Dutch supermarket chain, promised that they’d promised never again to sell their acclaimed Westvleteren Trappist beer in their stores (without permission).

Jan Linders previously told a VRT broadcaster that “We may have underestimated the sentiment that has arisen here.”

To which we can only respond…yah think?