(BELGIUM & AUSTRIA) – Big news out of Europe today concerning the Trappist brewing world…

Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren) holds the title of best beer in the world on both Beer Advocate and RateBeer. In order to get a hold of that top beer, Westvleteren 12, people from all over the world travel to Belgium to visit the brewery and cafe across the street where the beer is served. Various Dutch news outlets are reporting today that this could soon change…

HLN.be reports that the Abbey is out of code and needs significant alterations in order to satisfy fire safety regulations. In order to finance the renovations, the Abbey is considering striking a deal with a supermarket chain called Colruyt. Colruyt would sell gift packs containing three Westvleteren beers and a glass. An Abbey spokesman said that the brewery must produce more beer “at least temporarily” so this may not last forever if a deal is struck. Nothing is official as of yet.

Meanwhile, in Austria, the news of a possible 8th Trappist brewery in the works is flying under the radar. Here’s a summary of translated article, courtesy of a user at BabbleBelt:

“The seven trappist monks at Stift Engelszell in Austria would like to raise money for renovation of their buildings and decided to set up a brewery. The beer recipes are being developed by University of Apllied Sciences in Wels, Austria. Hofstetten Brewery from St. Martin im Mühlkreis is to send over their brewmaster for an initial period to oversee production. Stiftsbrauerei Schlägl is said to do the bottling of the beers. If Engelszell is granted the requested permit to use the protected Trappist logo on its beers, they might be on sale within a year.” The article says that while the beer has even been found in China, the Trappist recognition will give the brewery additional exposure.