We took off from Brussels mid morning - just after ten - through the Flanders countryside.  The terrain flattened; without obstruction, the scope of view extended until the morning haze drowned everything out.  Canals joined patches of hardwood forests as the only delineation between the tilled and sprouting fields.  The scene fit comfortably onto canvas, colors seeming to carry the texture of brush strokes and signature of a Flemish painter.  Just outside the frame, we approached the nexus of beer mystery: Westvleteren Brewery at St. Sixtus Abbey.