Trappist Beer

On December 29th, 2010, a fire broke out during the evening meal at the Trappist Abbey of Rochefort, Belgium. The massive flames rolled through the complex of buildings and eight fire engines fought back the flames. At the news, hundreds of beer enthusiasts spluttered: Are the monks alright? While deep down inside, they prayed: What about the Belgian beer? By morning, the abbey and mayor were happy to report that no one had been hurt and that the library and brewery had survived. An inaudible sigh of relief rippled through the beer connoisseur community, signifying the importance of Trappist beer.What is Trappist Beer

Comparable to Rolls Royce, Dom Perignon and the Hope Diamond, Trappist represents a unique classification of Belgian beers. In 2010, Beer Advocate updated its Top 10 list of Best Beers on the Planet. Four were Belgian brews; three boasted the coveted Trappist Beer designation.

All Trappist beers satisfy two requisites:

• They must be brewed onsite at a Trappist Abbey in Belgium
• They must be brewed for non-profit purposes

The result is high-quality, full-bodied beer with a floral bouquet and smooth finish.

Recipes date back hundreds of years when Cistercian monks brewed beer for consumption within the monastery while allotting the surplus to the poor. Fast forward to 1950, only six abbeys maintained brewing traditions that filled their halls with the fragrance of grain mash and allowed Trappist monks to be economically self-sufficient. Each abbey produces a precise amount of beer annually, selling their wares and utilizing the funds to maintain buildings, pay laypeople wages, and support charity efforts throughout the region.

As Father Pierre of Rochefort Trappist Abbey stated in a 2001 Beer Passion interview: “We do not live to brew. We brew to live.”

The Official Trappist Beers

At one time, a dozen Cistercian monasteries produced Trappist beer. Now only a few remain in accordance to strict traditions and age-old recipes. Each site is an active community where monks oversee production, pray, grow vegetables, and remain cloistered from greater society.

More than great brews, these Trappist beers represent history, charity, precision, and passion:

• Chimay is the oldest and most label-recognized Trappist beer. It’s lauded for creating the first brewery for bottling and selling beer for self-sustainability.
• Westmalle began shortly after. Smooth and fruity with a golden hue, the Westmalle Tripel is called “The Mother of all Tripels”.
• Orval has a long history, dating back to 1100’s. In their archives and ruins, evidence shows that a brewery had always existed on the premised.
• Achel tucks its brewery away in the middle of the countryside. Of their five Trappist beers, three are marketed worldwide while two may only be enjoyed at the abbey.
• Westvleteren crafts three Trappist beers that may only be purchased at the abbey. The Trappist beer is sold by the crate and under the stipulation that visitors will not resell. Two of their brews are included on Beer Advocate’s top ten list. Westvleteren 12 is glorified as the Number One Beer of the World.
• Rochefort creates Trappist beers that are full-bodied, dark, and fruity. Rochefort 10 consistently appears on Beer Advocate’s top ten list