Trappist beer

Chimay is one of Belgium's famous Trappist beers

Trappist beer is brewed by Trappist monks. There are eight Trappist monasteries--six in Belgium, one in the Netherlands, and one in Austria.

Monastery brewhouses, from different religious orders, have been across Europe since the Middle Ages. The monastery of La Trappe in Soligny had its own brewery in 1685. Breweries were later added in monasteries of other countries as the trappist order spread from France into the rest of Europe. The Trappists, like many other religious people, first brewed beer to feed the community. Now, Trappist breweries also brew beer to pay for their works and for good causes. Many of the Trappist monasteries and breweries were destroyed during the French Revolution and the World Wars.

Types of beer

With the recent exception of Koningshoeven's Bockbier, Trappist beers are all top-fermented and mainly bottle conditioned. Trappist breweries use different names for the different beers produced. The names relate to their strength.

The best known is the system where different beers are called Enkel/Single, Dubbel/Double and Tripel/Triple. With the importance of the Holy Trinity in the church, it is unlikely that the choice of three types of beers was accidental. Enkels are now no longer brewed as such.

Colours can be used to tell the different types. This dates back to the days when bottles were unlabelled and had to be identified by the bottle-top alone. Chimay beer labels are based on the colour system (in increasing order of strength red, white and blue). Westvleteren beers are still unlabelled.

There is also a number system (6,8 and 10, as used by Rochefort), which gives an idea of strength. Achel combine a strength and a colour (of the beer itself—blond or brown).

Beers

The official Trappist breweries make the following beers:-

• Achel sells Blonde (8% ABV), Brune (8% ABV), Extra Blonde (8% ABV), Extra Brune (8% ABV).
• Chimay sells Red Label (dark, 7% ABV), White Label (Blonde/Tripel, ABV 8%) and Blue Label (dark, 9% ABV).
• Koningshoeven sells:
  • La Trappe Blond (6.5% ABV)
  • La Trappe Dubbel (7% ABV)
  • La Trappe Isid'or (7.5% ABV)
  • La Trappe Tripel (8% ABV)
  • La Trappe Quadrupel (10%V)
  • La Trappe Quadrupel Oak Aged (10% ABV)
  • La Trappe Witte Trappist (5.5% ABV)
  • La Trappe Bockbier (7% ABV) (Seasonal)
  • La Trappe PUUR (4.7% ABV) (organic)
• Orval sells a "unique" dry hopped 6.2% amber ale.
• Rochefort sells three dark ales, "6" (7.5% ABV). "8" (9.2% ABV) and "10" (11.3% ABV).
• Westmalle sells Dubbel (7% ABV) and Tripel (9.5% ABV),
• Westvleteren sells Green Cap or Blonde, (5.8% ABV), Blue Cap (dark, 8% ABV) and Yellow Cap (dark, 10.2% ABV).

Glassware

Belgian breweries have a tradition of providing custom beer glasses. The Trappist breweries often provide "chalice" or "goblet" style glasses.

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  Chimay beers and glasses

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  Orval beer's "chalice" glass

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  Rochefort beer's "goblet" glass

Trappist Beer Media

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  Bottles of Chimay represented on a mural of the railway station of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium).

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  Orval trappist-øl, brygget på Orval Kloster i det østlige Belgien. Juni 2013.

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  Glass of Westmalle Tripel

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  Thirteen trappist beers and their glasses.