Trappist- A Monestic Beer

Beer is the 3rd most consumed beverage

in the world behind water and tea!!!
During last year’s summer vacations, I happened to visit a beer café in
Delhi which flaunted more than 50 international brands of beer and
seven beers on tap which are better known asdraught beers and are
served from storage vessel called kegs. Once I entered this place, I
thought of entering a Labeorphilist hideout by mistake. I went through
their Beverage list & was amazed to see, quiet a few brands of
Belgian beer. Belgian beer in itself is a quality beer which is made by
old tradition of fermenting beer and have various types i.e. Lambic,
Saison, Scotch Ale, Pale Ale, Blonde Ale, Brown Ale, Stout, wheat,
etc. In most of the bars in India we may not find more than ten or
fifteen beers and couple of draft beers. In this particular bar I am
talking about, besides having good stock of Belgian beers like Duvel,
Liefmans, Fruli, Leffe Blonde, Hoegaarden etc I was astonished to
find a Monistic beer Chimay, in the menu which prompts me to write
about it. Indeed this place was a real beer drinker’s paradise & I could
not resist asking the bartender about similar/ franchise outlets in the
city. To my surprise he informed me that there are already three more
such outlets in Delhi/ NCR region. I reckon that beer is going to come
in a big way in India as the tropical climate and spicy Indian food both
supports it.

Belgium has the most number of individual beer brands in the world.
400+brands!!
In the Middle Ages, some Church’s adopted beer, a popular and
profitable drink. This was to attract moneyless pilgrims, and also provide a
healthy drink to the tenants of its abbeys, the monks. It is a known fact that
water, even coming from a source, becomes contaminated in various ways.
Beer, needing the water to be boiled, constituted a drink which was easy to
manufacture and rather healthy from a biological point of view.
Over the centuries, the quality of beer improved so much so that it
brought fame to the brewery’s which manufactured it. It is estimated that in
the year 1000, there were approximately 500 monastic breweries.
Trappist beer is an ale, that is brewed only in Trappist monasteries, or
under license of a Trappist monastery. There are 174 Trappist monasteries
worldwide but only a chosen few are authorized to produce Trappist beer.
These beers are identified as "trappiste" and are made by only ten breweries
in the world; six of them in Belgium and Two in the Netherlands and one in
France and Austria each. In fact, during last decade Engelszell (Austria)
i.e. 7/2/2012, Mont des cats (France) 16/6/2011, and Tilburg 7/10/2005
(Holland) have been assigned the trappist logo and these are considered
relatively new to join the élite convent of trappist beers.
The six abbeys in Belgium are Orval, Chimay, Rochefort,
Westvleteren, Westmalle and Achel.The first such brewery in Belgium is
Westmalle which started its operation in 1836, almost 50 years after the
French revolution. Le Trappe was the only authorized Trappist beer having a
trappist logo, that indicates compliance to the various rules framed by the
International Trappist Association. In the year 2005, Tilburg was also
assigned a Trappist logo. There are commercial versions, not brewed under
the control of monks, which are referred to as “bière d’abbaye” or “abbey
beer. Abbey is a Catholic monastery under the leadership of Abbot or Abbess
who serves as spiritual father or mother of the community. Trappist beers are
relatively strong, malty, and fruity, with a unique spiciness. They are also
slightly acidic that sets them apart from all other ale traditions.

Le Trappe
It is a top fermenting, bottle conditioned beer from Koningshoeven Trappist
monestry. It has a range of four Trappist variations. First there is a fresh and
fruity, pale-amber coloured brew made for everyday consumption called
Blonde earlier called Enkel meaning single (6.5%ABV). Second in line is a
dark, deep-red, dry Dubbel (6.5%ABV), which is followed by a paler and
more bronze-coloured Spicier brew called Tripel (8%ABV). The Reddish-
colured rich brew called Quadrupel (10%ABV) is the strongest and is
suitable for being a nightcap. It also produces a beer from wheat called Witte
Trappist(6.5%ABV).
Orval
This classic ale (6.2%ABV) is outstanding in its flavour and complexity and
is brewed by the trappist monks at their monastery near the border of
Luxemburg and Belgium. Its colour is cloudy amber and has a decent head.
The monks ferment Orval three times. German and Stryrian hops give this
beer a long bitter finish.
Chimay
This is a rich reddish brown trappist ale with a spicy, fruity flavour and the
abbaye de Notre-Dame de Scourmont. This beer has three variations –The
first one called Chimay Rouge (Red Label 7%ABV), brewed in Abbey 1862
it their flagship beer. Tasting notes include lively carbonation, mildly sweet,
apricot flavour and hint of chocolate and a touch of bitterness. This beer
should be served at the celler temperature. Secondly Chimay Blanche
(White Label 8%ABV) also known as Chimay Triple has amber blonde
colour and should be served at a temperature of 6-8ºC.Finally, Chimay Bleu
( Blue Label 9%ABV) is a true Belgian dark beer and was firstly designed as
a Christmas beer. It is marketed as 75cl bottle labeled as Grande Reserve.
The Chimay Blue has flavors of roast malt, nuts, cinnamon, & a small bit of
sweetness.
Achel
It is a trappist beer brewed in Achel Brewery near the Dutch border. This
beer has two variations i.e. Brune and Blond. Achel Brune is an amber beer
brewed by the trappist monks at the Achel brewery near the Dutch border. It
has taste of hops and is bit yeasty. Secondly, Achel Blond is a cloudy orange
colour beer. It has a Nice carbonation – the flavour starts sweet caramel,
going into a complex explosion of flavors before the yeast becomes
apparent. Finish has some bitterness.
Rochefort
Brasserie de Rochefort is a Belgian Trappost brewery which produces three
trappist beers. These are. Rochefort 6 (red cap, brown beer, 7.5% ABV).
Reddish colour, brewed only about once per year, representing only 1% of
total beer production. Secondly, Rochefort 8 (green cap, brown beer, 9.2%
ABV). Yellowish-brown colour, with more fruits and variety constitutes the
largest proportion of production. Finally, Rochefort 10 (blue cap, dark beer,
11.3% ABV). Reddish-brown colour. This beer tastes best in original
Rochefort glass at a temperature of 14°C or 52°F. This beer has a shelf life
of 5 years.
Westvleteren Brewery
It is a Belgian brewery founded in 1838 inside the Trappist Abbey of Saint
Sixtus of Westvleteren. The brewery's three beers have acquired an
international reputation for taste and quality. The bottle of Westveteren is the
only such beer which does not have an official trappist logo displayed on the
bottle. The brewery currently brews three beers. Firstly Westvleteren Blonde
(green cap), 5.8% ABV, this was introduced in 1999.Secondly, Westvleteren
8 (blue cap) (formerly Extra), 8% ABV. Finally, Westvleteren 12 (yellow
cap) (formerly Abt), a 10.2% ABV, introduced in 1940.The best serving
temperature is around 14°C
Westmalle Brewery
It is a Belgian trappist brewery located in the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle.
The brewery produces three beers. Firstly, Westmalle Dubbel is having
alcoholic percentage of 7% ABV . Westmalle Tripel having alcoholic
percentage of 9.5% ABV was first brewed in 1934. After a long secondary
fermentation Westmalle Tripel is bottled with a dose of sugar and
yeast. Westmalle Extra is a 5% ABV beer with limited availability, i.e.
a patersbier. The best serving temperature is around 8°C – 14°C.

Last but not the least, the shelf life of these beers in bottle is around 2-
5years which is many months/ years more than a lager bottled beer. If you
happen to visit such a café do not forget to taste one of the incredible beer
trappist beer which offers you a choice in alcoholic content, variety,
bitterness, froth and its shelf life.

Ashwani Kachroo; IHM Gurdaspur.

_____________________________________________________________