Monastery Masterpieces - Trappist Ales
When we think about Belgian beers in general and monastery ales in particular, we conjure up images of chanting, robed monks toiling away in ancient breweries to produce dark, heavy beers served in taverns like those in Game of Thrones. It’s romantic imagery but it’s not the reality of Trappist and Abbey brewers today. Today it’s more likely to be men and women working in modern breweries with the odd copper boil kettle and seldom a monk to be found.
Trappist and Abbey breweries produce a sizeable range of finely crafted specialty beers in a variety of strengths. While some have a heritage going back to the Middle Ages, many styles were invented in the twentieth century. Monastery beers and brewing have evolved over time and continue to do so.
What’s the Difference between Trappist and Abbey beers?
Trappist beers are brewed by Trappist monks in only fourteen breweries worldwide – six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands and one each in Austria, Italy, Spain, France, England and the United States. The Catholic Trappist Order is an offshoot of the Cistercians and originated at the La Trappe monastery in France (not to be confused with the Dutch La Trappe brewery). The order follows a number of strict rules demanding hard work and being self-supporting.
Abbey beers are made in the same styles as Trappist beers, only they are brewed by non-Trappist orders or by non-religious commercial brewers. As more of these breweries began to introduce similar beers and call them “Trappist,” the Trappist orders formed the International Trappist Association (ITA) and basically trademarked the Authentic Trappist Product designation and logo. The ITA closely regulates which breweries can call their products “Trappist” and use the Authentic Trappist Product logo. To use the logo, the following requirements must be met:
All products must be made within the immediate surroundings of the abbey;
Production must be carried out under the supervision of the monks or nuns;
Profits should be intended for the needs of the monastic community, for purposes of solidarity within the Trappist Order, or for development projects and charitable works.
Beers that do not meet these requirements and do not gain approval of the ITA are referred to as Abbey beers (Bières d'Abbaye or Abdijbier). They may be produced or contracted by non-Trappist monasteries, or commercial brewers, or given a somewhat religious branding by a commercial brewer. They may even be branded as a fictitious or defunct abbey. Many Abbey beers are as good as, if not better than, their Trappist counterparts.
How did monks come to make beer?
Hops were not in wide use back then, but that was changing. As hops rose in popularity, they were used as both flavoring and preservative agents for beer. Beers with no hops or few hops had a short shelf life and could not be distributed much further than local towns and villages. Larger proportions of hops were found to extend the shelf life of beer and make it more stable during transport. Thus, the monks were no longer restricted to just their local area. They could market their beers in other towns as well.
Trappist breweries thrived until the early 1800s, when the French Revolution threw France and the rest of Europe into upheaval. Monastery lands and property were confiscated and most monasteries were sacked and looted. The monks had to flee France and scattered throughout Europe. Many Trappist monks ended up in the Abbey of Westmalle in Belgium, where they eventually began brewing beer. Once they had rebuilt their brewery, the first beer brewed was Westmalle Tripel, which was introduced in 1919. It is the first known Tripel in the world. Today, the Tripel style is one of the best-selling beers in Belgium, made by dozens of both monastic and non-religious breweries across the country.
Trappist monasteries who followed the Rule of St. Benedict were required to work to support the monastery and the community. In addition to growing their food, Trappist monks made and sold a variety of products including cheese, jams and jellies, bread, chocolate, honey and Trappist beer. In the Middle Ages, almost all water was contaminated. Drinking it resulted in severe sickness or death, so everyone (even children) drank beer or wine instead. Monastery breweries made beer and wine for the monks, and eventually produced enough to sell locally and to serve the well-to-do guests and pilgrims who typically stayed at monasteries when they traveled.
Beers Have Changed Since the Middle Ages
It bears mentioning that beer back then was different than beer is today. Most monastery beer was dark, dense and malty. It was not just to quench the thirst, but was an important source of nutrition. The Germans referred to it as “liquid bread.” Because most monasteries largely produced vegetables rather than meat, beer supplemented the monks’ diets with protein and with calories. The beer itself was not highly attenuated, meaning it had a high proportion of malt sugars remaining after fermentation. Highly attenuated beers have less sugar and more alcohol. Malt sugars have nutritional value, whereas alcohol does not.
Only 14 Trappist Breweries in the World
For a long time, there were only six Trappist breweries – five in Belgium and one in the Netherlands. A seventh, Achel, re-started its brewing operations in 1998, only to lose its Authentic Trappist Product status in 2021, because there were no Trappist monks on-premises to oversee the brewing operation. Achel still makes its beers and, because it now falls under the authority of Westmalle, they are still considered Trappist ales, even though they can no longer use the Authentic Trappist Product logo. Since 2000, new Trappist breweries have opened in the Netherlands, Austria, the United States, Italy, England and Spain.
Trappist Ales in Production as of 2021
At the time of this writing the monasteries above are the only Trappist breweries in the world. More will no doubt join the ranks in the future. Brewing beer is a good way for religious orders to generate income to run and maintain themselves and raise money for their charitable causes. More on the different Trappist ale styles in our next installment.