Authentic Trappist

I am back to my roots today doing what I love to do the most.  Reviewing beer.  This week’s entry is a classic and one of the best and readilly available Trappist ales around.  Before I get started with this week’s review, I want to briefly explain what Trappist actually means.

In order for a beer to be called a Trappist ale, the beer must meet the following standards:

• The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist abbey, by or under control of Trappist monks.
• Brewery and commercial operations must be run by the monastic community.
• The economic purpose of the brewery must be directed toward assistance (monastic or community) and not toward financial profit.

Today there are seven brewing Trappist abbeys—six from Belgium (Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Westmalle and Achel), one from the Netherlands (Koningshoeven). They all belong to an association of monastic breweries.  This association has legal standing and its logo gives to the consumer some information and guarantees about the product. However, any brewery can brew a Trappist or Abbey style, not to mention a Dubble or Triple but if you are looking for an authentic Trappist product you only need to see if it carries the logo below.