Trappist beer

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Zundert (not pictured: Mount St Bernard Abbey
)
Bottles of Chimay represented on a mural of the railway station of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium).

Trappist beer is brewed by Trappist monks. Thirteen Trappist monasteries—six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, and one each in Austria, Italy, England, France, and Spain— produce beer,[1] but the Authentic Trappist Product label is assigned by the International Trappist Association (ITA) to just ten breweries which meet their strict criteria. As of 2021, Achel is no longer recognized as a Trappist brewery because it does not have any monks.[2]

History

The Catholic Trappist order originated in the

La Trappe, France. Various Cistercian congregations existed for many years, and by 1664 the Abbot of La Trappe felt that the Cistercians were becoming too liberal. He introduced strict new rules in the abbey and the Strict Observance was born. Since this time, many of the rules have been relaxed. However, a fundamental tenet that monasteries should be self-supporting is still maintained by these groups.[citation needed
]

Monastery brewhouses, from different religious orders, have existed across Europe since the

Bosnia and possibly other countries.[citation needed
]

In 1997, eight Trappist abbeys – six from Belgium (

Mariawald) – founded the International Trappist Association (ITA) to prevent non-Trappist commercial companies from abusing the Trappist name. This private association created a logo that is assigned to goods (cheese, beer, wine, etc.) that respect precise production criteria. For the beers, these criteria were the following:[3]

  • The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision.
  • The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life.
  • The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need.

The German Trappist abbey of Mariawald has not produced beer since 1953, however it is a founding member of the Trappist Association and uses the same Authentic Trappist Product logo for its other products.[citation needed]

As of January 2021, Belgium has only 5 Trappist beers (ATP) left since Achel lost its ATP designation due to the last monk leaving the Order. However, its Trappist beer (not ATP) production is still ongoing and has been taken over by Westmalle.[4] In 2012, Belgian Post honored the Trappist breweries in the country with a commemorative collection of stamps.[5] As of 25 January 2023, Achel lost its designation as a Trappist beer due to selling the abbey to a private person.

In the twentieth century, the growing popularity of Trappist beers led some brewers with no connection to the order to label their beers "Trappist". After unsuccessful negotiations, monks sued one such brewer in 1962 in Ghent, Belgium.[citation needed]

The Dutch brewery De Koningshoeven produces Trappist beers – branded La Trappe – that are able to carry the "Authentic Trappist Product" logo. Their use of the International Trappist Association logo was withdrawn in 1999, but was restored in October 2005 (see

Brouwerij de Koningshoeven for details). A second Dutch Trappist beer, branded Zundert and produced by Abdij Maria Toevlucht, made its debut in December 2013, and has also been granted permission to use the International Trappist Association logo.[citation needed
]

An expansion of ITA recognized breweries took place for the first time in 2012 when the trappist brewery of the abbey of Engelszell, Trappistenbrauerei Engelszell in Engelhartszell, Austria started brewing beer at the monastery (the former production had stopped in 1929) and in the same year obtained the Authentic Trappist Product logo for their beer.[6]

In December 2013, Maria Toevlucht's abbey (Zundert, the Netherlands) and St. Joseph's Abbey (Spencer, Massachusetts, United States) were both granted the ATP recognition for their Trappist beers, followed in 2015 by Tre Fontane Abbey brewery in Rome.[citation needed]

In June 2018, the monks of

Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire became the first in the UK to brew a Trappist ale.[7][8] Called "Tynt Meadow" (7.4% ABV), after the location of the abbey, it is available to visitors and sold through public outlets.[8]

Orval trappist beer

International Trappist Association recognised breweries

As of January 2022, fourteen Trappist monasteries that are members of the ITA have beers named after them — six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, and one each in Austria, Italy, England, France, Spain and the United States.[9]

Authentic Trappist Product label

In addition to being a Trappist brewery, the monastic communities that are members of the ITA can apply for the Authentic Trappist Product (ATP) label.[10] The following criteria are used for ATP label:[11]

  • 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.

List of Trappist breweries

There are currently thirteen breweries producing Trappist beer.[9] Ten of them (with the exception of Achel, Mont des Cats, whose beer is not brewed at their monastery but at Chimay,[12] and Cardeña from the Abbey of San Pedro de Cardeña, whose beer is currently produced off-site[13]) are allowed to display the Authentic Trappist Product logo on their beer products.[11] In January 2021, "Achel" of the St. Benedict's Abbey in Hamont-Achel lost the Authentic Trappist Product label, as the brewing process was no longer supervised by monks on site, but the beer remains a Trappist beer, as the Saint Benedict Abbey falls under the Westmalle Abbey and the abbot of Westmalle Abbey visits the Achelse Kluis every week and supervises the brewing and other activities in the Achelse Kluis.[14] In January 2023, the abbey was sold to a private person. From that day on, "Achel" lost the recognition as a Trappist beer. [15] In May 2022, St. Joseph's Abbey ceased beer production.[16] In May 2023, Stift Engelszell published an article about dissolution of the monastery and move all monks to other monasteries.

International Trappist Association recognized breweries
Brewery Location Opened Annual production (2004)
Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle  Belgium 1836 120,000 
hL (100,000 US bbl
)
Brouwerij Westvleteren (St Sixtus)  Belgium 1838 4,750 hL (4,050 US bbl)
Bières de Chimay  Belgium 1863 123,000 hL (105,000 US bbl)
Brouwerij de Koningshoeven
(La Trappe)		  Netherlands 1884 145,000 hL (124,000 US bbl)
Brasserie de Rochefort  Belgium 1899 18,000 hL (15,000 US bbl)
Brasserie d'Orval  Belgium 1931 71,000 hL (61,000 US bbl)
Stift Engelszell  Austria 2012 2,000 hL (1,700 US bbl)
St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts
Closed in 2022		  United States 2013 (closed 2022) 4,694 hL (4,000 US bbl)
Brouwerij Abdij Maria Toevlucht
(Zundert)		  Netherlands 2013 5,000 hL (4,300 US bbl)
Tre Fontane Abbey  Italy 2015 2,000 hL (1,700 US bbl)
Mount St Bernard Abbey (Tynt Meadow)  England 2018 2,000 hL (1,700 US bbl)
Mont des Cats (not ATP)  France 1826 N/A (not ATP)
Cerveza Cardeña Trappist (not ATP)  Spain 2016 N/A (not ATP)
Achel Abbey Recognition as Trappist beer lost in 2023 (abbey sold to a private individual)  Belgium 1850 N/A (not ATP)
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International Trappist Association recognised breweries in the world