A beer brewed with love is drunk reasonably.
A motto among the devoted monks who produce some of the most sought after and unique tasting beer in the world. Of course, Im speaking of the Trappist monks who create those delectable beers we love.
Monks admiring beer is a common subject among Trappist-themed artwork these days.
The Trappist Way of Life
Its not just a bunch of monks in robes drinking beer all day. Before you put everything aside to join the O.S.C.O. (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) way of life just to get your hands on unlimited supplies of Westvleteren 12 or Rochefort 8, lets learn a little bit about the way of life responsible for making our beer.
First and foremost, only a handful of these monasteries make beer. In fact, only 11 of 170 (6.5%) monasteries are certified to sell beer under the Trappist name. They also only make and sell products as upkeep for the monastery. Any additional profit must be given to charity. Other common Trappist products are cheese, fruit preserves, and bread (each follows the same rules).
The monks adhere most closely to Saint Benedict's rule, and their vows reflect his rule. Those vows are of stability, fidelity to monastic life, and obedience. In addition to that, speaking only when necessary is ideal (monks do not take a vow of silence, but speak as little as possible). The reason they dont speak often, is to reduce the chances of following one's free will, and instead, focusing on following the will of God. Most of their day consists of prayer, reading, and manual labor.
The Beer and Breweries
Westmalle Abbey in Belgium. Westmalle produces a dubbel, tripel, and a limited release patersbier. Photo Credit http://bit.ly/1AU0FFh
There are set rules that a monastery must follow, regarding beer production, under the Authentic Trappist Product brand:
1. The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves, or under their supervision.
2. 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.
3. 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.
There are several styles produced by almost all of the Trappist breweries. The most common are the dubbel, tripel, and quadrupel (quad), with the dubbel being the lowest in ABV, and the quad being the strongest. Many monasteries also produce a patersbier (or Fathers beer) for consumption within the abbey. Patersbier can go by an enkel, or single. Other common beers produced are Belgian Dark Strong Ales (Rochefort, Westvleteren, and Chimay), and Blonde Ales (Spencer, Achel, Westvleteren). Orval makes its signature amber ale with brettanomyces.
As I mentioned before, there are only 11 Trappist monasteries producing beer for commercial consumption. Of those eleven, six are located in Belgium (Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Chimay, Orval, Achel). Two are located in the Netherlands (La Trappe, Brouwerij Abdij Maria Toevlucht). The latter is yet to sell any product but is approved to do so. There is one beer producing monastery in each of; Italy (Tre Fontane), Austria (Stift Engelszell), and the United States (St. Josephs Abbey). Prior to 2010, only one monastery produced beer commercially outside of Belgium (La Trappe).
As the cost of living increases, so will the demand for faster income to sustain Trappist monasteries. I wouldnt be surprised to see even more monasteries moving from cheese and bread to beer in the coming years. Along with that, Im sure charities will be getting a lot heftier donations from the monasteries as demand for amazing craft beer only continues to grow.
The Best Beer in the World?
Westvleteren XII (12) is one of the most sought-after beers worldwide, and is commonly regarded as the best in the world as well. Photo Credit http://bit.ly/1MSjlhG
There's a pretty good chance you arent going to get your hands on a Westy 12 anytime soon due to the monastery only making enough to sustain itself financially. Thankfully, there is a thread or two floating around HomeBrewTalk that has been attempting to clone it, winning a heap of medals along the way.
Here is a good place to start if youre interested: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=121429
If there is a topic you would like to see me cover on The Illustrated Brewer, let me know in the "comments section" below.
If you would like to order the Monk Admiring Beer, or previous Illustrated brewer works (its available on shirts, mugs, prints, stickers, and more), you can do so here at my RedBubble store. As always part of the profits will go back to supporting HomeBrewTalk!
Sources:
http://www.trappists.org/monastic-life/day-life
http://www.trappist.be/en/pages/trappist-beers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappists//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
A motto among the devoted monks who produce some of the most sought after and unique tasting beer in the world. Of course, Im speaking of the Trappist monks who create those delectable beers we love.
Monks admiring beer is a common subject among Trappist-themed artwork these days.
The Trappist Way of Life
Its not just a bunch of monks in robes drinking beer all day. Before you put everything aside to join the O.S.C.O. (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) way of life just to get your hands on unlimited supplies of Westvleteren 12 or Rochefort 8, lets learn a little bit about the way of life responsible for making our beer.
First and foremost, only a handful of these monasteries make beer. In fact, only 11 of 170 (6.5%) monasteries are certified to sell beer under the Trappist name. They also only make and sell products as upkeep for the monastery. Any additional profit must be given to charity. Other common Trappist products are cheese, fruit preserves, and bread (each follows the same rules).
The monks adhere most closely to Saint Benedict's rule, and their vows reflect his rule. Those vows are of stability, fidelity to monastic life, and obedience. In addition to that, speaking only when necessary is ideal (monks do not take a vow of silence, but speak as little as possible). The reason they dont speak often, is to reduce the chances of following one's free will, and instead, focusing on following the will of God. Most of their day consists of prayer, reading, and manual labor.
The Beer and Breweries
Westmalle Abbey in Belgium. Westmalle produces a dubbel, tripel, and a limited release patersbier. Photo Credit http://bit.ly/1AU0FFh
There are set rules that a monastery must follow, regarding beer production, under the Authentic Trappist Product brand:
1. The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves, or under their supervision.
2. 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.
3. 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.
There are several styles produced by almost all of the Trappist breweries. The most common are the dubbel, tripel, and quadrupel (quad), with the dubbel being the lowest in ABV, and the quad being the strongest. Many monasteries also produce a patersbier (or Fathers beer) for consumption within the abbey. Patersbier can go by an enkel, or single. Other common beers produced are Belgian Dark Strong Ales (Rochefort, Westvleteren, and Chimay), and Blonde Ales (Spencer, Achel, Westvleteren). Orval makes its signature amber ale with brettanomyces.
As I mentioned before, there are only 11 Trappist monasteries producing beer for commercial consumption. Of those eleven, six are located in Belgium (Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Chimay, Orval, Achel). Two are located in the Netherlands (La Trappe, Brouwerij Abdij Maria Toevlucht). The latter is yet to sell any product but is approved to do so. There is one beer producing monastery in each of; Italy (Tre Fontane), Austria (Stift Engelszell), and the United States (St. Josephs Abbey). Prior to 2010, only one monastery produced beer commercially outside of Belgium (La Trappe).
As the cost of living increases, so will the demand for faster income to sustain Trappist monasteries. I wouldnt be surprised to see even more monasteries moving from cheese and bread to beer in the coming years. Along with that, Im sure charities will be getting a lot heftier donations from the monasteries as demand for amazing craft beer only continues to grow.
The Best Beer in the World?
Westvleteren XII (12) is one of the most sought-after beers worldwide, and is commonly regarded as the best in the world as well. Photo Credit http://bit.ly/1MSjlhG
There's a pretty good chance you arent going to get your hands on a Westy 12 anytime soon due to the monastery only making enough to sustain itself financially. Thankfully, there is a thread or two floating around HomeBrewTalk that has been attempting to clone it, winning a heap of medals along the way.
Here is a good place to start if youre interested: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=121429
If there is a topic you would like to see me cover on The Illustrated Brewer, let me know in the "comments section" below.
If you would like to order the Monk Admiring Beer, or previous Illustrated brewer works (its available on shirts, mugs, prints, stickers, and more), you can do so here at my RedBubble store. As always part of the profits will go back to supporting HomeBrewTalk!
Sources:
http://www.trappists.org/monastic-life/day-life
http://www.trappist.be/en/pages/trappist-beers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappists//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
Im waiting to have the triples until the weekend 
