Trappistes Rochefort 10

It has been described as one of the five beers that will change one's life.  Craft beer aficionados who have a special place in their heart for Trappist beers would readily agree with that description.  The beer ... the 10.  The ultimate beer produced by the Trappist monks at the Abbaye St. Remy, near Rochefort, Belgium.

That the beer would have such a distinguished honor comes as no surprise.  Records show that those monks at Abbaye St. Remy have been brewing beer since at least 1595 and perhaps as far back as 1464, which was when Cistercian monks took over the monastery and abbey. 

After a few hundred years, the monks refined their brewing skills to three beers.  Each is represented by a number.  The 6.  The 8.  The 10.  Translated: the dubbel, the tripel and the quadrupel.  That is a very basic categorization of the three beers when put side-by-side with traditional Belgian beer styles.

Despite the long history of brewing at the Abbaye St. Remy, the monks have been brewing the 10 since the late 1940s or early 1950s.  The ingredients include what you would expect -- water, barley malt, hops and yeast -- but also candi sugar and coriander.  

The 10 pours a nice chestnut brown.  There is a slight foam that develops as the beer is poured, but that foam quickly recedes to the edge of the glass, exposing the full liquid to allow the aroma to greet the nose.  That aroma has a certain sweetness from it, such as boozy cherries or molasses, with a light clove note.  As with most beers, the aroma carries over to a certain extent with the taste of the beer.  However, the taste of the 10 is not so much as dark cherry and molasses, but more reminiscent of plums and figs.  There is a certain  je ne sais quoi aspect to the taste.  Perhaps a little banana or clove, which would be more expected from a tripel than a quadrupel.

This is a very, very good beer.  I now understand why most reviewers rank this beer as one of the best beers in the world.  I have had this beer cellared for so long that I forgot what I paid for it.  But, if you happen across a bottle in your local beer store, it is definitely worth it.

ENJOY!

Spencer Trappist Ale

With the visit of Pope Francis to the United States, it seems appropriate to post a review of a Trappist beer.  A trappist beer is one that is brewed by or under the strict supervision of monks from the Order of the Cisterians of the Strict Observance.  I have posted a few reviews of Trappist beers, including the Orval Ale, the La Trappe Quadrupel, and the Westmalle Tripel.  Each one of those reviews was propelled by a fascination and curiousity of the notion of monks brewing beer.

Until just a few years ago, trappist beers were brewed from only a handful of breweries that had been registered with the International Trappist Associaiton.  All of those breweries were located in either Belgium and the Netherlands.   As the craft movement has grown, so has Trappist beer, with new breweries in Italy and the United States.  And, it is the one in the United States -- operated by St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts -- that provides the United States with its first officially recognized Trappist beer, which is conveniently named the Spencer Trappist Ale.  

St. Joseph's Abbey is a community of Trappist monks who follow the Benedictine tradition of ora et labora (prayer and work), the monks pursue a simple life of contemplative prayer, manual labor and hospitality.  A few years ago, some of the Brothers at the monastery expressed an interest in brewing beer, and even received some training at a local craft brewery.  The brothers then toured all of the existing Trappist breweries, to see how those beers were produced.  After completing thieir learning, the monks at the Spencer abbey began procuding their own trappist ale.

The Spencer pours a nice golden color, with an even foam across the entire surface. The aroma has a variety of mild, pleasant notes, including some bread, honey and herbal tones.  The beer is a very good example of a trappist ale, with some grass and clove up front,  There are also some biscuit and caramel notes from the malts that follow, but are not as prominent in the beer. 

Overall, this is a very good beer, and, an excellent first effort by the monks at the Spencer Abbey.  This beer sells for $11.99 for a 22 ounce bottle or $19.99 for a four pack of 12 ounce bottles.  It is definitely worth a try, especially if you, like me, were looking for a beer to toast the visit of Pope Francis to the United States. 

ENJOY!

The 8th Wonder of the Trappist World

For many years, there were seven wonders of the trappist beer world (i.e., the world were the beers are made by or produced under the strict supervision of trappist monks). Six of them are found in Belgium: Chimay (Bières de Chimay), Orvan (Brasserie d'Orval), Rochefort (Brasserie de Rochefort), Westmalle (Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle), Westvleteren (Brouwerij Westvleteren) and Achel (Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis).  The seventh wonder is found in the Netherlands: La Trappe (Brouwerij de Koningshoeven).  It is one of my goals to try beers from each of the trappist breweries.  To date, I have tried and reviewed beers from three of the breweries: the Westmalle Tripel, the Orval Trappist Ale, and the La Trappe Quadrupel.  (I have had Chimay beers, but I have not done a review of any of those beers). 

As I struggle to achieve my goal of trying beers from the seven trappist breweries, more such breweries have emerged.  Indeed, there is now an eighth trappist brewery: Stift Engelszell.  (There is also a ninth and a tenth trappist brewery, including one in the United States.)  Unlike the older trappist breweries, which are found in either Belgium or the Netherlands, Gregorius brews its beer at the Engelzell Abbey, which is located near Engelharrzell and der Donau in northern Austria. It is the only trappist brewery in Austria. 

The abbey was founded in 1293, although it was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II in 1786.  German monks, who were expelled from Oelenbery Abbey in Alsace after World War I, re-founded the abbey in 1925. Having being originally established as a priory, Engelszell was elevated to an Abbey with Gregorius Eisvogel named as the abbot. In 1939, the Engelszell monks were evicted by the Gestapo (with four monks being sent to the Dachau Concentration Camp). 

Fast-forward over 70 years, and we come to the first beer to be produced by Stift Engelszell.  The beer is a dark ale brewed in the Belgian style, with an ABV of  9.7%.  The beer is named "Gregorius," which is a tribute to Abbott Gregorius Eisvogel who was at the Abbey for 25 years (1925-1950). The monks produce Gregorius with honey that is local to the monastery and a unique Alsacian wine yeast. 

The Gregorius pours a dark brown color, that is typical of the Belgian dark ale.  The aroma is malt driven, with bready tones that are accentuated by the alcohol and yeast.  Some dark fruit, perhaps some raisons or plums, are present in the aroma.  As for the flavor of the beer, there is a noticeable, sweet Belgian candy element to the beer.  The candy is complemented with a light chocolate taste and a little bit of bitterness on the finish, which reminds you that there is more to this beer than just malts.  

Although I could venture some food pairing for this beer, I think that the beer is best enjoyed on its own ... as, in my humble opinion, are most trappist beers. 

This beer was available in the Chicago area, which is where a bottle was picked up and given to me.  I have not seen it around where I live.  If you happen to come across a bottle, it is worth trying.

ENJOY!

Westmalle Tripel

There is always a story; you just have to look for it.  One of my goals with this blog is to learn those stories.  On this occasion, the story begins with a quote: living and acting, knowing and doing, experience and action, cannot be experienced without one another: the one makes the other possible.  Those are the words of the Westmalle Abbey -- also known as the Abdij Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van het Heilig Hart van Jezus or the Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle.

According to the Oxford Companion of Beer, edited by Garrett Oliver, the abbey was founded in 1794 by several Cisterian monks.  The abbey started brewing beer in 1836 and it was selling beer to the public by 1856.  During that same year, the trappist monks brewed a beer that some consider to be the first "double" beer or "dubbel."  Using their knowledge and experience, which was developed over the succeeding decades, the trappist monks also brewed a beer in 1934 that was labelled as the first "triple" or "tripel." 

Recently, I bought a bottle of the Westmalle Tripel.  The recipe used to produce this beer is not the same as the original Tripel, as the monks reformulated the recipe in 1956.  Nevertheless, the monks produce the beer using the same ingredients: water, barley malts, liquid sugar, hops and yeast from the family of Saccharomyces Cerevisia.  The one difference between Westmalle and other brewers, including other trappist abbeys, is that the monks at Westmalle use only whole hop cones.  They do not use liquid hop extract or pellets to produce the beer. 

There is something to the adage that the first is the best.  In this case, the Westmalle Tripel poured a beautiful light golden color.  The beer is partial bottle conditioned and has a high level of carbonation, which results in a large thick foam when the beer i poured.  That foam eventually gives way, but it still coats the sides of the glass.

As the foam recedes, the Westmalle Tripel begins to exude the classic elements of a Tripel.  The aroma is full of bananas and cloves, with a few notes of bread and yeast.  The beer has those same banana flavors, but with a good balance of malt and hops throughout.  There was a little tartness or bitterness in the finish, which was a little surprising, but it did not take away from the beer at all.

When it comes to food pairing, Serious Eats has some suggestions for the Westmalle Tripel or, for that matter, any tripel.  These suggestions include foods in which basil is a primary component, ham and cheese, and "troublesome veggies" like asparagus.  I just enjoyed the beer by itself, which is always an option.

For the trappist monks, their lives and actions, experience and knowledge are all primarily focused upon their higher calling.  Brewing is an endeavor that they undertake only to support themselves (as opposed to making a profit).  Yet, the monks produce beer of far superior quality than anything produced by the corporate behemoths whose sole existence is to sell mass-produced beer intended to dominate the market.

If you want a good Belgian trappist tripel, the Westmalle is the perfect starting point.  Westmalle beers are generally available at beer and grocery stores.   If I recall correctly, a bottle sells for about $16.99.

ENJOY!   

La Trappe Quadrupel

The label reads, "[s]ince 1884, the monks of Koningshovoen have brewed La Trappe Ales to support themselves."  That immediately caught my attention.  I have always been fascinated by Trappist beers, and, I have even reviewed one such beer, Orval.   The fascination comes from the fact that monks have been brewing beer (or making wine) for centuries.  The beers often had a purpose ... they would consume the beers during fasting periods.

Another thing that fascinates me about Trappist beers is that there are few beers that are still brewed by, or under the direction of monks.  There are a lot of "abbey ales," but few to none of those ales are Trappist ales.  They are simply the efforts of those outside of the brotherhood to recreate Trappist beers.

Most Trappist beers are made in Belgium; however, there is one beer that is made by monks in the Netherlands ... La Trappe.  I recently purchased a bottle of La Trappe's Quadrupel. The monks produce this beer with pale, caramel, Munich and roast malts, along wtih Hallertau, Northern Brew, Slovenien and Super Steiner hops.  The monks also used a strain of yeast unique to Koningshovoen.  Each beer is bottle conditioned for a full, complex flavor and long shelf life.  It can be aged like a fine wine. 

The Quadrupel pours a rust, copper color. The beer is highly carbonated, as the pictures show.  The foam stuck around for quite a while.  The aromatic elements of the beer provide a traditional Belgian experience: yeast, bananas and cloves.  Some of those flavors carry through to the taste.  Most notably, the bananas and cloves can be detected with each taste.  These flavors are joined by flavors of caramel and a warming sense of alcohol.  (The beer has an ABV of 10%, along with 25 IBUs.) 

This beer is a sipping beer, meant to be enjoyed by itself.  For that reason, I really do not have any suggestions for food pairings.  Just pour a glass of the beer, sit out on a porch or a deck, take a deep breath, and enjoy.

This beer is available at stores with a large selection of imports.  A bottle will set you back about $16.99.  But it is worth it.  

ENJOY!

Orval Trappist Ale

There are only seven Trappist breweries in the world.  A Trappist brewery is one that is either operated or under the control of a monastery.  The term "Trappist" originated with the monks of a Cistercian monastery in Soligny La Trappe, France, who had been brewing beer since before 1685 A.D.  The Trappist Order also had monasteries in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and even Bosnia. The number of Trappist breweries declined over time, with only seven left today.  Six of the Trappist Breweries -- Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvleteren -- are located in Belgium.  The remaining two are Koenigshoeven in the Netherlands and Mariawald in Germany. And they are all members of the International Trappist Association.

Orval is the oldest of the Trappist breweries, having been founded in the 11th Century. It also brews one of the more distinctive beers, primarily due to the brewery's use of Brettanomyces or wild yeast.  I have previously reviewed the Le Fleur Misseur? Ale, a beer produced by New Belgium Brewing.  The Brettanomyces provide a different flavor to the beer that most people will not enjoy.  However, I love the different flavor that the wild yeast contributes to these beers. 

Orval brews its Trappist Ale in the style of a Belgian Pale Ale, although the Brettanomyces result in a beer that does not taste like most traditional Belgian Pale Ales.  Moreover, unlike most beers, the Orval is brewed to last a very long time.  I bought this beer, which had been bottled on May 10, 2009 and, according to the label, the beer was best before May 10, 2014.

Although the beer was nearly two years old by the time I tried it, the yeast in Orval's Trappist Ale did their work.   As I poured the beer carefully, I nevertheless ended up with a very large and frothy foam resembling a large cloud deck.  The off-white, very light caramel foam topped an orange colored ale. 

As for the smell and taste of the beer, it is a little hard to describe given the use of wild yeast.  The aromatic elements included some flowers, spice and a hint of orange.The taste of this beer is the reason why I love wild ales.  Orval uses wild yeast during the fermentation of this beer.  The yeasts contribute to a tart, somewhat musty flavor to this beer.  For me, as I mentioned above, that taste is what I expected and really like about this beer. 

The ABV of this beer is 6.9%.  This beer is widely distributed and can be found at most beer stores.  It sells for about $4.99 to $5.99 a bottle.

ENJOY!