Beer Talk: Trappist
Trappist beer is a special thing. There are seven breweries in the world that carry the official Trappist seal, and every single beer they brew is a masterpiece. All of these beers are brewed by actual Trappist Monks in monasteries. They have to have something in exchange for that vow of celibacy, right? Well, I don’t know if I would trade carnal relations for these beers, but they sure come a close second.
Six of the seven Trappist breweries are represented here. The seventh monastery, Westvleteren, couldn’t be with us today because they only sell their beer out of the monastery… in Belgium… damn. You can get their beer on Ebay, but I think it works out to a little over $100 for a six-pack of 11.2oz bottles. Another thing to note about Westvleteren is that they brew the #1 rated beer on the planet, at least according to the ratings on beeradvocate.com and ratebeer.com, the two most popular beer sites. When I get to try the Westy 12, I’ll let you know how it is…
I have picked out one beer from each brewery. From Koningshoeven, the quad is the only one I’ve tried. Rochefort does an 8 and 6, but the 10 is the best. Chimay has a white and red, but the Blue is my favorite. Westmalle has one or two others, but the Tripel is the only one I’ve had. I believe Orval and Achel only make one beer apiece. I’m sure I’m wrong somewhere in this paragraph; I’m just too lazy to research.
(more…)
