Trappist beer
What is Trappist beer?
Our Trappist beer carries the international Authentic Trappist Product label.
‘Trappist’ is a protected designation of origin, confirming that we meet three criteria:
- our beers must be brewed within the walls of the Trappist abbey,
- production and business policy are supervised by Trappist monks, and
- the proceeds of the brewery are earmarked for the needs of the monastic community, as well as to reinvest in the brewery, provide support within the Trappist order and to run charitable projects.
Want to know more? Visit the International Trappist Association site or listen to their podcast.
Brewing at the pace of the abbey
At Westmalle, we brew at the same pace as abbey life. The brewing room only begins work when the monks are ready in the morning to say a first prayer together in church. And, despite using modern technology and technique, it’s humans who make the final decision in every step of our brewing process.
With respect for tradition and the best ingredients.
We thoroughly monitor our ingredients and our beer at every step of the lengthy brewing process. Despite everything, our beer is a natural product based on five raw materials: selected barley varieties malted according to our requirements, a blend of various hop flowers from renowned European hop regions, pure water from the deep Diestian layer, sugar and the unique home-grown Westmalle yeast.
We do not add stabilisers and do not pasteurise our beer. Yeast is a live medium, meaning there is always a possibility of some variance between brews. This is a nuance inherent to our natural and traditional brewing process – and highly appreciated by the finest connoisseurs.