Beer · Style · Reference page

Trappist beer (Authentic Trappist Product)

'Trappist' is not a beer style but a certification of origin: the International Trappist Association's Authentic Trappist Product label marks beer made at a Trappist abbey, under the monks' or nuns' supervision, for the community and charity.

Location: Westvleteren, Belgium · Pictured: Stoofvlees, Poulet à la bière

Method

Any style: dubbels, tripels, pale ales and others. What qualifies is where, by whom and for what the beer is made.

Contested

Often called a style. The ITA itself says there is no brewing style that could justify making a comparable product; abbey-style beers from secular breweries are not Trappist.

A label, not a recipe

The International Trappist Association calls the Trappist appellation "first and foremost a certification of origin". To carry the Authentic Trappist Product label, a product must be made within the immediate surroundings of the abbey, under the supervision of the monks or nuns, and its profits must serve the community, development projects and charity. The association dates its own foundation to 1998.

Beers with the label currently come from Chimay (Scourmont), Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvleteren in Belgium, La Trappe (Koningshoeven) in the Netherlands, Tre Fontane in Rome and Tynt Meadow (Mount Saint Bernard) in England.

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