Brewery: La Trappe | Find them: Taste the silence – La Trappe Trappist
Trappist beers are beers brewed by monks in their monasteries. There are only thirteen Trappist breweries in the world and only ten of them are allowed to display the Authentic Trappist Product logo on their beer products. To meet the criteria of an Authentic Trappist Product:
- All products must be made within the immediate surroundings of the abbey;
- Production must be carried out under the supervision of the monks or nuns;
- Profits should be intended for the needs of the monastic community, for purposes of solidarity within the Trappist Order, or for development projects and charitable works.
La Trappe is one of two Trappist breweries located in the Netherlands (five are in Belgium, one in Italy, one in Austria and one in England).
We decided to try five La Trappe beers – a Witte, a Blond, a Dubbel, a Tripel and a Quadrupel. We started with the Witte as it was the lowest ABV, then we tried the Blond, followed by the Tripel, before moving on to the dark beers – the Dubbel and the Quad.
The beers
Witte 5.5%
A strong start – the Witte had the spiciness you’d expect from a wit without being overpowering and it had a lovely dry finish.
Brewer’s note: The first Trappist white ale in the world. Light-blonde, cloudy with a firm and long-lasting head. Smooth, malty, lightly sour and tingling sensation due to the carbonation. A consistently drinkable, refreshing thirst quencher.
Blond 6.5%
The Blond had a stronger banana aroma, was less peppery and not as dry on the finish. It wasn’t a particularly complex beer but was super smooth.
Brewer’s note: Trappist beer with a golden hue, La Trappe Blond offers a rich taste experience while remaining approachable. It delivers a fruity aroma with malt scents and a spicy palate with notes of caramel.
Tripel 8%
The Tripel was my favourite of the light beers. It had a slightly spicy, orangey flavour and the sweetness of the malts came through. It’s not the best Tripel I’ve ever had, but it’s pretty decent.
Brewer’s note: Amber-coloured Trappist ale with a broken white head. The harmonious taste starts off fruity and shifts to malty caramel; a perfectly balanced ale.
Dubbel 7%
The Dubbel had a lovely treacle flavour with notes of candied dark fruits and honey. Lovely and smooth (although I think too much of it might have gotten a bit too sweet).
Brewer’s note: Classic dark-brown Trappist ale with an ivory-coloured head. A full malty and caramel-sweet taste with a subtle, sweet influence of dates, honey and dried fruits.
Beer of the night
Quadrupel 10%
The Quad was the standout of the night – lighter in colour than the Dubbel but deeper in flavour and not quite as sweet. It had a slight spiciness but also had that lovely treacle flavour like bonfire toffee.
Brewer’s note: Characteristically Trappist ale and the source for the name of this ale style. Warm, amber-coloured with a cream-coloured head. The full, heart-warming and intense taste is malty with sweet tones of dates and caramel.
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