Discover our wide range of abbey beers, including Leffe, Westmalle, Chimay, Maredsous, Paix Dieu and La Trappe: mythical beers you will want to drink!
What exactly is an abbey beer?
To be able to call a beer 'abbey beer', a brewer must link it to an abbey. This is done via a specific licence. It can be a monastery that is still active but it can also be a ruin of an abbey that once existed. By obtaining this title, the brewer obtains the right to use the name of the abbey on the label of his beer and the monastic brand image for his communication.
How does abbey beer taste?
Usually, abbey beers are of Belgian origin, such as Dubbel, Tripel or Quadrupel, and they are relatively strong beers. Usually, these beers have a nice roundness with malty, sweet and alcoholic flavours.
What is the best way to drink an abbey beer?
For the best taste, choose a beer glass with a stem. For example, a chalice glass, a tulip glass or a balloon glass. This will do justice to the aromas and flavours. This type of glass also prevents the beer from warming up quickly when you drink it. Rinse the glass with cold water before pouring the beer.
Don't drink your beer too cold, but keep the temperature between 8 and 10°C. Quadruple beer, however, should be drunk at a temperature of between 12 and 14°C. Much less cold than you might expect. These kinds of spicy beers have more aroma and taste at a slightly higher temperature.
There are a great many dishes that go well with an abbey beer. Both the beer and the food will taste better! A win/win situation for your food and the beer. Usuallyboard , an abbey beer goes very well with cold meat & ham, but also with meat with sauce, such as game or roast lamb. Do you prefer no meat at all? Then choose soft, creamy cheeses or blue cheese or a dish with avocado. This goes well with the malty flavours of the abbey beer. We ourselves are fans of desserts with caramel, such as custard or pancakes with caramel sauce.
What are the best abbey beers?
Good question! But we cannot possibly choose between Chimay, Trappiste Rochefort, Saint Feuillien or Achel. After much deliberation, we have come up with this top 3:
La Paix Dieu: this famous Belgian abbey beer is known for its tradition of brewing by the light of the full moon. The Caulier Brewery aligns itself with the lunar calendar to brew its distinctive craft beer. This powerful beer has complex aromas of fruit and spices combined with notes of hops, malt, yeast and vanilla.
Westmalle Tripel: this is considered one of the most complex Trappist beers in existence and is sometimes even called the "Mother of all Tripels" because it was the very first Tripel! It has been brewed since 1934 at the Abbaye N.Dame de la Trappe du S.Coeur under the supervision of Trappist monks. The Westmalle Triple has complex and fruity aromas of hops, yeast and citrus fruits.
Chimay Bleue: the strongest and most complex Trappist beer from the Abbey of Notre Dame de Scourmont. Originally a Christmas beer with a spicy bouquet and fruity aromas that are very characteristic of Chimay. The beer has a long bitterness and goes very well with beer-based meals, such as pancakes or Flemish chops (for recipes with beer, check out our blog articles)