As melhores cervejas para mim (que adoro cervejas) são as cervejas trapistas, feitas por monges. Você pode achar que esta minha escolha é influenciada pelo fato de eu ser católico, claro que é. Mas regularmente elas são escolhidas por mestres cervejeiros como as melhores cervejas do mundo, especialmente a Westvletern (a escura sem rótulo acima).
Também gosto de cervejas que não são trapistas, como a Guiness e a Leffe. Mas você já experimentou uma cerveja trapista? Não têm igual a elas.
O site St.Peter List publicou a lista da 10 cervejas trapistas oficiais do mundo, é um texto que foi atualizado com a certificação de três novas trapistas: uma da Aústria, outra dos Estados Unidos e outra da Holanda.
O site também esclarece as condições para ser trapista, como ser feita por monges e não visar o lucro mas assistência social.
Vejam texto do St.Peter List abaixo:
Logo of the International Trappist Association
International Trappist Association & Standards
In 1997, eight Trappist abbeys—six from
Belgium (Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Westmalle and Achel),
one from the Netherlands (Koningshoeven) and one from Germany
(Mariawald) – founded the International Trappist Association (ITA) to
prevent non-Trappist commercial companies from abusing the Trappist
name. This private association created a logo that is assigned to goods
(cheese, beer, wine, etc.) that respect precise production criteria. For
the beers, these criteria are the following:
- The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist abbey, by or under control of Trappist monks.
- The brewery, the choices of brewing, and the commercial orientations must obviously depend on the monastic community.
- The economic purpose of the brewery must be directed toward assistance and not toward financial profit.
This association has a legal standing, and its logo gives to the consumer some information and guarantees about the produce.1
The Authentic Trappist Product Ales
1. Westmalle
The Trappist abbey in Westmalle
(officially called Abdij Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van het Heilig Hart van Jezus)
was founded 6 June 1794, but the community was not elevated to the rank
of Trappist abbey until 22 April 1836. Martinus Dom, the first abbot,
decided the abbey would brew its own beer, and the first beer was brewed
on 1 August 1836 and first imbibed on 10 December 1836. The pioneer
brewers were Father Bonaventura Hermans and Albericus Kemps.
The first beer was described as light in
alcohol and rather sweet. By 1856, the monks had added a second beer:
the first strong brown beer. This brown beer is today considered the
first double (dubbel, in Dutch). The current Dubbel is derived from a
recipe first brewed in 1926. Local sales began in 1856 and the oldest
registered sale was on 1 January 1861. The brewery was enlarged and
rebuilt in 1865 based on the example set by the Trappists of Forges
(nearby Chimay). Father Ignatius van Ham joined the brewer team. Further
commercialisation and sales to traders commenced in 1921.
In 1933 a complete new brewery was built
and in 1934, the brewery brewed a strong pale ale of 9.5% abv giving it
the name Tripel – the first modern use of the name. The brewery was
remodeled in 1991. It currently has a bottling capacity of 45,000
bottles per hour, and yearly output of 120,000 hL (in 2004). The
majority of the workers in the brewery are no longer monks, but secular
staff brought in from outside. There are 22 monks and 40 outside staff.2
2. Westvleteren
Trappist monks from the Catsberg
monastery, located in France, founded the St Sixtus monastery in 1831.
In 1838, the brewing at Westvleteren commenced. In 1850, some of the
monks founded the Notre-Dame de Scourmont monastery, which also brews a
Trappist beer. During World Wars I and II, the Westvleteren brewery
continued to operate, albeit at a lower capacity. The brewery was the
only Trappist one to retain the copper vessels throughout the wars—the
other breweries had the copper salvaged by the Germans for their war
efforts.
In WWI this was primarily due to the
abbey not being occupied by the Germans, but instead was caring for
wounded allied troops. In 1931, the abbey began selling beer to the
general public, having only served beer to guests and visitors up until
that time. In 1946, the St. Bernardus brewery in nearby Watou was
granted a licence to brew beer under the St Sixtus name. This agreement
ended in 1992; St. Bernardus still brews beers of similar styles, but
under their own name. That same year, the abbey opened its new brewery
to replace the older equipment.
The brewery currently employs three
secular workers for various manual labour tasks, however the primary
brewing is done by the monks only. It is the only Trappist brewery where
the monks still do all of the brewing. Of the 26 Cistercians who reside
at the abbey, five monks run the brewery, with an additional five who
assist during bottling.
In June 2005, when Westvleteren 12 was again highlighted as “Best Beer in the World”
in a bi-annual competition on RateBeer.com, news organizations followed
this up and articles appeared in the international press, highlighting
the beer ranking and the unusual business policies.
3. Achel
Achel brewery or Brouwerij der
Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis is a Belgian Trappist brewery, and
the smallest of the seven currently approved Trappist breweries. It is
located in the Abbey of Saint Benedict in the Belgian municipality of
Achel. It brews five trappist beers.
The history of the brewery goes back to
1648, when Dutch monks built a chapel in Achel. The chapel became an
abbey in 1686, but was destroyed during the period of the French
Revolution. In 1844, the ruins were rebuilt by monks from Westmalle, and
various farming activities began. The first beer to be brewed on the
site was the Patersvaatje in 1852, and 19 years later in 1871, the site
became a Trappist monastery, with beer brewing a regular activity.
In 1914 during World War I, the monks
left the abbey due to German occupation. The Germans dismantled the
brewery in 1917 to salvage the approximately 700 kg of copper. In 1998
the monks decided to begin brewing again. Monks from the Trappist Abbey
of Westmalle and Rochefort Abbey assisted in the building of the new
brewery. In 2001, the brewery released the Achel 8° beers.
Like all other Trappist breweries, the beers are sold in order to support the monastery and charities.
4. Chimay
Chimay Brewery (“Bières de Chimay”) is a
beer brewery in Chimay, southern Hainaut, Belgium. The brewery is
located in the Scourmont Abbey, a Trappist monastery, and is one of the
seven breweries worldwide that produce Trappist beer. They make three
widely distributed ales: Chimay Rouge, Chimay Bleue, and Chimay Blanche;
and they make one patersbier exclusively for the monks. The monastery
also makes four varieties of cheese.
The brewery was founded inside Scourmont
Abbey, in the Belgian municipality of Chimay in 1862. The brewery
produces three widely distributed ales and a patersbier exclusively for
the monks; they are known as Trappist beers because they are made in a
Trappist monastery. It was the first brewery to use the Trappist Ale
designation on its labels.
As with all other Trappist breweries,
the beer is sold only for financial support of the monastery and good
causes. The brewery business pays rent for use of the property within
the abbey, which is used to support the monastic community. The majority
of the profit from the sale of the beer is distributed to charities and
for community development around the region. As of 2007, sales figures
for Chimay products exceeded $50 million per year.
The water for the beers is drawn from a
well located inside the monastery walls. The filtered solids from the
beer mash are recycled into livestock feed which is given to the same
cows that produce the milk for Chimay cheeses. The beer is transported
from the monastery to the bottling plant 12 km away, which can fill
40,000 bottles per hour, of which many are returns. The beer is then
refermented in the bottle for three weeks before being shipped around
the world. Fifty percent of Chimay beer production is sold on the export
markets.
The brewing plant was updated in 1988, and as of 2005 produced 12 megalitres annually.
5. Rochefort
The brewery is located inside the Abbey
of Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy, near the town of Rochefort, and has been
brewing beer since 1595. There are approximately 15 monks resident at
the monastery. The monks are very secretive about the brewing process
and the brewery is not open to the public, therefore much of the
information publicly known about the brewery comes from only a few
sources.
Like many strong Belgian beers, those
produced at Rochefort age well and can be cellared for at least five
years whilst maintaining quality. Each of these beers is brewed to the
same recipe, with the only difference being the alcoholic content.The
water for the beers is drawn from a well located inside the monastery
walls.
As with all other Trappist breweries,
the beer is only sold in order to financially support the monastery and
some other charitable causes. The monks will not increase production
based on demand or profit motives, but only enough to support
themselves, resulting in a fairly limited supply of beer. In practice,
there is currently no shortage through regular channels.
6. Orval
Orval Brewery (French: Brasserie
d’Orval) is a Belgian trappist brewery located within the walls of the
Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Orval in the Gaume region of Belgium. The brewery
produces two beers, which are marketed as trappist beer, Orval and
Petite Orval.
Evidence of brewing goes back to the
earliest days of the monastery. A document written by the abbot in 1628
directly refers to the consumption of beer and wine by the monks. The
last of the brewers to be a monk was Brother Pierre, up until the 1793
fire. In 1931 the present day brewery was built, employing lay people
and intended to provide a source of funds for the monastery
reconstruction. It was designed by Henry Vaes, who also designed the
distinctive Orval beer glass. The first beer was shipped from the
brewery on 7 May 1932, and was sold in barrels rather than the bottles
of today. Orval was the first Trappist beer to be sold nationally around
Belgium.7
7. Koningshoeven
De Koningshoeven Brewery (Brouwerij de
Koningshoeven) is a Dutch Trappist brewery founded in 1884 within the
walls of the abbey Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven in Berkel-Enschot
(near Tilburg).
The abbey opened a brewery inside the
monastery in 1884 in order to finance the monastery and contribute to
charitable causes. Despite this goal, the brewery was run as a
commercial enterprise. The abbey owned several bars in the area and
produced lager under its own “Trappist” brand as well as contract
brewing for several private labels. In 1969, the abbey licensed the
brewing operations to the Artois Brewery (now InBev). In 1980 the deal
with Artois ended, and the monks went back to brewing themselves, this
time a top fermented beer which had been made in limited quantities
since 1950s only. Over time the brewery introduced more varieties, first
with Dubbel and Tripel in 1987, then in 1992 they introduced Blond.
Between 1993 and 2000, the brewery also marketed a brand called Enkel.
The brewery also produces the world’s only Trappist witbier. The brewery
also used to produce the Jopen beer.The brewery started exporting in
1985, and in 1989 the brewery was modernised.
From 1980 until 1999, the brewery was
largely run by the monks. Due to the difficulty of the ageing monks
continuing to operate the brewery, a limited liability company was set
up as a subsidiary of the large commercial brewer, Bavaria. In 1999 the
new company began to take over day to day operations, renting the
buildings and equipment from the abbey.
As a result of this agreement, a dispute
arose with the International Trappist Association, the body that
governs the labelling of goods as Trappist. They claimed that this new
method of operation was against the regulations that permitted the beer
to display the Authentic Trappist Product logo. Whilst the beer
continued to be brewed within the abbey walls, the arrangement with
Bavaria was felt to be too commercialised. As a result, the brewery
withdrew their use of the logo on 1 December 1999. However, the brewery
continued to label the beer as Trappistenbier.
After a lengthy study by all parties,
and a review of the agreement between the abbey and brewery, the beers
were granted the right to display the logo again as of September 9,
2005. As part of this settlement, the monks have taken a more active
control of the brewery day to day operations, working several hours each
day.
This post was updated on December 20,
2013 to include three new additions to the official list of Trappist
Ales. The list was originally posted August 11, 2011.
8. Stift Engelszell
In
2012, the Abbey of Engelszell in Engelhartszell, Austria started a
their own brewery and began production of their unique Trappist ales:
Gregorius and Benno. The Austrian abbey received permission to use the
“Authentic Trappist Product” logo the same year. According to the
official website, the first brew was the Gregorius and is a dark triple
sitting at 9.7% Alc. Production on the Gregorius began in June 1, 2012
with the second variety following on May, 30, 2013. The second beer,
Benno, is a bright Dubbel style beer sitting at 6.9% Alc.
The abbey was founded in 1293 by
Bernhard of Prambach, Bishop of Passau, as a Cistercian monastery. In
1786, Engelszell was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II and the buildings
were subsequently put to several secular uses, including as a factory
and as a residence.
In 1925, Engelszell was occupied and
re-founded as a Trappist monastery by refugee German monks expelled
after World War I from Oelenberg Abbey in Alsace. These monks had found
temporary shelter in Banz Abbey but were looking for a permanent home.
Initially established as a priory, in 1931 it was elevated to the rank
of an abbey, and the former prior, Gregorius Eisvogel, appointed abbot,
in which office he was dedicated by Johannes Maria Gföllner, Bishop of
Linz, at a ceremony in Wilhering Abbey. On 2 December 1939, the abbey
was confiscated by the Gestapo and the community, numbering 73, evicted.
Four monks were sent to Dachau Concentration Camp, while others were
imprisoned elsewhere or drafted into the Wehrmacht. At the end of the
war in 1945, only about a third of the previous community returned. They
were augmented, however, by the refugee German Trappists expelled from
Mariastern Abbey, Banja Luka, Bosnia, under their abbot Bonaventura
Diamant.
The monastery lives mostly from its
agricultural produce. It has become known both for its liqueurs and for
its cheese, Engelszeller Trappistenkäse. In May 2012, the International
Trappist Association approved Engelszell to be the 8th producer of
Trappist beer, and only the second outside of Belgium.
9. St. Joseph’s Abbey
St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer,
Massachusetts is the first American monastery to produce an official
Trappist Ale and the first outside of Europe. The abbey was awarded the
right to use the “Authentic Trappist Product” logo in 2013.
“At a meeting yesterday of the
International Trappist Association in Brussels, the Spencer Trappist Ale
was awarded the ‘Authentic Trappist Product’ designation,” François de
Harenne, Commercial Director of the Orval Trappist brewery, told the
Belgian Beer Specialist on Dec. 11.“The decision was made after several
controls made on the premises during the last weeks…We also were lucky
enough to taste the beer.”
According to the official website of the
brewery, “Our recipe was inspired by the traditional refectory ales
known as patersbier (“fathers’ beer” in Flemish). These sessionable
beers are brewed by the monks for their dinner table and are typically
only available at the monastery. Spencer is a full-bodied, golden-hued
ale with fruity accents, a dry finish and light hop bitterness. The beer
is unfiltered and unpasteurized, preserving live yeast that naturally
carbonates the beer in the bottle and keg, and contributes to the beer
flavor and aroma.” The beer will sit at 6.5% Alc.
10. Abdij Maria Toevlucht
The Maria Toevlucht Trappist Abbey
received permission in December 2013 to use the “Authentic Trappist
Product” logo alongside the Trappist Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts.
The official website does confirms a
brewery has been constructed and the monastery has been accepted into
the “Trappist market.”
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