M ost British beer drinkers are aware that Belgium is famous for its variety of beer styles as well as its chocolates and frites. Stella Artois lager is probably the best known brand but more discerning drinkers enthuse about beers such as krieks (brewed with cherries), wheat beers, Duvel and Delirium blonds, Kwak in its wooden holder, La Chouffe and the rich and fruity Abbey beers. The latter were originally brewed by monks inside monasteries but many are now contract brewed by commercial breweries, although retaining their original abbey brand names. An example is Leffe, owned by Anheuser-Busch and brewed at the Stella Artois brewery.
The big exceptions to this are the Trappist beers which are still brewed within abbey walls by lay staff but under the supervision of Trappist monks. The Trappists are a silent order dedicated to prayer and manual labour. Recognition of these beers is strictly controlled by the International Trappist Association (ATP) and there are currently ten ATP recognised operating breweries; five in Belgium: Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvleteren; two in the Netherlands and one each in Austria, Italy and England. The English outpost is Tynt Meadow, brewed at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire. Recently, Achel Abbey in Belgium lost its Trappist status following its two remaining resident monks moving to Westmalle and its sale to a private individual.
Westmalle is the longest established Trappist brewery, brewing having commenced in 1836. It is located in the Abbey of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, in the countryside 15 miles north of Antwerp. Although those choosing to become monks is in decline within Europe, to secure its future, Westmalle may look to fill vacancies with monks from Africa, Asia and South America where Trappist monasteries are still growing. Currently, a few senior monks and lay administrators form a supervisory board to oversee the brewery, led by Brother Benedict.
Three top-fermented bottle-conditioned beers are brewed: a golden yellow Tripel (9.5% ABV), a dark red-brown Dubbel (7% ABV) and a golden blond Extra (4.8% ABV). The latter was initially only brewed for consumption by the monks and their guests during meals but later it became available to a very limited extent at the Abbey gate on Fridays. In 2021 however, in recognition of the growing demand for lower gravity beers, it was released to the trade and general public, including to a few pubs and bottle shops in the UK (see below).
The brewery is not normally open to visitors, so as not to disturb the monks’ quiet contemplation and seclusion. However, late last year, I was privileged to take up an invitation to visit, following the lifting of covid travel and quarantine restrictions in Belgium, which coincided with the annual Christmas beer festival in nearby Essen.
Through the wall gates, the impressive red brick abbey building with its bell tower sits among spacious landscaped gardens and is usually only accessible to the monks. The grounds also contain a farm with 400 dairy cows, 200 sheep, 10 pigs and 30 free range chickens. In addition to the brewery, a small bakery and a creamery supply bread, milk and cheese for the 24 monks, 87 lay workers and a few local and specialist shops.
The emphasis is on quiet and tranquillity, which applies equally to the staff and farm animals. The Trappists do not aim to maximise production or profit. Proceeds from the sale of beer and food products fund the upkeep of the abbey, the well being of the monks, the wages of the employees and any necessary technical investment. The remainder supports charities, aid projects and people in need.
The current Art Deco style brewhouse contains two steam heated copper kettles, fed from a mash tun on a raised platform. These date from the 1930s while the high tech bottling plant, with capacity for 45,000 bottles an hour, was installed in 2000. The water comes from the abbey’s own well and is mixed with malt from France to mash for an hour. Spent grains are fed to the farm animals. Whole cone Saaz hops plus some Halletau Tettanger and Styrian Goldings are sourced from Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Germany. The yeast strain dates back to the origins of the brewery and is also supplied to Westvleteren. Yeast and candy sugar are added to the wort prior to fermentation in the case of the Tripel and Dubbel, although no sugar is added to the Extra. Primary fermentation lasts for a week in tanks and, after filtration, fresh doses of yeast and sugar are added prior to bottling. The bottled beers are warm conditioned for two weeks in the case of the Dubbel and Extra and three weeks for the Tripel.
Annual beer production totals 135,000 hectolitres. The Extra is brewed only six times a year and accounts for 440 hectolitres. A small amount (3%) of Dubbel is available in draught form. 33% of production is exported: 20% to the Netherlands, 7% to France and just 1% to the UK.
The beers can be sampled in the large and popular Cafe Trappisten across the main N12 road from the entrance to the abbey. A speciality is ‘half and half’: a draft Dubbel topped up with Tripel. Local dishes are on the menu and a shop sells beer and cheese to take away. A video about the Abbey and brewery can also be watched. Lijn bus 410 from Antwerp Central Station (50 mins) stops outside.
According to information supplied by Westmalle, the Extra should be found in the following pubs in London: Dovetail, Finsbury; Great Northern Railway Tavern, Hornsey; De Hems, Soho and the Bear, Paddington. Bottle shops include 7000 Jars of Beer, Kingston; Caps & Taps, Tufnell Park and Pint of Hops, Acton.
My thanks to staff at Westmalle and acknowledgements to articles by Roger Protz and Jennifer Rankin in the Observer (26 March) for some background information.
Roger Warhurst
(with thanks to the brewery for the photographs)