By Greg B. Among the beers of the world, there are few that really stand out and above the rest in style, history and garner a unique perspective on brewing and beer.  These would be Belgian beers, but specifically, Trappist ales.

There are many Belgian abbey ales, but only a few are classified as a “trappist’ ale.  Orval, Chimay, Achel, Rochefort, Westmalle & Westvleteren make up the 6 that exist within the borders of Belgium.  These breweries have the distinguished title of “trappist’ because of their common history.  In the 1600′s, a reform movement of the Cistercian order of Benedictine monks that began at the La Trappe monastery in France led to the formation of new monasteries.  Today, there are only 8 Trappist breweries in existence (the 6 mentioned above and one Dutch – Tegelen – and one German – Mariawald) which must brew their beer according to this set of guidelines.

• Beer (or cheese, in some cases) must be made within the walls of the Trappist monastery.
• The beer (or cheese) MUST be made under the supervision of the monastery community.  So, there must be a monk consulting, overseeing, or actually doing the hands on brewing of the beer.  There are Belgian abbey breweries who lease out their name to beer companies, but do not supervise the brewing, and thus, are NOT Trappist.
• The majority of the profit from the products made must be spent on local social work.

So with this in mind, I’m going to talk a little bit about Achel.  Like many monasteries and breweries, it was burned to the ground by the Germans in World War I (and apparently was spared this fate in WWII, hopefully by Germans who were a little more thoughtful).  They get their yeast fresh from Westmalle (Monks tend to share a lot of expertise, knowledge and goods when producing beer).  Most of their beer recipes come from Brother Thomas, and the brewery kept the recipe for the Bruin the same, but has tweaked the Blond 4 and 5 over the years.  The blond beers, as you might expect, are lighter in color, while the Bruin is brewed with darker roasted malts.  They also brew a Bruin extra, which adds extra Belgian candi, more hops and has a longer fermentation time.  One interesting fact about Achel is that part of the monastary is in the Netherlands, while another part is in Belgium, as the lands actually straddle the national boundaries (which have shifted over the years, no doubt).  So it is possible to visit this Belgian brewery and drink their beer in the Netherlands, while still inside the monastary!

I was fortunate enough to find a bottle of the Achel Bruin on the shelf at the Perfect Pour in Elkridge a few weeks ago.  And after moving and unpacking, I figured there were few better ways to settle down for an evening than sampling a good Trappist ale.  The bottle is simple, even the cap is a dull gold color (homebrews would easily recognize the caps, and, from a totally vertical angle, be unable to distinguish their brews from the Belgian Trappist ones produced at Achel) and the label is simple.  Very spartan, not offensive or catchy, these monks let their beer speak for itself.

The beer itself is a very dark amber/brown color with a big off-white head.  This is typical of Belgian beers, as they shoot for a lot of carbonation and thus, a big head when poured.  Initially, there are large lace and large bubbles in this head, but it recedes over time to large foamy peaks with a fine lace on the side of the glass.  The beer itself has a very light but pleasant smell.  A hint of yeast and a hint of some spices, with a darker Belgian candi (really, caramelized sugar) on the nose.

The taste is great!  It has a slight sweet/sour taste at first, kind of like the skin of a tangerine or orange, which has a citrus flavor but tastes slightly bitter also.  The end is such a smooth, chocolatey flavor, no doubt from using darker roasted chocolate malt in brewing.  It has a tiny taste of sweetness right at the finish, with ultra fine carbonation that makes this beer refreshingly light but silky as well (not as silky smooth as the Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown ale, but close!).

This beer has definitely been among my favorite Trappist beers, possibly topping the Chimay family, though I should probably do a side-by-side comparison at some point.  The Achel Bruin is a much darker Belgian Trappist ale than many of the other breweries, but still remains smooth and delicious.  I’m amazed that, if they used spices, I cant tell which they used, but you can just get a hint of overall spice in the aroma, and maybe the mid-palate.  On the rating scale, I’d place this beer at a 4.1, and it is absolutely something you should seek out.

I will be writing about Belgian breweries and beers in the future, to try to cover as many as I can find and write about what I have learned about them.  The Belgian style of brewing, notably in the Abbeys, takes on a different life with regard to beer.  They approach brewing as an art, rather than a product to sell.  If people like the beer, that’s great.  If they prefer other beers, that is great too.  It’s an interesting philosophy, and I look forward to sampling the fruits of it!