Most of us couldn’t find a sentence that puts the words ‘monk’ and ‘beer’ in the same sentence aside from: “Monks don’t drink beer.”
But that would be wrong.
An order of monks known as Trappists have been making some of the world’s best beers for hundreds of years. While most people associated monks with Buddhism — and let’s face it, Buddha has quite the beer belly in his statues — the Trappists are actually a Roman Catholic order originating in Western Europe in 1664.
Trappists live by the rule of St. Benedict which says “for then are they monks in truth, if they live by the work of their hands.” So all Trappist monasteries survive not by asking for donations, but producing goods that they sell.
Of the nearly 170 Trappist monasteries worldwide, only seven produce beer. The best-known Trappist beer in America is probably Chimay.
Chimay is produced at Scourmont Abbey in Belgium. It is sold at many of the local stores here in town in the large 750 mL colored bottles. Each distinct style of Chimay comes in a different color label, and Grande Réserve, which happens to be my favorite, comes with a blue label.
Chimay and most Trappist brews are unique in that they are purported to get better with age. It is said that most of the Chimay brews can be aged in a cellar for up to five years and that Grande Réserve can be aged for up to 15 years.
But if you’re like me, it’ll age for about 15 minutes until you can get back to your house and enjoy it.
This is truly a quality beer. It pours fairly dark and has a thick texture, but trust me, it’s not like any crappy porter you may have tried lately despite the appearance.
I find it has a sweet taste for such a dark beer.
Trappist brews are usually known for their strong, fruity taste that are bottle fermented. Chimay’s 9 percent alcohol content fits that criteria and makes it a beer not for the faint of heart.
Other popular Trappist breweries include Westmalle and Rochefort. Rochefort brewery has an 11.3 percent beer called “Rochefort 10” that is one of the most difficult, yet rewarding beers I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming.
While there are several popular Trappist breweries, rules must be followed in order to be considered a “trappist beer” due to a rash of breweries taking the Trappist label years ago.
The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist abbey or be brewed under control of Trappist monks and the profits from the beer must be directed towards assistance and not financial profit in order to be considered legitimate.
Chimay’s profits go simply to improving the conditions of their monastery and the surrounding area. With Chimay being so tasty and popular, there’s obviously a limit to the amount of money necessary to improve their living situation, and so the rest of their profits go straight to charity.
So if you ever want to buy a beer and support a good cause at the same time, pick up a bottle of Chimay. It’s like the reward for your charity.
Scott Silvey is a journalism senior, Mustang Daily sports editor and beer critic.