LA TRAPPE: Brewed by Monks, Blessed by God!

Unlike any other beer in the world, Trappist beers are much sought-after by beer connoisseurs and are often regarded as some of the finest beers in the world. Considering most of the monasteries only sell their craft through the monasteries store with just enough quantities intended only for the upkeep of the monasteries, it didn’t help either that there are only seven Trappist breweries in the world. This scarcity has led the beers being exalted to where it is today. Just stop for a while and imagine if there’s ever such a thing as beer investment like in wine, I believe Trappist beers especially with the rarer ones, price would have skyrocketed many fold.

One of the things that intrigues me the most is the similarity Trappist beer shared with Champagne in that it must satisfy certain criteria to be named a “Trappist.” Just like Champagne has to come from the region of Champagne in Northern France and made by the Méthode Champenoise, Trappist beers has to be brewed within the walls of the Trappist monasteries supervised by the monks with the breweries being of secondary importance. Furthermore the breweries existence is only intended for the upkeep of the monasteries and not for profit making. Proceeds from the sales of beers are put to good use in charitable work that would benefit the community as a whole.

These criteria were laid down by the International Trappist Association which was formed as a means to protect the economic interest of the Trappist monasteries as there have been numerous dishonest business practices that misused the Trappist’s name in the past. The International Trappist Association grants the monasteries the right to use the “Authentic Trappist Product” logo guaranteeing the authenticity and origin of the beer to the consumers. There is much similarity here with the French’s appellation contrôlée legislation as well which functions as a governing law that prevents fraudulent labelling of wine hence guaranteeing the wine’s origin.

As mentioned earlier there are only seven Trappist breweries in the world, six (Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren and Westmalle) are located in Belgium and one (La Trappe/Koningshoeven) in The Netherlands. Since most of them only sell their beers through the monasteries stores, you’d be lucky to lay your hand on a bottle or two. And what a luck it was that La Trappe managed to find its way to our shore and is readily available in Cold Storage and established eateries such as Deutsches Gasthaus, etc.

A Short History of La Trappe

The origin of La Trappe can be traced back to the 1880s during the anti-church movement in France where the Trappist monastery Sainte-Marie-du-Mont along with other monasteries were threatened in their existence and monk Sebastianus Wyart were sent by the abbot to find refuge abroad. He succeeded and the monastery was relocated to The Netherlands in a farm called Koningshoeven, meaning the Royal Farms.

Moreover the monastery didn’t begin brewing beer until the mid-1880s when cultivating the land to upkeep the monastery proved difficult and it was at this critical moment that the abbot decided to start a small brewery as a means to support the ever growing members of the monastery. As a result monk Isidorus Laaber was sent to Munich to learn the art of beer brewing and became the monastery’s first master brewer. Since then, the Koningshoeven Brewery has been the monastery’s main source of income for over 125 years.

Indeed the brewery was so successful that the monks had a hard time coping with the demands for their beers and collaboration with other breweries were necessary to ensure continuous supply, first with Artois Brewery from the late 1960s to early 1980s then Bavaria Brewery from 1999 onwards. Koningshoeven Brewery has become the most successful Trappist brewery to date and its brand – La Trappe is being enjoyed worldwide by beer enthusiasts alike.

Malaysians now has a chance to savour these scrumptious beers that were once considered inaccessible. And it is good to know that by purchasing and consuming La Trappe you are indirectly contributing to the Koningshoeven monasteries in Indonesia and Uganda as part of the proceeds from the sales of La Trappe goes to them. There has never been such satisfaction in consuming a bottle of beer knowing full well that you’re contributing to a greater cause and when someone tries to tell you how beer consumption ONLY leads to social illness, instead of arguing share a bottle of La Trappe with him/her.

"La Trappe is proof that God loves and wants Malaysians to be happy!"

La Trappe Blond

A re-taste confirms my suspicion that the earlier bottle was not at its best! Golden in appearance reminds me of the highly prized botrytised wine. Unfortunately this is not. However the good news is this is one mouth-watering ale not to be missed by any beer enthusiasts alike! The delicate aroma is sweet and somehow creamy with subtle toasty character. The nose becomes more interesting as time goes by with sweet bean paste and citrus spring to mind! Off-dry with a cream-like texture and subtle fruits that finishes off very refreshing. Very good indeed!

Serving Temperature: 8-12°C
ABV: 6.5%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 9.59 (as at May 17, 2011)
Location: Cold Storage, One Utama Shopping Centre

La Trappe Dubbel

This is one tasty beer with a sweetish, caramel-like aroma. Simple yet inviting! The palate is simply delicious with good follow through from the nose and finishes off dry and refreshing with slight spiciness and warm.

Serving Temperature: 10-14°C
ABV: 7%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 9.59 (as at May 17, 2011)
Location: Cold Storage, One Utama Shopping Centre

La Trappe Tripel

Another delicious offering from La Trappe! This Tripel has a beige, cream-like head with a yeasty and smoky/toasty aroma with some degree of sweetness. There’s something intriguing about the aroma in which I can’t seems to pinpoint what it is! Slight sweetness on the palate with apparent smoky/toasty character and a bitter but refreshing finish. Reminds me of a vintage Champagne I once had 10 years ago – 1990 Philippe Gonet Blanc de Blancs!

Serving Temperature: 10-14°C
ABV: 8%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 9.59 (as at May 17, 2011)
Location: Cold Storage, One Utama Shopping Centre

La Trappe Quadrupel

Apparently there are two variants to La Trappe Quadrupel. One undergoes maturation in oak barrels for 12 months for that added complexity then bottled with a Champagne cork in 375ml bottle that is available exclusively at the monastery store only. This variant is known to improve with age. The other variant receives no such treatment and is bottled with the standard 330ml bottle with a crown cap. This is what you get in Malaysia and it is by no means an inferior product to the oak aged version.

Sweet aroma of dried raisins and burn caramel. The palate is generous and rich with cream-like texture. The attack is sweet with hint of spice and the bitter finish persistent with a cough syrup-like quality that leaves a sugary coat mouth feels.

Serving Temperature: 10-14°C
ABV: 10%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 10.59 (as at May 17, 2011)
Location: Cold Storage, One Utama Shopping Centre