The Three Rules
What Is a Trappist Beer?
A Trappist beer is brewed within a Trappist abbey or directly beside it, under the supervision of the monks or nuns, and its proceeds support the community or charitable causes. It is not a beer style but a mark of origin. It's identified by the hexagonal "Authentic Trappist Product" logo.
Who Are the Trappists?
Behind the name stands a Catholic order with a strict daily routine. Officially, the Trappists are known as the Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Observance here refers to how closely a monastic rule is followed. Their nickname comes from the Abbey of La Trappe in Normandy. There, Abbot Armand-Jean de Rancé introduced a 17th-century reform emphasizing silence, prayer, and physical labor.
The French Revolution drove the monks out of France. Many found a new home in Belgium and the Netherlands. There, in the 19th century, they founded abbeys that were self-sufficient through farming, cheesemaking, and brewing. The brewery at Westmalle has existed since 1836, the one at Westvleteren since 1838. For these communities, beer was first and foremost a food source, and only later a well-known brand.
The daily life of a Trappist community still follows a fixed rhythm today. The day begins long before sunrise with the first prayer, followed by an alternating cycle of worship, reading, and work. Little is spoken. Within this rhythm, the brewery is just one workshop among many, and it must adapt to it. This explains why some abbeys deliberately keep their output small.
The Three Rules for the "Authentic Trappist Product" Logo
With the success of monastery beers came imitators. Secular breweries wrote "Trappist" on their bottles without ever having set foot in a monastery. In response, eight Trappist abbeys founded the International Trappist Association, or ITA, in 1997: six from Belgium, one from the Netherlands, and one from Germany. Since then, the association has awarded the "Authentic Trappist Product" logo.
Three conditions apply for the logo. First, the product must be made within the monastery walls or in their immediate vicinity. Second, this must happen under the supervision of the monks or nuns. Third, the proceeds must support the community's livelihood, solidarity within the order, or social and charitable causes. Only abbeys that are ITA members can apply for the logo.
The mark applies to more than just beer. Cheese, liqueur, bread, or cosmetics from Trappist monasteries can carry it too. But it's best known for beer, since that's where the name has most often been misused.
Do Monks Have to Brew Themselves?
The rule requires supervision, not hands-on work at the brew kettle. At several abbeys, lay brewmasters and employees do the actual work. The community, however, decides on quantity, recipe, and the use of the proceeds. Profit is allowed to arise, but it isn't the purpose.
The ITA takes its rules seriously, as shown by the Dutch brewery La Trappe at Koningshoeven Abbey. Its logo was withdrawn in 1999 and only reinstated in October 2005. Loss of the logo is also possible if a community grows too small. Without monks, there's no supervision, and the beer loses its seal.
What happens to the money is decided by each community itself. Part covers buildings, care for sick brothers, and ongoing operations. Anything beyond that goes, per the third rule, toward solidarity within the order or social causes. This sets a Trappist beer apart from any ordinary branded beer, whose profits go to owners or shareholders.
Is Trappist a Beer Style?
No, and this is the most common misconception on the topic. "Trappist" tells you where and under what conditions a beer is made. It says nothing about color, strength, or flavor. Trappists brew pale blonds, dark dubbels, strong tripels and quadrupels, and light patersbier for their own table. Orval undergoes secondary fermentation with the wild yeast Brettanomyces, while the beer from Tre Fontane in Rome contains eucalyptus.
Still, many Trappist beers share certain traits. Most are top-fermented, meaning they're fermented with a yeast that works at warmer temperatures and produces fruity aromas. They often undergo bottle conditioning. None of this is required, though. A brewer can produce a beer in the same style without being Trappist. Conversely, there are monastery beers from Trappist abbeys that don't carry the logo because they're brewed outside the monastery walls.