Trappist Beer Tour

Hallo ihr lieben!

As of recently, Joel and I found ourselves in the lovely country of Belgium. The need for a short vacation coupled with Joel's upcoming birthday, prompted us to pack our bags and head west to taste some of the finest of the finest beers-- the Trappist!

Of all the beers in the world, only eleven beers may carry the name “Trappist”. The reason being that in order to bear this name, breweries must follow a strict set of criteria. First, Trappist beers must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by monks themselves or under their supervision. Secondly, the brewery itself must be of secondary importance within the monastery, and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life. Lastly, the brewing of beers should not intend to become a profit-making machine, but rather any revenue collected should be allocated to the living expenses of monks, maintenance of the monastery, as well as charity work. 

Abbaye D’Aulne

Out of the eleven Trappist beers in the world, six can be found in Belgium--three in the north (Westmalle, Achel & Westvleteren) and three in the south (Orval, Chimay & Rochefort). We opted for touring the south in order to experience more of the rural areas, and we could not have chosen better. After a brief stop in Brussels, we rented a car and headed south towards Chimay. On our way there, we stumbled upon the Abbaye D’Aulne where we caught site of the beautiful medieval ruins that once framed the walls of this monastery. Although not a Trappist, this Abbay beer definitely hit top of my list. 

Chimay

Once in Chimay, we were pleasantly surprised by this charming and quaint little town. Not only do they carry some of the best beer in the world, the locals are just as magnificent. We were invited to a bar in town by a Harley Davidson gang, and spent the night listening to classic rock and roll and sipping on free Chimay’s (yes... free!). Needless to say the next morning’s hangover was totally worth it.

Ruins at Orval

As we moved towards Orval, we crossed over to the northern part of France, as well as squeezed in a one day trip to Luxembourg City. Once at The Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval we were sadly disappointment. Although a beautiful abbey, you quickly realize this brewery is run more like a business than a monastery. Their famous Orval beer though was the most unique of them all. A bit too bitter for my taste, yet nonetheless delicious!

Town of Rochefort

Lastly, unlike Orval, the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy - Rochefort definitely did not disappoint. A quiet and peaceful abbey surrounded by forest with birds chirping on a sunny day. Aaaaaahhh!! Although you can’t actually enter the monastery, you can take a stroll along the forest and visit some areas of the church while sipping on a Rochefort 10. What can be better than that!? ;-) 

Note to anyone wanting to do this trip for cheap:
It’s best that you rent a car. There are no hostels in most of these towns, and hotels run at around 80 euros or more per night. If you don’t mind a little discomfort, you can rent a 4 door car (approx. $20-25/day) with lots of space in the back and set up a blow up bed for the night. In the summer, you can head to the campsites which are available and pitch a tent if you like (approx. 8-10 euros/person). Gas is dirt cheap. For the entire 5 day trip we paid a grand total of 30 euros for gas. Just saying… it’s the way to go!

Au revoir!
Gabriela