Chimay – well-known in beer-geek circles – has had some success in penetrating into the mind-share of the casual beer aficionado. Some might even say it has become common, finding its way onto even routine beer lists, where it sits as the “good beer” alternative on otherwise bland menus. You’ve probably seen the glassware, or perhaps a coaster; certainly you would recognize the brand label (which resembles the Trappist label). Yet a brewery that produces 123,000 hL (about 105,000 barrels – production similar to a regional US craft brewer) can hardly have beer that is considered “common.” Compared to Sam Adams (2 million barrels annually), Chimay barely exists. And yet, it manages a modicum of fame.
Chimay is brewed within the walls of Scourmont Abbey, located in southern Belgium just a few miles from the French border. The monks that eventually founded the Abbey came to the village of Chimay in 1850; after developing the surrounding lands into a farm, the abbey was established in 1863. In that same year the brewery began operations, and a few years later, a cheese factory.
The brewing operations are considered under the control of the monks and brewed within the walls of the abbey, though the “Biers de Chimay Company” was established to manage the growing brewing business and employs 75 people. The beer is bottled 12km from the abbey.
Chimay brews three beers for public sale: Red, White, and Blue, corresponding to the color of the label and bottle cap. All are refermented in the bottle, and thus ideal for cellaring.
- Red (“Premiere”) is a dubbel, 7% ABV.
- White (“Cinq Cents”) is a Tripel, 8% ABV.
- Blue (“Grand Reserve”) is a Quadrupel (or Strong Dark Ale, if you’re a purist), 9% ABV, and is the best candidate for aging.
There is also a “Doree,” a low alcohol (4.8%) patersbier brewed only for the monks and for serving at the affiliated inn.
In counterpoint to the fame and brand recognition of Chimay stands La
Trappe (aka Koningshoeven in the US). Bonus points for you if you’ve heard of them; double points if you’ve tried their beer. Their relative anonymity has little to do with their production – they are, in fact, the most prolific of the Trappists, brewing 145,000 hL (about 123,000 barrels) annually. Some credit La Trappe with the invention of the Quadrupel moniker (first brewed in 1991), and as they are the only non-Belgian Trappist brewery, their lack of name-recognition comes down to marketing – or lack thereof. Don’t let that keep you away from any of their seven beers.
La Trappe is brewed within the walls of the abbey Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven near Tilburg, Netherlands. The roots of this abbey, however, are in northern France: in 1880, in response to a growing anti-church environment in France, the abbot of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont monastery sent one of his monks, Sebastianus Wyart, abroad to seek out a friendlier location to settle. Wyart ended up in the Netherlands, and founded the new abbey in 1881 near some small farms that the locals called Koningshoeven (“the Royal Farms”). In 1884, Isidorus Laaber (this will be important later) was sent to Munich to learn the brewing process, and the brewery was founded.
In 1969, as the brewery grew, the abbey licensed brewing operations to Artois (yes, of Stella Artois fame). That deal expired in 1980, and the monks once again took control of the brewing process, and began selling the beer under the brand name “La Trappe.” In 1989, the brewery was entirely rebuilt, and in 1991 the first (beer named) Quadrupel was released.
In 1999, the abbey turned over brewing operations to a subsidiary of the Bavaria brewing company, which caused a bit of trouble with the new International Trappist Association, who decided that the arrangement was not in accordance with the Trappist criteria. As a result, La Trappe’s right to display the Trappist logo was revoked, effectively removing them as a Trappist brewer. By 2005, the dispute was settled by having the monks take a greater role in the brewing process, and La Trappe’s status as a Trappist brewer was re-instated.
La Trappe brews an interesting array of seven beers, two of which are unique:
- Blonde (6.5% ABV)
- Dubbel (7.0% ABV)
- Tripel (8.0% ABV)
- Quadrupel (10% ABV)
- Witte Trappist (5.5% ABV, and the only Trappist Witte)
- Bockbier (7.0% ABV, and the only Trappist Bock)
- Isid’or (7.5% ABV, a jubilee beer brewed in 2009 for the 125th anniversary of the brewery, and named after their first brewmaster; its popularity has caused it to be brewed again in 2010)
While the US will experience a rebranding of Koningshoeven to La Trappe in 2010, we will not be lucky enough to get the various barrel-aged Quadrupels being released as of this writing. In 2008, La Trappe stuffed a sizable quantity of their Quad into oak, whiskey, port, red and white wine barrels, and are selling the resulting bottles only at the abbey.
While La Trappe may brew more beer each year than Chimay, it is still the rarer find on these shores; snap it up if you can find it. Either way, you won’t go wrong by trying any of these wonderful beers.
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