Westmalle Brewery
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| Brouwerij Westmalle | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Westmalle Belgium |
| Year opened | 1836 |
| Annual production | 120,000 hL (2004) |
Westmalle Brewery (Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle) is a Belgian trappist brewery located in the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle.
It produces three trappist beers.
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[edit] History
The Trappist abbey in Westmalle (officially called Abdij Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van het Heilig Hart van Jezus) was founded 6 June 1794, but the community was not elevated to the rank of Trappist abbey until April 22, 1836. Martinus Dom, the first abbot decided to brew their own beer, and the first beer was brewn on 1 August 1836 and their first beer was drunk on 10 December 1836. The pioneer brewers were father Bonaventura Hermans and Albericus Kemps. The first beer was described as light in alcohol and rather sweet[1]. By 1856, the monks had added a second beer: the first strong brown beer. This brown beer is today considered the first double (dubbel, in Dutch). The current Dubbel is derived from a recipe first brewed in 1926. Local sales began in 1856 and the oldest registered sale was on 1 January 1861. The brewery was enlarged and rebuilt in 1865 based on the example set by the Trappists of Forges (nearby Chimay). Father Ignatius van Ham joined the brewer team. Further commercialisation and sales to traders commenced in 1921. In 1933 a complete new brewery was built and in 1934, the brewery brewed a strong pale ale of 9.5% abv giving it the name Tripel - the first known use of the name. The brewery was remodeled in 1991. It currently has a bottling capacity of 45,000 bottles per hour, and yearly output of 120,000 hL (in 2004).
[edit] Products
The brewery produces three beers.
- Westmalle Dubbel, a 7% ABV Dubbel. Despite its dark colour and strong aroma, it is not as rich and full-bodied as one might think on first contact. It does not go straight to the head, and is a local favourite because of its soft flavour. It has a brown color from dark malts and dark candy sugar as well as a dry finish.
- Tripel Westmalle, a 9.5% ABV tripel, was first brewed in 1934 and the recipe has not changed since 1956. It is made with pale candy sugar and has a very pale color produced from a mash of light pilsener malts. Styrian Goldings hops are used along with some German varieties and the classic Saaz pilsener hop. After a long secondary fermentation, the Tripel Westmalle is bottled with a dose of sugar and yeast. This beer holds up well in the bottle over time and seems to soften with age.
- Westmalle Extra, 5% ABV, a beer produced only for the monks (patersbier). It is not available for sale, but can sometimes appear at local beer festivals.
The abbey also produces milk and cheese.
[edit] References
- ^ Jef van den Steen, Trappist - Het Bier en de Monniken ISBN 90-5826-214-6
[edit] Source
- Jan B. Van Damme o.c.r., Cistercienzers of Trappisten te Westmalle, Westmalle, 1974
- Jan B. Van Damme o.c.r., Geschiedenis van de Trappistenabdij te Westmalle (1794-1956), Westmalle, 1977
- J. Van Remoortere, Ippa's Abdijengids voor Belgie, Lanno, 1990
[edit] External links
