Belgian Beer no.23: Westmalle, the second of the six chosen ones

For more than 200 years the monks of Westmalle have dedicated their gift and skills to brewing beer – the Westmalle. On the 10^th December 1836 the first beer was served, and since then Westmalle has secured its place among the 6 trappist beers of Belgium. As mentioned before the 6 trappist beers are: Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren and Westmalle.

The information on the website with regards to the difference between an abbey and a trappist beer reads: a trappist beer gets only then the name when it fulfils 3 set criteria. It has to be brewed only by the monks within the walls of a trappist abbey. The brewery has to be linked to the monastery and be part of a culture that fits with monastic life. The brewery can not serve profit making purposes, and the income from the beers has to help the monks and the monastery to exist. Any remaining money is to be donated to charity, social projects or people in need.

Three beers are brewed in Westmalle: the double, the triple and the extra Westmalle.

No recipe (to follow).