Trappist vs. Abbey Ales

MSWS Downtown

5:30 to 6:30pm

A Trappist ale is an ale recognized by the International Trappist Association as authentically Trappist. To be an authentic Trappist ale, your ale has to be, among other things, brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, brewed under control or direction of Trappist monks, and the money made must either go to monastery maintenance or good works. Only seven ITA recognized Trappist breweries exist in the world, but they're not the only ones brewing their style of beer … Maybe you're working with monks but brewing in your own commercial brewery. Maybe you've licensed a monastery's name and only think of them when you write checks. Maybe you're using the name and recipes of a monastery that long ago stopped producing monks, much less beer. Maybe you just made up a monastery name and wouldn't know a monk even if you ran one over with your Maserati while he was on his way to minister to lepers. If you brew ales in the Trappist style and are not ITA recognized, you make abbey ales. But is there really a difference? Does one taste better than the other? Time to find out.

Beers to be  Tasted*

Westmalle Tripel

Maredsous Tripel

Chimay Première

Ommegang Abbey Ale

Ovila Dubbel

Plus, a New Beer of the Week!

*Actual lineup subject to the vicissitudes of distributor availability