Beer tasting sessions

on the base of beers of higher fermentation

Trappist beers : Trappist beer is that kind of beer that can only be brewed in a Cistercian abbey under the supervision of Cistercian monks. Nowadays these are only 7 producing Trappist abbeys, worldwide : 6 in Belgian (Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle en West-Vleteren) and 1 in the Netherlands (Koningshoven). Trappist beer can be recognised by the logo given below :

Abbey beers : “abbey beers” is the collective name for beers that have a name referring to a still existing or disappeared abbey ( Benedictines, Norbertines, Cistercians of the Non-strict order and Cistercians of the Strict Observation). These are abbeys that used to brew in the past or that let their beer being brewed under license. Anyone is allowed to use the name “abbey beer”, but only those who meet specific criteria can use the logo of ‘Certified Belgian Abbey Beer’ (such as Val-Dieu, ST-Feuillien, Floreffe, Bornem, etc.)

Wheat beers : To obtain the name of ‘Belgian wheat beer’, the beer has to contain at least 30 % of unmalted wheat in its batter. Wheat beers are usually unfiltered and have a slightly cloudy character. The refreshing taste is obtained by the addition of coriander and orange peels (curacao) during the cooking process. The most famous wheat beer is of course Hoegaarden, that was launched by Pierre Celis in 1966.