Abbey beers

Julio Cerezo - Beer Sommelier
Director of Sabeer Beer Academy

Abbey beers are a common choice for many beer lovers who have started to explore other flavours within the brewing world, beyond standard golden lagers Although these monkish beers share a number of organoleptic properties, the first thing we need to point out is that there is not one single style.

We can find blond ale, dubbel, tripel and even wheat styleabbey beers , which are all different in colour, intensity and alcohol content, but all with a common feature: their historical origins.

From the Middle Ages onwards, different monastic orders took up brewing beer as a way of earning income for the construction and maintenance of their monasteries, sustenance for themselves and to pay for their charity work.

Among them are the Saint Benedict monks, whose rule of “ora et labora” encouraged the monks to live from their own work rather than from alms. And what better way to honour God than to brew beer to quench the thirst of believers and non-believers alike.

The turbulent European history over the centuries, so sadly marred by wars and conflicts, hindered and interrupted the brewing of beer in many monasteries, causing it to be gradually abandoned.

Today there are barely a dozen monasteries where the monks still brew beer, and these are precisely the Benedictine monks, also known as Trappists.

Trappist beers have their own hallmark and enjoy well-deserved prestige the world over for their quality, but most of the monastic orders with a traditional brewing history have delegated their age-old recipes to the big brewing companies, thus leading to the category known as Abbey beers.

Trappist and Abbey beers share their style and tradition, almost always reproducing the Belgian custom based on high fermentation yeast which confers this type of beer a complex blend of fruity and spicy flavours.

These beers are usually highly carbonated to balance out their alcohol content, which gives them their sensory intensity making them an excellent choice when taking time out to relax with a beer and, a little pâté, mature cheese or a hearty stew or roast

To enjoy a moment of cosy relaxation or taking time out with friends, we recommend one of these beers that you can find on our shelves:

Leffe Blonde (6,6%). Leffe Abbey in Belgium where this beer has been brewed since 1240.

Their Blonde features the best of monastic tradition through a crystal clear, golden beer with a creamy head and consistent body, with a wealth of hints of ripe fruit and spices such as clove. Its considerable carbonation confers a freshness that sets off the intensity of its nuances on the palate, inviting us to take another sip.

Finally, a couple of serving tips: take it out of the fridge a few minutes before drinking to allow it to warm a little, thereby bringing out its full range of tastes. Pour it into a wine glass, or better still a typical wide mouthed goblet.

Cheers!