September 21, 2005 By ERIC ASIMOV FOR single-minded devotion to quality, purity and tradition, the Trappist monks of Belgium are hard to match, especially when it comes to ale. It doesn't take much imagination to get carried away picturing them at their work. Seated at their rough-hewn tables, clothed in their coarse robes, they spend hours in the serenity of silent prayer and study. Then the word goes out: "It's time to brew the beer, it's time to brew the beer," and like so many Keebler elves, off they go to perform their sacred chores. Pure fantasy, of course. Though they adhere to traditional styles, Trappist breweries today are largely modern affairs, where the workers are often professionals hired by the abbeys. They have computerized equipment and well-designed Web sites. But the devotion remains to making ales as complex and distinctive as any in the world today, and, as the Dining section's tasting panel discovered, their beers set a lofty standard. The term Trappist describes the source of these ales rather than a particular brewing style. In fact, the beers vary considerably. Some are dark as chocolate stout and some are amber-gold, bordering on orange. They can be intensely sweet or dry enough to pucker. Sometimes they can be both, reaching a full, rich, complex sweetness as you turn the ale over in your mouth, yet turning dry and refreshing as you swallow. They can all be wonderfully fragrant, with aromas of spices, flowers and fruit, and they are always strong, ranging in alcohol from about 7 percent to 12 percent, as opposed to the 5 percent of a typical lager. Producing Trappist ales requires more than the usual sort of commitment. Only six breweries in the world, all affiliated with Trappist monasteries in Belgium, are permitted to use the hexagonal seal designating each bottle an "Authentic Trappist Product," and one of those six, the abbey of St. Sixtus at Westvleteren, sells its beer only at its monastery. A seventh Trappist monastery, Tegelen, in the Netherlands, sells La Trappe beer, but it is now made by a commercial brewer and no longer carries the Trappist seal, which guarantees that the beer is brewed in an abbey under the supervision of the religious order, and that most of the income will be used for charitable work. In the last few years, authentic Trappist beers have become increasingly easy to get in the United States, even at corner delis that take beer seriously. Some of the brand names have become well known, especially Chimay and Orval. They have been so admired that the Trappist styles are now widely imitated. Dozens of Belgian breweries make excellent versions of Trappist ales. Some of them are even commissioned by monasteries to brew ales or are licensed to use a monastery name. These are known as abbey beers. North American craft brewers, likewise inspired by these beers, have made their own distinctive versions. The panel tasted 25 ales, including bottles from the 5 exporting monasteries, 11 Belgian abbey beers, 7 from the United States and 1 each from Canada and the Netherlands. Florence Fabricant, Frank J. Prial and I were joined by Tony Forder, co-publisher and editor of Ale Street News, a consumer publication. By the time the tasting was over, we were all feeling the spirit. The quality of the beers was exceptionally high, which was surprising because so many were imported. Most beers are fragile. If they are not protected from heat or light, they can easily lose their vitality. They don't take well to long voyages and are generally at their best as soon as they are bottled. But Trappist-style ales are the rare beers that are meant to age. They are generally what brewers call "bottle conditioned," meaning that a small dose of sugar and yeast is added to each bottle just before it is sealed. Then, as with Champagne, the beers re-ferment in the bottle, developing complexity over time and a wonderful texture of pinpoint natural carbonation. Unlike the sediment in Champagne, the ale's sediment is not removed before the bottles are sold. It is left to settle to the bottom, and these unfiltered beers develop a soft haze. They are at their best served cool, rather than cold. As pleased as we were by the ales, we also disagreed considerably over which were our favorites, possibly because they were so stylistically varied. The two best-known Trappist styles are dubbel and trippel, which I've Americanized to double and triple. While these styles are never defined precisely, the doubles tend to be dark and rich, often with flavors of chocolate and mocha and a layer of fruity sweetness that can turn dry as you swallow. The triples are lighter in color and body but stronger in alcohol, with complex spicy flavors. Usually they are dry. There are even quadruples, which are stronger yet. Nonetheless, glorious exceptions to these categories exist, like the Orval Trappist ale, an unmatchable combination of the bitter austerity of a Pilsener with the full-bodied richness of an ale. It was one of my favorites in the tasting, and Tony noted that it stuck out from the others. But Frank and Florence found it merely routine. Other than the Orval, we tended as a group to prefer the drier examples, like our consensus favorite, the deliciously complex and balanced triple from the Westmalle Trappist abbey, and our No. 3, the spicy, refreshing Affligem, an abbey triple. Our No. 2, La Fin du Monde from Unibroue in Quebec, was also on the dry side yet with a pronounced, lively intensity. All five of the Trappist beers made our list, including the creamy, complex Achel, the light-bodied, floral Rochefort, and the Grande R�serve from Chimay. The Chimay epitomized the divisions in our panel. It was creamy and rich, with an aroma of roasted chocolate that struck me as beautiful. It had flavors of dried fruit and spice and gave the impression of sweetness until it turned dry as you swallowed. Florence also liked it, suggesting that it would be great with a steak, but Frank and Tony were less impressed. Frank and I both loved the Witkap-Pater Abbey Triple Ale, which I found complex, delicate and delicious, but Tony and Florence demurred. Perhaps I wasn't critical enough, because there were few ales that I did not like, regardless of the style. Tony and I very much liked the Southampton Abbot, a dark ale that had brilliant flavors. But Florence and Frank felt it was overwhelming. It just missed making the list. The only American beer in our Top 10 was the Weyerbacher from Easton, Pa., a complex, hefty quadruple-style ale that was the strongest we tasted at 11.9 percent alcohol. In addition to the Southampton, American ales that narrowly missed out included the Ommegang Abbey Ale and the Victory Golden Monkey Triple Ale. Why is it that the monks have historically been able to make such great beer? In his book, "The Brewmaster's Table" (Ecco, 2003), Garrett Oliver suggests that not only were they patient, educated and thorough, but because of their lower costs, they were able to use better ingredients than commercial brewers. No doubt that is all true, but I can't help imagining that somehow they get a little bit of extra help. Tasting Report: Aged in the Bottle, Beers With Character Westmalle Belgium Trappist Triple $6 *** � Floral, fruity and dry with long, lingering flavors; superb; 9.5 percent alcohol, 11.2 ounces. (Importer: Merchant du Vin, Lenox, Mass.) Unibroue Chambly, Quebec La Fin du Monde $2.30 *** Complex and full-bodied, rich, deep and dry; 9 percent, 12 ounces. (Unibrew U.S.A., Shelburne, Vt.) Affligem Belgium Abbey Triple $7.50 *** Dry bordering on austere, yet spicy, complex and very refreshing; 8.5 percent, 25.4 ounces. (Fischer Beverages International, White Plains) Weyerbacher Easton, Pa., Quad $6 *** Rich, complex and fruity; seems sweet at first, but turns dry; 11.9 percent, 11.2 ounces. Achel Belgium Trappist Extra $11 *** Citrus and spice aromas, complex flavors and creamy texture; 9.5 percent, 25.4 ounces. (Shelton Brothers, Belchertown, Mass.) Orval Belgium Trappist $6 ** � Floral and herbal aromas; very dry with long, lingering flavors; 6.9 percent, 11.2 ounces. (Merchant du Vin, Lenox, Mass.) De Ranke Belgium Abbey Guldenberg $10 ** � Lean and dry with complex, balanced citrus, herb and spice flavors; 8.5 percent, 25.4 ounces. (Shelton Brothers, Belchertown, Mass.) Witkap-Pater Belgium Abbey Triple $3 ** � Floral and citrus aromas; dry, delicate and complex. 7.5 percent, 11.2 ounces. (Vanberg & DeWulf, Cooperstown, N.Y.) Chimay Belgium Trappist Grande R�serve $10 ** � Roasted aromas of chocolate, dried fruits and spices; creamy and rich yet dry; 9 percent, 25.4 ounces. (Belukus Marketing, Princeton, N.J.) Rochefort Belgium Trappist 10 $6 ** � Surprisingly floral; balanced and light-bodied with persistent spice flavors; 11.3 percent, 11.2 ounces. (Merchant du Vin, Lenox, Mass.) -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *