The Monks of Westmalle have sold St Benedict’s Abbey in Achel (Limburg) that now loses all right to call any beers brewed at the abbey brewery Trappist beers. The abbey has reportedly been bought by Jan Tormans of the Tormans Group. Exact plans for the future have not yet been divulged, but it’s understood brewing activity at the abbey could even be expanded. It’s expected that the beer brewed at the abbey that no longer has the right to call itself Trappist will now be sold under the Recognised Belgian Abbey Beer label and will display the Abbey Beer logo.
“Abbey beers need to meet fewer conditions than Trappists” says Flemish beer expert Sofie Vanrafelghem. “At the end of the day all you need is a link to a particular abbey, but in reality, this abbey no longer actually needs to exist! Take the case of the Ename abbey beer. Ename Abbey is today a ruin, but profits from the beer are still used to support a museum that keeps the culture and the history of the abbey alive”.
“Usually part of the royalties also ends up with any monks still living at an abbey, but apart from that there are only very loose ties between brewer and the religious community. The quality of abbey beer depends on the brewery” says Sofie.
Many abbey beers don’t even display the abbey logo. As a result the difference between regular beers and abbey beers has become rather fluid.
