With the last trappist monk leaving the abbey in Achel, the brewery no longer qualifies for the Authentic Trappist Label. The production of the beer itself isn’t in danger, but attentive fans will notice a slight change in the beer label where the “Authentic Trappist Product” has now been replaced with the coat of arms of Achel.
In order for a beer to carry the Authentic Trappist Product logo, they have to meet 3 requirements:
- The beer has to be brewed within the abbey or within the proximity of the abbey.
- The beer has to be brewed under close attention of a Trappist monk who’s living in the abbey.
- Any profit from the sale of the beer goes to the upkeep of the abbey and basic living expenses. Any other profit will be donated to a good cause.
With the last trappist monk leaving the abbey, the Achel trappist beer no longer qualifies to carry the logo. However, brother Nathanaël lets us know that we can still call the beer a trappist beer as the production process will still be governed by the monks in Westmalle, the monks who have founded the Achel abbey. The Westmalle abbey also welcomes the last monk from the Achel brewery who has now moved to Westmalle.
A big change to the trappist community and beer drinkers alike, with now only 5 trappist abbeys and Belgium. Luckily, Nathanaël informs us that we don’t have to worry about more Trappist breweries changing anytime soon, as they are still welcoming new monks into the Westmalle abbey. That leaves a total of 13 trappist breweries in total worldwide.
We are expecting the last few bottles with the Authentic Trappist Product logo to go on sale and afterwards, the beer will forever change, or at least the label of the beer. If you’d like to own a piece of history and try the Achel Trappist check out the Belgian Trappist Beer box which includes both the Achel Blonde and Achel Bruin trappist beers.