Drink Like a Monk
Tomorrow, I will host a beer tasting at my house. I’ve selected five or six Trappist ales to pour for my guests, so the title for this event is “Drink Like a Monk”—an obvious reference (I hope) to Stan Hieronymus’s fine book Brew Like a Monk.
So tomorrow I’ll serve a selection of beers either made by or inspired by Trappists (also called Abbey-style ales). The one Trappist ale that I find most everyone is already familiar with is Chimay. There are three different kinds of Chimay, most commonly differentiated by the color of their labels: Blue, White, and Red, with Red being the most popular.
Other beers I’ll be pouring for my guests include Orval, Rochefort 8 and 10, Westmalle Dubbel, Koningshoeven Dubbel, and Karmeliet.
The format for the evening is relaxed and informal and free, natural conversation is expected. I make sure I don’t bore my guests with too many technical details about the beers unless they ask (of course). My hope is that my guests will taste some different beers and maybe even buy some of them on their own the next time they are in the beer store. And that prompts me to ask a few questions about the beers I should be introducing to my guests.
I have several goals: (1) encourage people to choose craft beer over Spüllwasser (my new term for megabrew—the explanation I’ll save for a future column), (2) help people find beers that they like to drink, (3) introduce people to good beer choice habits (e.g., drink local before drinking global).
When I put together this “Drink Like a Monk” tasting, I was torn between choosing an authentic Trappist menu for the evening, or choosing a local menu. Here on Long Island we have one of the best breweries around for Belgian styles: Southampton Publick House. Phil Markowski brews like a monk regularly, releasing his Abbot 12, Grand Cru Strong Ale, Belgian Abbey-style Quadruple, and his very refreshing Belgian Abbey Single (which I cribbed the recipe for). But sticking to an all local menu would essentially limit the selection to Southampton beers. The other Long Island brewery that bottles their beer, Blue Point Brewing Company, doesn’t make an Abbey-style anything. Some of the brewpubs occasionally have Abbey-styles on tap (which would be available for takeout in a growler). In fact, DJ Swanson at John Harvard’s in Lake Grove has a Tripel fermenting right now. Casting the net a little further (to Pennsylvania) and there’s Weyerbacher’s Merry Monks’ Ale (a Tripel).
So tomorrow when you are out, why don’t you stop at your local beer store and see what they have in the way of Trappist or Abbey-style ale. Don’t forget to look for something local, you might be surprised what you find and you might even like it. Leave a comment and let me know what you find.
I didn’t care for Rochefort 10 at all. There was a strong anise flavor that dominated the brew.
As a stout fan, I thought I’d like it. This beer is in a whole other class then stouts. The body Rochefort 10 packs easily outdoes even the best Russian Imperial.
Westmalle Dubbel, now that’s the good stuff!