The Holiest of Beers

I'm not much of a drinker, but I do enjoy trying new beers from time to time. My most recent tasting was of a very unique beer brewed by Belgian Trappist monks called Achel 8° Blonde. The beer was served in a Trappist style glass (similar in shape to a goblet) and had a huge foamy head that looks like a french vanilla float. Underneath all that foam was a nice dark blonde beer with a wonderfully pleasant rich fruit and floral yeast aroma. The taste is of sweet malt with some hop bitterness, light bodied with creamy texture, just amazing.

This was my first Trappist beer, and honestly I'm quite excited to try more. There currently exists only 7 Trappist breweries worldwide; one in the Netherlands, and the other 6 residing in Belgium. The monks living in these monasteries brew the beer for themselves and to support the monastery and it's various causes. The Achel brewery is one of the newest in the Trappist brewing field starting in just 1998, with the oldest operating being the Westmalle Abbey starting in 1836.

It seems most of the Trappist beers are very well crafted and possess a very high alcohol content between 7 and 12% making these not for the light of heart. I'm hopping I can try each one of them while in Belgium in the coming weeks, and report back. If you happen to find a Trappist beer however I definitely recommend it. Any recommendations of quality Belgian beer is greatly appreciated.