Tasting Belgium's Trappist Beers
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Drink with us as we sit down and taste the unique and various beers of the Trappist Breweries in Belgium. There are 6 in total, and we're trying every beer. Wish us luck!
Special Thanks to www.belgianMart.com for providing these very rare to find drinks. If you're looking for a taste of Belgium, whether it's their beers or snacks, check out the website. They have it all!
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----Watch the Heart of Belgium Playlist ----
• Hell-bent to Ghent & W...
Some information about the Trappist Breweries:
Our Trappist journey begins in Vleteren, Belgium at the St. Sixtus Abbey where we taste the Blond, 8, and the 12 beers of Westvleteren.
Chimay. The brewery produces three ales as well as a patersbier for the monks themselves which is occasionally sold as Chimay Gold; they are known as Trappist beers because they are made in a Trappist monastery. It was the first brewery to use the Trappist Ale designation on its labels.
Orval is the main brand. It is a 6.2% abv beer. It was first made in 1931, and has a complex and unusual flavor and aroma produced by a unique strain of yeast: Brettanomyces lambicus. The beer is light in color, slightly cloudy, and has a large, foamy head. There is a complex aroma of leather, spice, and many other earthy components.
Rochefort: Around fifteen monks live at Rochefort Abbey, where the first brewery was founded in 1595. The water for the beer is drawn from a well inside the monastery walls.Rochefort uses Pilsener and Munich-type malts, and Hallertau and Golding hops
Achel Brewery or Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis is a Belgian Trappist brewery, and the smallest of the Belgian Trappist breweries. It is located in the Abbey of Saint Benedict in the Belgian municipality of Hamont-Achel. It brews six Trappist beers.
Westmalle Brewery (Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle) is a Trappist brewery in the Westmalle Abbey, Belgium. It produces three beers, designated as Trappist beer by the International Trappist Association. Westmalle Tripel is credited with being the first golden strong pale ale to use the term Tripel
I am from Belgium, and I like you got the right glasses
Thank you Wouter! It took me some time to find all the glasses but it was worth it in the end.
For the people who don't get this: we Belgians want our beers in the right glasses
@@kasperverbelen6047 Excalty. Glasses are designed to give you the best taste and experience possible with the beer in question
I thought the same!!
What about Grimbergen?
Respect from Belgium for a: The right glasses and b: All of our trappists in 1 day ! Good job, you deserve a Duvel😊
haha Duvel is the best reward!!
to be fair, it's amazing an american is still conscious after going through those, it's rather usual for american tourists to be sent home or to their hotel by taxicab after thinking we brew the same weak stuff they're used to xD
@@TheChill001 Big American beer companies are basically a glass of water with a hand full of hopes waved over it. Thanks be to God that the small craft Breweries are popping up everywhere.
@@DrinksWithMandy Duvel Trippel Hop Citra !
I started laughing after Westvleteren 8. After Westvleteren 12 your evaluation is, hmmm, questionnable. To give a fair evaluation of the other beers I suggest you taste them on different DAYS. All great beers. Cheer!
Agreed, Rochefort, for example definitely should have been ranked higher
his evaluation was fairly accurate. I've tasted all these beers several times and I come to the same conclusion. But yes, tastes differ. and opinions too
A two year old Orval is the best.
@@clubtcb i agree, but a dutch saying (who knows maybe its belgian too) goes like this: "Over smaak valt niet te twisten". Which is roughly translated into: Disagreeing about taste is useless. Definitely true in beer tasting.
About Rochefort, i once was in a Belgian beer café where the waiter shared a twist on the 10. He poured half a shot of ruby port in before the beer, it gives it an even fruitier taste. It's not nessacerily a better version, but does give it a fun twist. Worth a try if you are a fan of the 10. He called it a Rochefort Sportif.
@@klaveruhh Same saying in belgium.
I'll give that ruby port idea a try next time I have a bottle lying around
I grew up 8km from Westmalle. If you want to taste something really incredible, you should try a local speciality called 'half om half' or 'Trip Trap'. Easily one of the best beer 'cocktails' you'll ever have. It's made by pouring Westmalle Tripel and trapist (dubbel) in a 50/50 ratio in the same glass. If you pour the tripel first, you get the white head of the Tripel and the brown colour of the trapist/dubbel. This way you can see the difference between a Trip Trap and a Trapist. Because you need two bottles to drink it at a bar, you have to have a drinking buddy. To decide who of your friends will be the buddy you shout 'TRIP!' and the first one to reply 'TRAP!' is the chosen one. Schol!
When I was going across Belgium I had an Orval at some random small bar in Gent. I really enjoyed it! It helped my experience with the bar having a great atmosphere. Your trip brought back a lot of memories!
That's dope! I wish we had more time to spend in Ghent. It seemed like a really fun city.
Tips to get the best taste out of Belgian beer: if you are pouring from a bottle, do not pour the whole thing into your glass. Leave out about 1 cm at the bottom of the bottle. The taste without the yeast is simply magnificent. (on the other hand, for German beers especially Weissbier, it is mandatory to pour the yeast portion into your glass coz it has the enhancing effect). Cheers!
Good tip! Noted.
Watching him shake the bottle after pouring the whole thing was painful to watch...
Trivia: Scourmont abbey (Chimay) was founded by monks of West-Vleteren and the red Chimay trappist was their first trappist beer.
Practically everything done right in every conceivable way. You Sir, are a legend. Liked and subscribed. Now on to the videos of your tour of Belgium. Thanks for the great content. 🤩
Thank you!
@@PeterBragiel You are welcome. Kick @$$ content. 👍
Good review, correct information. 1) Westvletteren 2) Achel ( is not a trappist anymore) , 3) Orval, 4) Chimay 5) Rochefort 6) Westmalle
Good on you for putting this together, Peter. It's been a great series, and I can imagine it must have taken a load of work to get it done.
BTW: I love how you used the right glasses for each of the Trappist brews. Sheer class.
Chimay Première is my favorite beer of all time. I’m usually an imperial porter guy (think Victory at Sea), but Chimay is just so good. There’s something special about all these, where people toil away, closed from the rest of the world, making something they truly care about.
You prefer the Premiere to the Grand Reserve ?
generally, the main reason why I like these beers is how well they mesh with the local cuisine or with a nice local cheeseplate, very good for a small and intimate social gathering. Ofcourse, some of the breweries and abbeys producing beers also have amazing cheeses, like the Chimay brewery, which is a very good combo: a strong, yet mellow Chimay beer combined with the strong and sharp tasting cheese is a delight in itself on any occassion.
Love this video!
Orval is definitely unique and a favorite of mine. Rochefort 10 is my personal favorite, but it’s so rich that I only drink it on special occasions. Rochefort 8 is a more approachable and sessionable. It’s a real shame that you missed Achel Extra Brune which is an incredible beer!
It took a little bit for me to be able to pick up on the fig notes but once I did, I really started enjoying it. Personally I disagree with his assessment of the six that’s actually my favorite specially when you consider the ABV involved given it’s only 7.5.
as a Belgian from Antwerp I can say, this was a good honest video
The sight of these beers together and aplenty brings me so much joy that I wonder I might be an alcoholic, and not just a regular Belgian with a funnel for a throat.
Don't worry, you're both. From a fellow Belgian.
I know I'm late to the party, but your analysis is sooo on point!
Orval is so unique and so good, it just cannot be anything but number one. Admitted, it's an acquired taste.
In some specialized pubs you can even have 6 different kinds of Orval. All the same beer, but 3 different age groups (1, 3 or 5 years old - if I recall correctly) and either refrigerated or cellar temperature.
And yeah, Westvleteren is top notch. Mostly, we drink St. Bernardus because it is very close to Westvleteren, and much less expensive ;-)
And Westmalle too. It's like a classic tripel. It never disappoints.
Kudos!
As a New Year's goal, I've given myself a 50 beer flight challenge (essentially just visiting 50 different breweries). So I'm glad my own beerish inclinations lined up! The drunken progression was super amusing to watch though I really want to try all the Trapist beers now. Glad to see that your cameraman was helping you drink them all! Would happily watch any other beer/alcohol related vidjas from ya, Peter :)
Thanks Alina! My only worry is getting too drunk on camera. haha! Booze content could be fun to watch, but not so much to edit....yikes!
Finally someone with the right glasses! 👌🏼
Try to pour halve a double Westmalle with halve a tripple Westmalle! Amber heaven 🎉😊
I need to try that. Thanks for the suggestion :)
Westmalle is my favorite.
Respect for doing this in one hit. Great to see the increasing drunkness
haha! Thanks lordwonka. I took a drunken hit for the team :)
I love home brewing Belgian style beers. If I’m going to home brew, it may as well be the best stuff that’s normally the most expensive to buy at the store!
Same here brother. And bottle in Belgian bottles too!
Belgium beers it’s superb no beer can touch Belgium beers how can a small country make the best beers on the planet unbelievable 💪💪💪💪💪👍👍👍👍
love the fact that you just get wasted by the end and have no idea what you're tasting.
I want to go back to Brussels now
I think I fully endorse more videos of you sipping brews and discussing travel/your travels. Can we make this happen??? Oh you want a special guest for an episode!!!?? See you soon...
Josh Hallman this sounds dangerous, but good. May I request we pair the brews with tall boy monster energy drinks?
Orval is my favorite beer of all time hands down.
I love Orval, very clean and crisp...my favorite is Rochefort 10...top 3: Rochefort, Chimay Grand Reserve, snd Orval
Achel is no longer an trappist beer. The last monk moved to Westmalle and therefore the beer which is still brewed can't be called a trappist beer.
True, it now is an abbey beer. My wife used to work there and I had the pleasure of meeting the last 5 monks. The monk who was in charge of the animals just could not do it anymore. We got five chickens we named after the last monks
I live in Belgium :-) Personnally, the Maredsous (Abbey beer but not Trappist beer) is my favourite one. The Chimay Bleue is Deadly XD
Maredsous Tiple si soooo good as well!
Next time taste them over the same number of days. They are all great and have their own nuances.
For me the best (as a Belgian) :
1) Westvleteren 12
2) Westmalle Triple
3) Achel
4) Rochefort 10
5) Orval
6) Chimay Blue
Have you tried cuvee van de Kaiser? What do you think?
Really enjoyed the series. The monks at Rochefort and the people that invited you in were epic. A pit stop at Cantillon would have been worth it (not Trappist I know). I really like the Westvleteren beers, but St. Bernardus might be my favorite (and I can get bottles here in the US). I might need to give Orval another try.
Two sips and this dude just called my favorite beer of all time "Christmas fruit cake" lol 7:24
The Chimay blue is MY beer.......I love trappist beer.....
For me Rochefort wins... Westvleteren is sometimes very good, sometimes not that good... I am also huge fan of Orval and Westmalle Triple
i'm from belgium and drank all the trappists but not the westvleteren because its expensive...
Love them all but of course the dark, heavy ones like West 12, Roche 10 are a very aqcuired taste
don't drink orval the 1st year it is bottles, the Brett yeast they add at bottling needs a year to do its thing. also a tripel is not a pale ale :) (but orval is)
PS. Dubbel and Tripel stands for : double and tripple: it's 2x or 3x fermentation.
It has nothing to do with fermentation. You can only ferment once. It has to do with the amount of malts used to brew the beer.
Don't pour the whole bottle; leave a little bit in there. There's a bit of yeast/residue on the bottom that.
Thanks Jef, I'll take that into consideration next time.
@@PeterBragiel also you need to pour Belgian beers quickly with a big head. The head should be 2/3rds once you pour
Just want to let you know i watch this series every year. God i want to go do this
You forgot the Achel Extra Bruin. Only purchasable from the brewery!
Robert Locke What a shame!
Well done! I would not even attempt to drink so many in one sitting. Busy reading "Brewing like a monk" and thought I will watch a few videos too
Great analysis, hope you enjoyed them!
Also hope you got a few left to enjoy in this quarantine ;)
Great vid!
You should try the green Chimay, it's very nice.
From Ghent with love. Another great and fun extra video! Cheers :D
Love Ghent! ! Thank you.
From BE, welcome to our world ;-)
You have some of the most delicious beers on show! Might I add one thing to this? Always rinse your glass, even if it's from the same brewery (yeah, I know, we're kind of *n*l about this ;-P )
Anyway, great vid man!
Haha, you noticed! I tried to rinse every glass in between beers but things got a bit cloudy near the end ;) Thanks for watching and thanks for living in an awesome country. Can't wait to revisit.
Nice to see you back. And beer. My man.
Should've made a Trip Trap, which is a mix of Westmalle Dubbel a Tripel. so good
Not only names of the beer pronounced wrong but what the hell you were guys thinking to taste them all at once?
Agreed, Orval is the best imo. It needs a bit of a learning curve in order to appreciate it. But as a beer lover, there's no better than this.
I cried laughing at 14:38. Great review Pete!
Jake Viramontez 🦅! I cried watching all the footage, and it wasn’t from laughter.
Hi Peter, thank you for such informative video about Belgium beer( what I study now about). I was so enjoyed to watching you, especially at the end. Good job
Yeeessss duuuude. I gotta try that Orval.
Matthew Palanca doooo it! It’s widely available.
Interesting comment about the Westvleteren, it build and builds in flavour and then it just stops... I always found that fascinating about that beer, it packs much flavour and then it finishes clean and quite sparkly.. no aftertaste or sickly sweetness that lingers, a bit like a high quality brut Champagne, you get the grapes but then it ends in a silver sheen finish, My favourite is Orval and Westvleteren, and Rochefort 10 is amazing to make rich sauces.
Rochfort 8 all day long.
Rochefort 10 , awesome beer. Also the La trappe quadropel is a wicked one and a favorite. Cheers.
OH MY GOD, **WASH THE DAM CHALICE BEFORE POURING THE NEXT BEER**
I am a big fan of the Rochefort 10 as an occasional treat. Especially on colder days I find it super pleasant. The Westmalle Triple is a very close second. I have had the Westvleteren and I liked it quite a bit but you can get the very similar St. Bernardus Abt 12 much cheaper and I kinda prefer that beer above the West Vleteren. Chimay Is just OK. I still have to taste the Orval for some strange reason. I have seen the Achel in the stores near me as well but also haven't tried it.
Hello Dear boijorzee , i live in Belgium and my family were Brewers for more than 500 years. my grandfather , master brewer died in 1969 when I was Born• We share the same taste, my favorites are also Rochefort 10 and Westmalle triple. I completely agree with your opinion on St Bernardus (and my family comes from Proven, one mile from Westvleteren) I also like orval, Duvel and a God Geuze. Yours sincerely Bart Garmyn
Come fidarsi delle recensioni di tale signore....è peccato mortale, non pulire il bicchiere ad ogni cambio birra
I love this video, and the other episodes where you went around Belgium and visited the monasteries. Really well made.
Peter where are you ?, hope you are ok !, following your channel by ages now, i'm Russian loved your trip there, very insightful because i'm not living there anymore, hope you not abandoned your channel because is sadly underrated, cheers !
Hey Red! I'm doing well thanks for asking. I'm actually working on a video discussing why I've been absent for all this time. Hope it hits your sub box sooner than later ;)
@@PeterBragiel , Oh i'm glad to know you are ok !, and with this pandemic i was a little worried, i have the notification bell enabled, so i will watch your video when released, and don't give up , you are doing a good job so far , cheers !
From Belgium 🇧🇪. Had a great moment watching that, and dude, getting all these pearls down in one sitting... congrats hahaha
I tried Chimay, Rochefort and Westmalle and I prefer Chimay
Nice! Chimay is some quality stuff. Which Chimay did you drink?
@@PeterBragiel Chimay Red and Blue are both great, Chimay White not so much LOL
You did great mate haha, not even Belgians drink them all at once ^^
I had a house bed with Orval 10 years in bottle and I had many times Orval on tap!Greetings from🇧🇪🍀🍀🍀
You are lucky to get a hold of these beers, bdw great video.
Yep, Orval is an absolute classic, that's what belgian connaisseurs drink.
You did ALL of them in one sitting? You beast! ;)
Btw, there are lots of beers in Belgium that used to be brewed by monks but have been (semi) sourced out. The dwindling and aging monk populations could no longer pull the workload themselves and had only two options: let other continue their traditions and recipes or stop. These beers are labelled ‘abdijbier’ (abbey beers) and some are certainly on par with trappist beers.
I am also mightily impressed that you got this lineup in the US. Some of these are extremely hard to come by even here in Belgium. Especially the Westvleteren.
I’m hosting a Trappist Beer tasting soon and your series has been really helpful. I’m gonna base the evening on your “Heart of Belgium” theme. Thanks for the inspiration guys!...Sam✌️
It's Orval all the way for me. I wish there were similar beers like it, but none of them have that signature coppery taste.
Mmmmmm.....beer!
Lambic first, then Trappist for me.. :)
Agreed that Lambic with spontaneous fermentation is in a league of its own and is very unique! Kind of sour beers but very pure. I am very keen on the Abbey's beers though! ;-)
Imagine a blend of sour and sweet... now realize it already exists! Classic Flemish sour ales, such as (oud bruin) Vander Ghinste or Ichtegems (grand cru), are just that. Incredible experience. All in all, there is a beer for any preference in Belgium. Cheers mates 🍻
Rochefort blue is my favorite
Westmalle and Chimay blue are second.
Orval is my least favorite.
Achel is very nice.
I’m Dutch but I love Belgian beers.
Where is Trappist double , triple and quadruple ? Also Maredsous ?😎
In my opinion. Orval is the best beer in the world. That's why I have a damn tattoo of it.
Crazyy
Getting to the Rochefort the tastebuds are gone! 😂
Actually 6 Chimay there is a green and a barell aged that varies upon year
Hey! I'm planning to buy from Belgium mart. Do you have any discount code?
By the way: 'Dubbel' means 'double' and is pronounced like the English bubble. 'Dubbels' are mostly dark brown and tripels are amber. There are exceptions.😊
When is the next video coming?
I can’t wait to try the beers in MOROCCO next months!!! 🤗🎥🍻
Hey Peter, you just came across my mind. I hope all is well with you and the fam.
Jeremy Why hey Jeremy! Thank you for thinking about me, and reaching out. All is well over here. Thanks. How are you?
Impossible de boire toutes ces Trappistes et pouvoir continuer à parler normalement. Il a une fameuse résistance aux TRAPPISTES !!
Chimay red is my favorite.
Like the video but when you start with belgian beers, start with the lambics 😉
Love me some Lambics!
Now achel doesnt exists anymore since a month or 3 if i am correct.
Tried all Except Trappists Achel! Westvleteren Out of the World, No Disrespect to others! Belgium My Kinda Country
Belgium is a amazing. Try the Achel if you get a chance.
well i was hoping for a description of flavors..
oh my! big drinking line up! would it be okay if i use a clip of this for my beer channel?
Hey Nitch! Be my guest :) Send me a link to the video when you upload.
Belgian beer meme : th-cam.com/video/1GdDJCPqcls/w-d-xo.html
Hey Peter, seriously love your videos, been following a long time. I recently relocated to the Netherlands and have been visiting various breweries in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. I have been thinking of biking a similar trip this summer, how long did this trip take? If you are ever back this way, would love to grab a few beers!
Awesome! You should definitely do the trip. It looks us 10 days to bike 550 miles. If I'm ever in the region, let's definitely grab a few beers :)
@@PeterBragiel sweet, please do! About to crack open a Westvleteren 12 right now 😍
Next time, wash the glass between the different tastings of beers of the same brand, it is a crime to do so in Belgium and there have already been several tourists sentenced to life imprisonment for this. 😁
im a guy from belgium :) did you drink al the beers the same day ?
I did drink them all in one day...but shared them with my friend, Jake.
@@PeterBragiel all in one day, that's a feat!
I recently tried a "Belgian inspired" IPA and fell in love with the synthesis of bitter hops and bready/slightly funky yeast. I have been searching for a similar beer but it seems there are not many on the market. Any suggestions?
Sorry, I don't have any suggestions. Maybe some beer drinkers on here watching this do. ANYONE?
Maybe try Duvel Tripel Hop or the Delta IPA
Great job. That's a lot of beer!
You should do again a documentary like the transiberian.
As a belgian, thank you to have the proper glass ;) it realy matters.
If you're going to Brussels someday, you should go to the Ramdam ;)
Hi Rafael! It wouldn't feel right to pour these beautfiul drinks into anything but those glasses. Thanks for noticing :) What's Ramdam? I could google it, but I feel like asking a Belgian instead.
Ramdam it's a specialized beer's bar where i think you'll find beer you've never heard about it before like the "Bon Voeux" beer with canabis ;) i know it sounds crazy but it's quiet good, for the Rochefort, actualy you poured it not in a good way, you should let the glass sill it's a calice and you should have like a circle movement so you'll get a few of the sediment and drink the other sediment at the end, and all of the flavor of the Rochefort 10 is to the bottom :)
If you're coming one day to Brussels, i can show you the best spot and the real way to poured belgian beer 'cause some of them is more complex to poor but not everyone are aware of it
@@rafaelbeer8506 Awesome! Perhaps the reason I didn't enjoy the Rochefort in Los Angeles as much as I did in Belgium is because of the way I poured and drank it. Thanks for the note.
@@rafaelbeer8506 Deal!
I’m really new about beer, but is all Trappist beer Ale or Pale Ale?
Quick question…would love to order some Belgian brews through Belgian Mart that you mentioned on here. There is no issue shipping beer from Europe into the states? No duties or a hold up of some sort?
I like that you did this and I'll defintely look at your tour videos, but this is madness, you must know this, right? Belgian beer is pretty much the only beer I buy and the idea of tasting Belgian beers in that quantity in one day and mixing up the types so much doesn't make sense. I mean, switching from Quadrupel down to a 6% or 7% tripel on the next round? Anyway, you're right about the Orval, it's unique. I haven't tasted the Westvleteren - was going to save it for my 50th and actually book to pick up from the monastery but that's down the pan now with covid :-(. Anyway, keep up the reviews but please, do the beers some justice next time :-)
I learned the hard way and will definitely take this advice next time I try a bunch of high quality and potent drinks. Thanks for watching and I appreciate the feedback :)
Taste them in a different day one by one and give fair feedback
Achel is very good.