Trappist beer: which breweries are Trappist, and what the label means

The short answer: a Trappist beer is brewed inside a Trappist abbey, by or under the supervision of the monks, with the profits going to the community and to charity. Today the International Trappist Association (ITA) lists ten abbeys that brew and sell their own beer. Five are in Belgium.

The list changes: breweries close, abbeys lose or gain the label. So every name below comes from the ITA's own site, trappist.be, as it reads in October 2026.

The Trappist breweries today

That makes eight Trappist beers with the Authentic Trappist Product label. Mont des Cats holds the label for its cheese and Cardeña for its liqueur, but the ITA does not list their beers among the labelled products.

What about Achel, Zundert, Engelszell and Spencer? You will see them on older lists. None appears on the ITA's list of Trappist beers today. If a bottle matters to you, check the label and trappist.be rather than an old article.

Trappist® vs Authentic Trappist Product

• Trappist® is a protected trademark. Any Trappist abbey may use it to show where its products come from.
• Authentic Trappist Product (ATP) is an extra label that ITA member abbeys can apply for. A board member of the ITA and a member of its Quality Commission visit the abbey and the production site before the board votes on it.
• The licence lasts five years, for one product or a category of products.

The three rules behind the label

• Made at the abbey: all products must be made in the immediate surroundings of the abbey.
• Under the monks' eye: production is carried out under the supervision of the monks or nuns.
• Not for profit: the money goes to the needs of the community, to solidarity within the Order, or to development projects and charity.

So Trappist is not a beer style. It is a promise about who made the beer, where, and why.

Who the Trappists are

Trappists are monks and nuns of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. They follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, which joins prayer and study with manual work. The Cistercian Order was founded in France in 1098; the stricter reform that gave the Trappists their name began in the 17th century at the abbey of La Trappe in Normandy. Brewing, cheese-making and baking are how many abbeys support themselves. The same Cistercian tradition shaped wine too: see the Cistercian monks and wine.

The ITA itself is young: it was founded in 1998 to protect the Trappist name from beers and products that only borrow the image of monks.

The styles you will meet

• Blond or single: pale, lighter and dry.
• Dubbel: dark amber to brown, malty, with caramel, raisin and plum.
• Tripel: golden, strong and dry, with fruity and spicy yeast notes. Westmalle Tripel is the classic reference.
• Quadrupel or dark strong ale: deep brown, rich, warming, with fig, date and dark sugar.
• One of a kind: Orval is best known for one dry, hoppy beer in a style of its own.

Most Trappist beers are top-fermented and many are bottle-conditioned: a little yeast and sugar go into the bottle for a second fermentation, the same idea as traditional-method sparkling wine. Pour slowly and leave the yeast at the bottom, unless you like it cloudy.

Abbey beer is not Trappist beer

Belgian abbey beers (often labelled *Abdij* or *Abbaye*) may carry an abbey's name under licence, but are brewed by commercial breweries. They can be excellent. They are just not Trappist, and cannot use the Trappist name.

Trappist beer for sommeliers

• Glass: a stemmed chalice or tulip, which holds the head and the aroma.
• Temperature: cool, not ice-cold. Stronger, darker beers show more at cellar temperature.
• Food: tripel with roast chicken or washed-rind cheese; dubbel with stews and game; Orval with charcuterie. Several abbeys make their own cheese, and abbey beer with abbey cheese is a natural pairing.

Beer and spirits come up in sommelier exams too. Test yourself with the Level 1 practice test, or ask SOMM DIGI AI to quiz you on beer styles.

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