Belgian Beer Primer

Decoding the world’s most acclaimed (and confusing) brews.

I buy beer for a store in NoVA. Sometimes I can get Westvleteren, sometimes I can’t. I’ve never managed to get 8 and 12 on the shelf at the same time. My next challenge is to get the newest Trappist brew, Achel, on the...

place around here that i’ve seen carry achel.

By far, Westvleteren, but good luck finding it – and if you do, consider taking out a loan for a case. Westy 12 was out of this world, yet the memory of the blonde always seems to sneak its way into my head. Achel is pretty...

- Belgian Trappists like Rochefort, St. Bernadus, Achel, Orval and other great beers like gulden drak, ayinger, delirum as well as a top tier selection of British ale. In 5 years in the UK I haven’t found another offie that...

If you asked me which of the Trappist strongs (Westy12, Rochefort 10, Achel Extra & Koenigshoeven) is my least favorite, Koenigshoeven is the one. They’ve done a big marketing pitch with the re-branding from LaTrappe and...

Wine Expo on Santa Monica Blvd has a wide selection including Achel, Westmalle, Rochefort and Chimay. The Wine House on Cotner (adjacent to the 405) usually has Rochefort & Westmalle. Beverage Warehouse in Marina Del Rey is a...

A Trappist ale is brewed at one of six (currently) Trappist monasteries that brews beer. These are Westvleteren, Chimay, Achel, Westmalle, Orval and Rochefort. An ale brewed in the Trappist style is called an abbey ale. A good way...

not like in stout. My favorites are St. Bernardus Prior 8, Achel Brown (or Extra), Abbaye Des Rocs, and LaTrappe Dubbel. Someone else suggested Chimay Grand Reserve (blue label). Although its not a dubbel, it won’t have...

Montagnarde 7. Abbaye des Rocs Speciale Noel 8. Abbaye des Rocs speciale noel 9. Achel 10. Belle Vue Kriek 11. Cantillon Gueuze Lambic 12. Cantillon Kriek Lambic 13. Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus 14. Caracole Amber 15. Caracole...

I believe there are now six Trappist breweries in Belgium: Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Orval, Westmalle, and the newest one, Achel. There is also a fairly new Cistercian brewer: Abbaye du Val-Dieu. Chimay White is called a...

just by grabbing what looked interesting and have enjoyed alot of it including a few from Canada. The Achels and Affligems at the top of the list caught my eye there – picked up the Affligem Dubbel Ale and the Ommegang...

Beers from Trappist breweries Westvleteren, Westmalle, Rochefort, Achel, Chimay and Orval can regularly be found at larger liqour stores such as Binny’s and Sam’s Wine. And as other posters have indicated, both the...