The departure of the last two monks from Achel Abbey, in eastern Belgium, to go live with their brothers in Westmalle stirred up lovers of Trappist beers a couple of years ago. The fear that the decline in religious vocations would claim a frothy collateral victim became a reality for the first time.
His famous blonde trappist continued to be produced under his supervision a few kilometers away, but without the ATP name (Authentic Trappist Product). It was the beginning of the end. This year, the Achel brewery and abbey have passed into the hands of an entrepreneur who, even if he keeps the recipe, will not be able to sell the product as a Trappist. Recently, the only abbey of the order that produced beer in the United States threw in the towel.
Is this news the swan song of this sector? Many fans wonder. Without vocations, there are no monks, and without monks, there are no Trappist beers, but is Belgium's most exquisite liquid heritage really in danger of extinction? They believe in God and trust him to solve their problems, but restlessness is inevitable in the secular world. Those who know and work with them, however, also have faith in their future.
"The situation is not dramatic," says Fabrice Bordon, Chimay's brand ambassador. “15 years ago we had 15 monks, now there are 12, but there is a certain rejuvenation, our abbot is 49 years old. I am convinced that we will not see any more closures in the next 40 years.” "I don't think his future is threatened," says Wim Vandewiele, a professor at the Theology Faculty of the Catholic University of Leuven. “Trappist congregations do not exist to make beer but to seek God together, and beer is the economic activity that allows them to lead that life,” notes the academic, for whose doctorate he spent a year with the Westvletteren monks.
Despite their capacity for resilience and the unsuspected creativity with which they face their future, the figures do not invite optimism. In 2012, there were 1,616 monks of the Cistercian Order of Strict Observance (OCSO), or Trappists, worldwide. Ten years later, the total has fallen to 1,290. Vandewiele qualifies that the phenomenon of secularization is typically Western and does not occur in the rest of the world, which through immigration creates new dynamics. And, he adds, within the general downward trend, "paradoxically, contemplative orders like the Trappist are more attractive than apostolic ones because of their radical lifestyle."
But if the five Belgian abbeys that today produce Trappist beers (Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvletteren) had 82 monks in 2012, at the end of last year they only had 54. Thus, in addition to facing the typical challenges of the sector, these breweries face the added challenge of dwindling vocations, explains its marketing director, Manu Pauwels, within the walls of Westmalle Abbey. “Most monastic communities face an uncertain future, and this is also true for Trappists,” he admits. His precarious prospects are not taboo. "The question is raised honestly within the International Trappist Association (ITA), which has begun a reflection exercise to be prepared for all scenarios" and to be able to preserve the different brands and products.
It all started here, in Westmalle, in the heart of the Flemish countryside. In 1794, a group of monks from La Trappe Abbey came to Antwerp fleeing the French Revolution and settled on a farm in the area. Following the Benedictine tradition, they had to be able to live from their work and chose to dedicate themselves to the local drink, beer, which is safer than water from a sanitary point of view. In 1836, the year they produced their first beer, they received papal recognition. In the following years, more abbeys of the same contemplative order were founded, dedicated to prayer and manual work and also specialized in making this drink, the best-selling product of all those they produce.
They are guided by the precept of ora et labora, so they pray (a lot, from 4 in the morning, 7 times a day) and work (but only to survive and do social works). It varies depending on the brand but its production is limited and stable, which has only increased its legend. In the mid-1990s, the Westmalle monks concluded that the activity was taking up too much of their religious life and decided to create an external, lay board of directors to manage day-to-day operations, explains Pauwels. The rest of the abbeys followed the same path until reaching the current model, in which the monks are the owners, make the main decisions and supervise the activity but are not completely dedicated to it. In 1998, to protect the denomination, the ITA was founded, which brings together 19 abbeys. Ten brew beer, including the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña (Córdoba).
There are three basic criteria for a product (beer, cheese, soap...) to receive the ATP label: to be manufactured within the walls of the abbey, by or under the supervision of monks or nuns, and to dedicate the benefits to the community, solidarity with the order or charity. Those with social projects, such as Chimay, a key player in the Walloon region's economy, produce more. In Westvleteren, on the other hand, they work to earn a living.
But there is also an unwritten rule and that is that beer, made only with natural ingredients, must be of high quality. “Trappists that are produced abroad are supervised by Belgian brewers to ensure this,” recalls sommelier Sofie Vanrafelghem. “The Trappists are not interested in growing nor are they motivated by commercial interest. All the investments they make are to improve quality, not to produce faster, that doesn't interest them." They are also determined to reduce their ecological footprint and in recent years have opted for the use of green energy and water purification.
For this reason, although the Trappist label does not say anything about the type of beer it is (it can be blonde, toasted, IPA...), all these factors explain why it is synonymous with quality, "a sure value", in the words of Vanrafelghem. Far from competing, the abbeys support each other, are in contact and learn from each other's successes and mistakes. “They try to be as independent as possible, but they also know how to collaborate with each other and seek outside help when they need it,” says Vandewiele.
Total beer consumption remains stable in Belgium, but the sector is currently experiencing a golden age with the appearance of new local producers and the enhancement of specialties such as geuze or lambic, which creates a more competitive environment for all actors, religious or not. The Trappists' advertising policy is very conservative, like their sober labels, but they are attentive to the signs of a market and under their apparent image of immutability many changes are taking place.
Chimay has revived an old recipe for a lighter, golden variety, and Westmalle has launched a third trappist variety, Extra, inspired by the recipe for the beer that monks made on holidays while in the Netherlands La Trappe has created a non-alcoholic version. Even Westvletteren, which only sells to individuals, allows you to order online on certain days of the month and since the pandemic you no longer have to pick them up on site, since they deliver to your home.
When in 2005 an American website classified Westvleteren 12 as the best beer in the world, they found queues of up to 400 cars a day with license plates from half of Europe to get hold of the precious drink, which sold out in a short time. So they opened a phone line to place orders and organize the sale. It was not a very secure system and it led to the appearance of a "beer mafia" that hoarded the product and, violating the commitment that the monks make customers sign not to resell the beer, distributed it in the commercial circuit at stratospheric prices. recalls the Belgian sommelier. “Now the system is much safer and fairer. They have more than a thousand IP addresses blocked from suspicious buyers and the algorithm prioritizes new customers and those who have not ordered for a long time.”
To monks, some people's obsession with their beers is beyond their comprehension. “They can understand that people like to drink it but not obsess over it. For Americans, Belgian Trappist beers are almost magical,” says Vanrafelghem. She worked for a time in a Belgian café in New York and, as a farewell, gave his boss a bottle of Westvletteren that she had brought from Belgium in her suitcase. He “began to cry with emotion. He told me that he was going to keep it forever as a treasure, ”recalls the sommelier with a laugh, who explained that her purpose was for him to enjoy it. The ora et labora of some, the carpe diem of many.
