Brouwerij St. Bernardus

Why it matters

The most instructive case in the abbey category: it brewed the Sint-Sixtus beers commercially until 1992, so the relationship between an abbey beer and a Trappist one is a matter of who brews and where, not of recipe.

Details

Reference beers

• St. Bernardus Abt 1210% ABV

  A Watou quadrupel from the brewery that produced the Westvleteren beers commercially for decades.

• St. Bernardus Tripel8% ABV

  A tripel from the brewery that spent decades producing Westvleteren’s beer under licence, brewed with the same yeast lineage.

BeerHQ carries only the products that anchor something. This is not the brewery’s full range.

Styles it is associated with

• Belgian dark strong ale — The strongest of the Belgian dark ales: raisin, fig and dark caramel over substantial warmth, with a surprisingly dry finish.
• Tripel — A strong pale Belgian ale that is simultaneously rich and dry, with pepper, orchard fruit and a sparkling, deceptive drinkability.

Traditions

• Belgian abbey and Trappist brewing — Strong, highly attenuated, bottle-conditioned ales built on expressive yeast and candi sugar, produced in or licensed by monastic communities.