A fire last week at the Trappist monastery in Rochefort (about an hour's drive SE of here, near Luxembourg) destroyed parts of the Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy abbey complex but (miraculously?) spared the most important building, that housing the brewery. Oh yes, the monks all made it out safely as well.
They have been brewing the standard three varieties of Trappist/Cistercian ale here since the mid 1500s; it's one of only six such remaining monastery breweries in the world - can you guess where to find them all? A clue: none is more than about 80 miles from our house here in Waterloo.
Rochefort, like most Trappist beers, is definitely not for Bud Lite Man, and probably not even for fans of German pilsners (this author included). The ales are heavy, sweet, lightly hopped, and highly alcoholic (one totes the scales at over 11%). You can thank large doses of added sugar for all of these traits, something forbidden in Germany for 500 years.
But when you think of traditional Belgian beer, Rochefort is one that immediately comes to mind. I'm sure the monks are praising the Lord for the salvation of their most treasured product.
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