Tomb

There are seven monastery breweries in the world approved by the Vatican to brew beer. Six of these monk-run breweries are in Belgium, but this article is about the seventh — the King’s Heaven (Koningshoeven, in Dutch). The King’s Heaven is the outsider of the bunch, as it is just over the border in the Netherlands. The brewery has been operating since 1850, but only now are two Koningshoeven beers — Quadruple and Triple — entering the Alberta market.

Trappist beers are part of an appellation (like Champagne), and in order to be part of the International Trappist Association and to use the ITA logo, certain rules have to be followed. One of the key concerns of the association is that monks must be in control of the brewing process at each monastic brewery and that beer-making is primarily to raise funds for the upkeep of the abbeys and the monks' charitable work. Interestingly, my old neighbour, a Buddhist monk, told me the Cistercian, or Trappist, monks and Buddhist monks work together in many global charitable endeavours.

There are varying degrees to which some of the breweries follow the ITA rules. There’s the traditionalists such as the ultra-reclusive Westvleteren, which only sells its beers at its abbey gate and café across the street, and the mass-market, billboard advertising Chimay, which has cheapened the Trappist logo and, more importantly, its beer, to the point that I haven’t drank one in three years. Chimay should have been excommunicated from the ITA long ago and forced to say Hail Marys until the next ice age.

Despite the crass commercialism of some of the breweries, the seven Trappists do make some amazing beers. I still love Rochefort and Orval. The Achel Bruin and the Westmalle Dubbel are also divine choices, and now we have two more Trappist beers to contemplate.

Koningshoeven is the third largest of the Trappist breweries. In 1999 Koningshoeven was expelled from the ITA for its commercial dealings with Urthel Brewing and Bavaria group, which specializes in brewing beers for supermarkets (think Co-op brand, but better). The ITA had been set up just two years earlier to protect the Trappist tradition, which was under threat from a growing number of “fake abbey beers" produced by some brewers. It was felt that ownership of Koningshoeven brew house by the aggressive and expansionist Bavaria group fatally compromised the aims of the ITA. Through some wheeling and dealing and the monks taking more control, Koningshoeven was re-admitted to the ITA in 2005.

To have six Trappist breweries gracing our shelves is something special — I don’t recall seeing such an impressive offering in some of the best beer stores in the world. It is a testament to how diversified the Alberta market is becoming. Some 78 new beers have entered the market in the last seven months, and I am hoping for just one more: the Koningshoeven Bockbier. From my memories of the Bok Festival in Amsterdam, it was truly the King’s Heaven.

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Koningshoeven Quadruple (10 per cent): This beer is built as a sipper for long winter nights and will improve with age. This dark nectar is a delicate balance of hops and plums, ending with a brisk, dry, port-like finish.

Konnigshoeven Triple (8 per cent): This beer has a nutty yeast character and big notes of apples, pears and bubblegum. Not the most traditional of triples but an interesting take on the style that will improve in a good cellar.