Abbey Ales
What You Need To Know
Abbey Ales, while sounding quite monastic and perhaps synonymous with Trappist Ale, are neither. Belgian Abbey Ales take their name from a once monastic/Trappist brewery. Today the Abbey Style brands that we see take their name from a historic monastery. Some are under license from the actual monastic order while others have simply branded the name of a monastery long closed. Regardless of the chosen name, Abbey Ales most mimic Trappist style brews borrowing the single, double (Dubbel), and triple (Trippel) moniker to indicate strength and at times the color. Abbey Singles are typically quite substantial having an alcohol strength hovering around 5-6% abv, and are amber in color with rich malty tones. Doubles are a bit stronger with a deep bronze to chestnut color and a dark, fruity character, while triples tend to be lighter in color (a cloudy golden hue is most common) and strength of roughly 8-9% abv. Of course, each brand has it’s own unique character.
Classic Examples of the Style
Maredsous, Belgium
Affligem, Belgium
Corsendonk, Belgium