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Achel Blonde

Achel Blonde
Price: £4.80
Description
The Beer

A delightful pale and fruity ale close in flavour to the other Trappist tripels with an individual sparkle.

Crisp and clean light malt flavours kick things off and are joined by solid amounts of green apple flavours - the green apple is stronger in the flavour profile than it is in the aroma. Midway through the sip the flavours sweeten a bit before carrying through to a crisp ending, leaving equal parts green apple and pear flavours lingering on the palate.

33cl  8%

The Brewery

Achel brewery or Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis is a Belgian Trappist brewery, and the smallest of the seven currently approved Trappist breweries. It is located in the Abbey of Saint Benedict in the Belgian municipality of Achel.

The history of the brewery goes back to 1648, when Dutch monks built a chapel in Achel. The chapel became an abbey in 1686, but was destroyed during the period of the French Revolution. In 1844, the ruins were rebuilt by monks from Westmalle, and various farming activities began. The first beer to be brewed on the site was the Patersvaatje in 1852, and 19 years later in 1871, the site became a Trappist monastery, with beer brewing a regular activity.

In 1914 during World War I, the monks left the abbey due to German occupation. The Germans dismantled the brewery in 1917 to salvage the approximately 700 kg of copper. In 1998 the monks decided to begin brewing again. Monks from the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle and Rochefort Abbey assisted in the building of the new brewery.

In 1998 the brewing worlds most exclusive club got a new member when the monastery of Achel in the province of Limberg revived its brewing tradition. The monastery had stopped brewing in the First World War when the German forces commandeered the brewery's copper vessels. However, brewing has now restarted after a long absence, and the beers produced at the monastery certainly uphold the great Trappist tradition.

This beer pairs well with mediterranean cuisine, sharp blue cheeses and pork or poultry dishes.