American Trappist Beer in MA

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by dawatts, May 21, 2012.

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  1. dawatts

    dawatts Initiate (0) Dec 27, 2006 Massachusetts

    I agree with both of your points.:slight_smile:
     
  2. mixylplik3

    mixylplik3 Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2007 Maine

    Nice to see another MA abbey get a shot at brewing Trappist beers after the Teresian Carmelite effort didn't pan out a few years back.
     
  3. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    Isnt there a Trappist brewery in New Mexico?
     
  4. jlindros

    jlindros Grand Pooh-Bah (4,427) Oct 6, 2007 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Also, Dan Paquette of Pretty Things has been helping them get things rolling, and introducing them to the enigma that is the craft beer scene. I've been following this for a couple years now as well and have been waiting patiently for it (although I'm getting a little anxious now that things are finally moving).
     
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  5. emannths

    emannths Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2007 Massachusetts

    So...um...does anyone there actually know how to brew? Good for them that they can use a trademark, but prayers don't make beer.
     
  6. jlindros

    jlindros Grand Pooh-Bah (4,427) Oct 6, 2007 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Supposedly Dann Paquette from Pretty Things is helping them get things together, and Chimay is helping them with the whole brewing technique.
     
  7. emannths

    emannths Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2007 Massachusetts

    Sure...but what is Spencer bringing to the table? Are they just going to hire a secular or Chimay brewmaster, or do they actually know something about beer (other than that you can sell it)?
     
  8. RattleheadKV2

    RattleheadKV2 Initiate (0) Dec 15, 2011 New Mexico

    It is a monastary, but it's not associated with the Trappist order IIRC. Though they too are ramping production this year and next, in hopes of going national with their brews.
     
  9. JrGtr

    JrGtr Pooh-Bah (1,689) Apr 13, 2006 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    That's the point.They're learning about beer. Or more precisely, they're learning about the brewing of beer. I would assume they know something about the other end of it; you don't just pull that sort of thing out of a hat and decide to put all kinds of money into the infrastructure, equipment, ingredients etc without having some idea of what's involved in the first place.
    Dann and the Chimay folks are teaching them about the ins and outs of actually making it. They will need to have a Brother be the brewmaster, else they won't be eligible for the Trappist label.
     
  10. Errto

    Errto Zealot (643) Oct 20, 2009 Connecticut

    Is that true? Jean Marie Rock certainly isn't a Brother. Or is he not "truly" the Brewmaster?
     
  11. mschofield

    mschofield Pooh-Bah (1,847) Oct 16, 2002 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

  12. JrGtr

    JrGtr Pooh-Bah (1,689) Apr 13, 2006 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    If I'm wrong, someone please correct me. I'm fairly sure I read that to get the Trappist designation, the beer had to be made at the abbey, by the monks. I took that to mean the brewers, especially the brewmaster though it is acceptable to hire outsiders for other parts of the process ad business.
     
  13. emannths

    emannths Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2007 Massachusetts

    http://www.trappist.be/en/pages/trappist-beers
     
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  14. JrGtr

    JrGtr Pooh-Bah (1,689) Apr 13, 2006 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    @emmanths: thanks for that. I just got a few seconds and was about topost what I found, that it is eligible if brewed in the abbey and by the longs or UNDER THEIR SUPERVISION. So having a secular brewmaster is indeeds permitted.
     
  15. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    The Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY makes cheese, fudge and fruitcake. Ive thought for a while they need to get in the beer business too.
     
  16. emannths

    emannths Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2007 Massachusetts

    I want to be the person in charge of "constantly monitoring" the beer coming out of Chimay, Westmalle, et al. I'm happy to do my best to make sure I don't suffer from small sample size errors!
     
    Zach136, JrGtr and Errto like this.
  17. commis

    commis Initiate (0) Jul 21, 2009 Massachusetts

    Exactly. And the Monks at St Josephs have been brewing beer for quite some time, I think the help they will recieve will be coaching on how to scale it up so dramatically.
     
  18. commis

    commis Initiate (0) Jul 21, 2009 Massachusetts

    Really Cool to see this out in the open now. St Josephs Abbey was, literally, my back yard growing up in Spencer. Lots of keg parties in that forest...
    They make a mean fruit preserve, and hopefully the beer will be mean as well!
     
  19. LambicKing

    LambicKing Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Germany

    ISO: first batch quad!
     
  20. Longstaff

    Longstaff Initiate (0) May 23, 2002 Massachusetts

    This is awesome....Would love to see them make a drinkable blonde beer like Westvletern 6 and offer similar pricing as the trappists (when bought in their own country). I would even queue up outside the abbey in my car for a case or two...
     
    BedetheVenerable likes this.
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