Trappist Ale withstands the test of time

The monks are getting older, and there aren't enough young men joining the ranks to replace them. This could eventually spell doom for the wonderful Trappist beers.

The brewery at Westmalle has certainly worked up a demand for their craft; they cap production at 12 million liters, or just over three million gallons a year, not too shabby. But as the average age of monks across Europe creeps up to the late 60’s, even the monks themselves have come to admit that some communities could disappear.



“Keeping the brewery going then would not be part of our philosophy,” said Brother Bernardus, abbot of Koningshoeven Abbey. “The brewery is there to serve the community, not the other way round.”

Read the whole story at Draft Magazine.