Beer Glossary

Astringent sensation in a beer, which feels dry in the mouth. This sensation is often found in very bitter beers.

Floral or fruity, a balance between bitter and sweet, between malt and hop aromas.

Collector of beer-related items: bottle caps, labels, coasters, glasses, bottles, old enamel signs, foam scrapers, posters, unusual objects...

Fermentation at a temperature between 18 and 32 °C. During fermentation, the yeast rises to the surface of the fermenting beer.

Beer made exclusively by, or under the supervision of, Trappist monks (Cistercians of the Strict Observance). Very strong and refermented in the bottle, they are excellent top-fermented beers. Today, only about ten abbeys in the world make beers bearing the “Authentic Trappist Product” logo of the International Trappist Association, including Orval, Westmalle, Rochefort, Chimay, Saint-Sixtus (Westvleteren) and Koningshoeven (La Trappe). The name “Trappist” comes from the abbey of Notre-Dame de la Grande Trappe, founded in 1140 by Rotrou II, Count of Perche, in Soligny (Orne). This abbey, first Benedictine, then Cistercian from 1148, was reformed in 1664 by the Abbé de Rancé. It is the mother abbey of the reformed Cistercians of the Strict Observance, known as “Trappists,” whose general seat is the abbey of Cîteaux (Cîteaux: Cistercians). Trappist beers are, to our taste (along with true Belgian lambics and a few other rare exceptions), the best beers in the world. With a real history behind them, they help fund charitable works. Heady and rare, they are proof that God exists.

Strong blonde abbey or Trappist beer (about 8 to 10% ABV), top-fermented and refermented in the bottle, at once malty, fruity and spicy. The style was popularized by Westmalle Abbey.

Stemmed glass with a rounded bowl and a narrowed, then slightly flared rim, which concentrates the aromas and supports the foam. It suits strong Belgian beers and aromatic beers.