Meer over Trappist
Which Trappist beer are you looking for?
The label tells you nothing about taste, so choose by style:
- Dubbel: deep red-copper and malty, with caramel and dried fruit such as raisin and plum.
- Tripel: golden, spicy-fruity and dry, usually 7.5–9.5%. Westmalle made the tripel famous.
- Quadrupel: a bigger, fuller dubbel with raisin, plum and fig, usually 8–12% according to the BJCP.
- Light, blond or white: Trappist isn't always heavy. The abbeys' range runs from alcohol-free and witbier to quadrupel of 10% and more.
What makes a beer Trappist?
Only Trappist abbeys may use the name Trappist. The 'Authentic Trappist Product' (ATP) label comes with three requirements from the International Trappist Association (ITA): the beer is made in the immediate vicinity of the abbey, under the supervision of monks or nuns, and the profits go to the monastic community, the order, development projects or charities. The monks don't have to brew themselves; in Westmalle, lay staff have been doing the hands-on work since the late 1990s. The licence is valid for five years.
What you'll find at Hoptimaal
La Trappe from De Koningshoeven near Tilburg, the only Dutch Trappist brewery, and alongside it Chimay, Westmalle and Rochefort from Belgium. For every beer you see the current Untappd score. You'll find more choice in the same styles under dubbel, tripel and quadrupel.
Serving
Don't serve Trappist beer ice-cold: Westmalle recommends 6–12 °C. Pour bottle-conditioned beer gently, so the yeast sediment stays in the bottle.
Buy Trappist beer at Hoptimaal
At Hoptimaal you can buy Trappist beer online or in our shop at Leeghwater 5 in Amersfoort. You order every Trappist beer individually. Order before 3 pm on working days and we ship the same day. Shipping within the Netherlands is free from €75.
Would you rather choose by abbey than by style? Then filter by brewery. According to the ITA, every Trappist beer has its own recipe and its own yeast.
Frequently asked questions
How many Trappist breweries are there?
According to the ITA's list, in October 2026 the beers of eight abbeys carry the ATP label: Westmalle, Westvleteren, Chimay, Orval and Rochefort in Belgium, La Trappe in the Netherlands, Tre Fontane in Italy and Mount Saint Bernard in England. The list changes: Zundert dropped off when the abbey closed in 2025.
Is La Trappe a real Trappist?
Yes. Koningshoeven Abbey was founded in 1881 by monks who had fled France and, according to the ITA, has been brewing since 1884. Since Zundert closed, La Trappe is the only Dutch Trappist.
Is every monastery beer a Trappist?
No. Abbey beer carries the name of an existing or former abbey, but is usually made under licence by an ordinary brewery. Only beer from Trappist abbeys may be called Trappist. More in the Beer School on Trappist.
