Trappist Brewery Koningshoeven

ABOUT THE BREWERY
“When they live by the labor of their hands,....then they are really monks.” That was written by Benedict, the “architect” of Western monasticism. According to his guidelines, monks should earn their own living. The Trappists who came to Berkel-Enschot in 1881 began supporting themselves with farming and cattle breeding, but for the growing community, it quickly became obvious that the profits from the poor-quality land were inadequate to make ends meet. That’s why, in 1884, the monks decided to begin brewing Trappist beer.

According to Traditional Methods
'La Trappe', the name of the beer brewed in Koningshoeven, was the first Trappist beer in The Netherlands. Only beer brewed in a Trappist monastery under the supervision and responsibility of the monks may be called 'Trappist beer'. La Trappe is brewed according to traditional methods, from a recipe developed by the Trappist monks of Koningshoeven, using only natural ingredients, such as hops, barley malt and yeast. The brewery uses water drawn from its own well in the beer. The fermentation process characteristic of the type of yeast which is used, is most active between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius (or 66 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit) and is known as 'top fermentation'. The beer is bottled with yeast and sugar, which allows the fermentation process to continue in the bottle, giving La Trappe a unique aroma. Since 1997, the brewery De Koningshoeven B.V. (an independent subsidiary of Bavaria N.V. in Lieshout), has rented the buildings from the abbey and produces Trappist beer there, under the authority and supervision of the monastery.