A damaging split in the brewing fraternity has been healed, much to the delight of those who treasure the contribution made to beer drinking by the Trappist monks of Belgium and Holland. Last week, the International Trappist Association (ITA) restored the logo of 'Authentic Trappist Product' to the beers made at the Koningshoeven Abbey near Tilburg in Holland, a logo withdrawn in 1999.
Koningshoeven's beers are sold under the brand name of La Trappe. They are available in specialist beer shops in Britain. Just two years before the brewery was expelled from the ITA, the monks from the Trappist monasteries with working breweries formed the ITA to protect their tradition, which they felt was under attack from 'abbey beers' produced by commercial brewers.
There are some 30 Belgian abbey beers available, the best known of which are Inbev's Leffe and Scottish & Newcastle's Grimbergen.
Abbey beers often feature images of churches on their labels but they have little or no contact with the ecclesiastic world. In some cases, monasteries with defunct breweries licence commercial producers to make beer for them and receive royalties in return.
But there are many examples of abbey beers that do not have even the most tenuous connection with monastic life.
A problem arose at Koningshoeven in 1999 when the Dutch group Bavaria, which specialises in own-label beers for supermarkets, bought the brewery. One of the key concerns of the ITA is that monks must be in control of the brewing process and making beer is primarily carried out to raise funds for the upkeep of the churches and to support the monks' work in the community. It was felt by the ITA that ownership of Koningshoeven by the expansionist Bavaria group fatally comprised the aims of the monastic brewers.
The Belgian Trappist brewers include Chimay, Orval, Rochefort and Westmalle, which enjoy success in export and domestic markets. They were understandably anxious to protect their names and tradition but the expulsion of Koningshoeven failed to clarify the situation, as Bavaria continued to label the La Trappe brands as 'Trappisten bier'.
Koningshoeven means the King's Gardens. The land was donated by the Dutch king to monks who had fled north from the La Trappe monastery in Normandy at the time of the French Revolution. The rustic-sounding Schaapskoi (Sheepfold) Brewery was built in the 1880s to raise funds for the upkeep of the austere abbey the monks had built on the king's land.
In 1986 a new brewhouse with stainless steel vessels was installed and a commercial director appointed to expand beer sales. The Bavaria group struck a deal with monks to buy the brewery and produce its own beers there as well as La Trappe brands. Earlier this year, Koningshoeven applied to rejoin the ITA. Brother Bernardus, abbey spokesman, said the rules of the association had not been clearly understood in 1999, and he felt the brewery qualified for ITA membership.
The association conducted a six-month investigation and last week said it was satisfied La Trappe beers were produced under the supervision of monks at Koningshoeven. The brewery is a tenant of the abbey, monks work in the brewery and the income from the sale of beer subsidises the abbey and its foundations in Indonesia and Kenya.
The healing of the split in the ranks of Trappist breweries is welcome as it will allow monks to present a united front to commercial producers, who confuse drinkers with their abbey beers and in some cases blatantly cash in on the Trappist heritage.
The only concern lies with the future of Bavaria. There are constant rumours Heineken may launch a bid for the rival Dutch group. If it should take over Bavaria, it must ensure Koningshoeven operates as an independent brewery under the monks' control. Papal intervention should not be ruled out.