Trappisten van Westmalle

The Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Heart of Westmalle, which is the full name of the abbey, was founded in 1794. During 1836, Abbot Martinus Dom ordered a small brewery to be built. On 10 December, 1836 the monks served their first Westmalle-brewed Trappist beer. The monks of this order are commonly known as Trappists, after the Abbey of La Trappe in France. From 1856 the monks occasionally sold beer at the gate. This met with a great deal of success and that's why, in 1921, the monks decided to sell their beer through beer traders. In 1934, they started brewing a strong pale ale of 9.5% ABV giving it the name Tripel - the first modern use of the name.  The brewery currently has a bottling capacity of 45,000 bottles per hour, and yearly output of 120,000 hectoliters. The revenues that are not used to fund life in the abbey are directed towards charity, social projects and people in need. Trappist beers have to be produced under the supervision of the monks inside the walls of the monastery or within its close proximity. Only four other Trappist beers, except the ones from Westmalle, are allowed to bear the name "Authentic Trappist Product".