A Belgian ale is often the beer that folks cite when asked ‘which beer made them fall in love with beer.’ There isn’t a “single” Belgian ale. But the overall idea of the Trappist ales ...

Today, eight different beers bear the official Trappist beer label, but not all of the brews are created equal. Here are some of the best Trappist brews that are sure to please your palate. Cheers. 1.

Churches may consecrate their wine, but only beer can be holy. Trappist ales are made by monks to fund charitable work. Once produced in their abbeys, modern demands mean modern breweries.

However, for nearly 50 years, St. Bernardus brewed the Trappist St. Sixtus beers, including the iconic Westvleteren 12, which many people claim is the best beer in the world.

Christopher Osburn June 26, 2019 iStockphoto For fans of beer, there are few better destinations than Belgium — home to some of the most historical breweries in the world.

Belgian Trappist beers are known for their maltiness and a healthy dose of fruity and spicy yeast character. American IPAs, by contrast, use neutral yeasts but have an aggressive hop presence.

Did you ever wonder why — if Trappist Belgian monks make the best beer in the world and European nuns brewed though the Middle Ages and beyond — no Trappist convents currently brew beer?

For nearly 60 years this non-religious brewery in Watou in West Flanders, Belgium, made beer for the nearby St. Sixtus (Westvleteren) Trappist Monastery under license.

The system worked until the Internet age and the birth of beer fan sites such as RateBeer, which ranks Westvleteren XII, the abbey’s hard-hitting 10.2 percent brew, as the world’s best.

That was 900 years ago. Now, Orval and four other monasteries in Belgium and one just across the border in the Netherlands hold the secrets of the 1,000-year-old Trappist beer-making traditions.