Long before the phrase “craft beer” existed, Trappist monks were quietly perfecting it. The tradition traces back to the Cistercian monasteries of Europe, where brewing became part of the monastic rhythm of ora et labora — pray and work. Monks brewed beer for nourishment, for guests, and to sustain the abbeys themselves, refining their methods across centuries while wars, revolutions, and empires rose and fell beyond monastery walls. What endured were beers of remarkable depth and balance — dubbels glowing ruby-brown with dark fruit and caramel, tripels bright as cathedral glass, strong ales layered with spice, malt, and quiet strength. Today only a small circle of monasteries carry the “Authentic Trappist Product” seal, meaning the beer is brewed within the monastery, under the supervision of monks, with profits supporting the abbey and its charitable work. It’s less a style than a philosophy, and every glass seems to carry a whisper of that patient purpose.
Which is where Tacoma quietly enters the story. Since the late 1970s, Merchant du Vin has been one of the American gateways to these legendary monastery ales, importing classics like Orval, Rochefort, and Westmalle long before Belgian beer became fashionable on American shelves. Decades later, the company introduced a simple ritual called Trappist Tuesday — less of a marketing campaign than a weekly invitation. The premise is disarmingly elegant: every Tuesday, open a Trappist beer, slow down a little, and remember that beer can be contemplative as well as celebratory. Bars, bottle shops, and drinkers around the country now join the ritual, raising a glass to centuries of brewing tradition and the monks who quietly keep it alive.
So on Tuesday, March 10, Peaks & Pints joins that global pause with Merchant du Vin for a night devoted to monastery brewing at its finest. Rare draft pours from two Trappist abbeys anchor the evening — Mount Saint Bernard Abbey Tynt Meadow and Saint-Rémy Rochefort Triple Extra — while a special Trappist Tuesday flight offers a guided walk through the contemplative ales that shaped modern brewing long before IPA hype cycles and release calendars existed. Think of it less as a tasting and more as a small pilgrimage — five abbey beers, centuries of brewing wisdom, and a Tuesday night in Tacoma suddenly connected to quiet stone monasteries scattered across Europe.
Peaks & Pints Trappist Tuesday Flight
Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Orval Orval Trappist Ale
6.2% ABV | Belgian Trappist Pale Ale | Villers-devant-Orval, Belgium
Copper light shimmers in the glass as herbal hops and flashes of orange peel rise first, followed by the unmistakable whisper of wild yeast that gives Orval its elegant, slightly untamed personality. Inside the centuries-old abbey of Notre-Dame d’Orval, monks brew this singular pale ale before Brettanomyces quietly reshapes it in the bottle, unfurling layers of citrus zest, cracked pepper, and dry biscuit malt. The finish lands crisp, bitter, and evolving — a beer that changes as it sits in the glass, as if the monastery itself were telling a slow, thoughtful story through every sip.
Mount Saint Bernard Abbey Tynt Meadow
7.4% ABV | English Trappist Strong Ale | Coalville, England
Deep mahogany glows beneath a soft tan head while aromas of dark chocolate, toasted grain, and gentle licorice drift upward like incense in a quiet chapel. Mount Saint Bernard Abbey Tynt Meadow carries the unmistakable calm of its English monastery home, unfolding notes of dried fruit, cocoa, and rich malt while subtle herbal hops add just enough lift to keep the beer moving gracefully forward. The texture remains smooth and deliberate before the finish settles dry and warmly contemplative, like the lingering quiet that follows the final bell of evening prayer.
Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy Rochefort 6
7.5% ABV | Belgian Trappist Dubbel | Rochefort, Belgium
Ruby-brown hues catch the light while aromas of caramelized sugar, dried fig, and fresh brown bread drift upward with gentle confidence. Plum, cocoa, and dark candi sugar unfold across the palate, layered over the soft spice of classic Trappist yeast. Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy Rochefort 6 carries these flavors with elegant restraint, the body smooth and composed before finishing dry and warming, like candlelight glowing down a monastery hallway long after evening prayer has ended.
Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy Rochefort Triple Extra
8.1% ABV | Belgian Trappist Strong Blonde Ale | Rochefort, Belgium
Golden and radiant, this long-awaited revival shimmers like sunlight through stained glass. Aromas of orange peel, honeyed malt, and orchard fruit rise from the glass before the beer unfolds into a lively interplay of pear, citrus zest, and gentle spice. Rochefort Triple Extra’s house yeast keeps everything bright and expressive while the carbonation carries the flavors effortlessly across the palate. Despite its strength, the finish remains graceful and dry, leaving behind a soft glow of fruit and warmth that encourages slower sips and deeper conversation.
Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle Westmalle Dubbel
7.0% ABV | Belgian Trappist Dubbel | Westmalle, Belgium
Chestnut-brown and softly glowing, this Trappist classic opens with aromas of toasted bread, dark caramel, and ripe orchard fruit drifting upward like warm air in a quiet abbey kitchen. Brewed within the monastery by Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle, the beer unfolds across the palate with notes of raisin, plum, and cocoa wrapped in that unmistakable Belgian yeast spice. The body stays smooth and contemplative while the finish settles gently dry and warming, leaving behind the calm, lingering impression of a centuries-old brewing tradition carried forward one patient sip at a time.
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
