by Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij de Achelse Kluis
The Achel Blond 8 is a classic trappist style triple from the newest of the Belgian Trappist Monasteries.
It pours a very attractive golden colour, with a billowing white foam which settles unevenly and leaves thick lacing on the glass. Appearances don't get much more inviting than this!
The aromas scream Belgian tripel - lots of sweet citrus notes, gentle spicing and bread malts. The flavour is big and packed full of initial bread malt sweetness, Belgian candy sugar, a hint of honey and just ripe fruits. This is all balanced against an earthy hop bitterness and gentle spicing with a slight peppery tingle. The carbonation aids in the beer drying out toward the finish; as all good ales tend to do.
History of the Trappist Monastery: The Trappist Abbey of Achel owes much to Westmalle's Trappist Monastery. It was the monks at Westmalle who split to found the abbey at Achel in 1846. It wasn't until 1998, with the assistance of both the Westmalle And Rochefort Trappist Monasteries, that Achel reinstalled a brewery and began producing their world class ales.