This Abbey Blond Ale pours a clear golden colour with a clean white foam. It has a perfumy aroma of ripe light fruits, soft citrus hints and gentle spicing.
On the palate, this beer is quite light. A clean, defined profile reveals the sweetness of bready malts with apricot, orange and a little banana. Reserved hops poke through with a grassy, floral note. Gentle spicing and high carbonation leads to a semi-dry finish with a slightly spicy tingle.
About Abbey Ales : this term originally applied to all beers with a link to monasteries. During the 1990's, The International Trappist Association came into being and defined the beers from the Trappist Monasteries. There are strict recognition requirements, and these beers are considered the top of the beer quality tree. (There are six in Belgium - Westmalle, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Achel and Westvleteren, La Trappe in the Netherlands and Engelszell Stift in Austria; the most recent addition as of Oct 12).
Abbey beers now refer to the next level of beers. In 1999 the Union of Belgian Brewers created the title 'Certified Belgian Abbey Beer', which applied to beers brewed under licence to either current or abandoned abbeys. The term is reflective of top quality Belgian ales, but not quite the same recognition as a Trappist Ale.