Abbaye Mont des Cats Trappiste

Abbaye du Mont des Cats Trappiste Ale...$16.99 / 750ml The new Trappist beer “Mont des Cats” was presented in June 2011: an enticing copper-colored beer with aromas of fruits, brown sugar, caramel, a touch of roasted malts. A pleasant caramel malt sweetness introduces the beer, being joined by hints of dried fruits, gentle spices, and an earthy, herbal hop character. As the beer progresses, the bitterness seems to build toward a nice lingering finish. The first (and only) French Trappist beer, the Mont des Cats was brewed according to authentic methods developed in the abbeys, by or under the supervision of monks. Those of Mount Cats practiced this activity until 1905. Originally, they brewed beer for their personal consumption, but the variety of a brown beer that was a great success among visitors encouraged them to market their production. In 1907, after the separation of the church and the state, a large number of Trappist brothers left the abbey to settle in Belgium. They founded a new establishment there that gave birth to a new beer, the St Bernardus. This brewing activity stopped for good after the destruction of the abbey during the First World War. The Mont des Cats beer, still brewed in the Trappist tradition, was created in 2011 by the monks of Scourmont Abbey in Chimay (Belgium) but it is bottled in Mont des Cats.