Beer and How to Support a Ministerial Life

I tried a new kind of beer this evening. It is made by Trappist monks. They brew and sale the beer to support ministerial life. There are 6 or 7 Trappist breweries depending on what year it is, and if the monostary met the requirements. One requirement of labeling their beer with the Trappist name is that all profits go to charity.

I am trying a Chimay Rouge (Red) this evening. The Chimay's include a Rouge, a Bleu, Blanc and Doree. The Doree is very rare, and can only be drunk at the Chimay monistary or pub in the connecting town. So drink it if you ever get the chance, because it might be your only one.

Since I have not tried anything but the Red I will not going into great detail. I will say it is very smooth. It is a kind of a medium body and flavor with a slight bitter after taste. I would defiantly have another glass if I could. Unfortunatly I bought a trail pack with all three, and special glass to drink them. So I will have to wait for another glass until some other time.

Sometime in the near future (with in a week) I plan to try the other two. I expect to like the Blue the best. Since I prefer dark beers. I'll give you a little more Trappist history then, and my novice beer critiques too.

As a side note I previously had only heard of Trappist monks from a book Henri Nouwen wrote. I believe he went and lived with them from time to time, and it is a diary of those adventures.