Happy St. Bernard's Day!

Indeed, Happy St Bernard's Day! Two regulars of mine to celebrate, first the darker English Trappist Ale brewed by Cistercian monks at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire (website), Tynt Meadow (7.4%). Dark ruby red/mahogany colour with a big fruity aroma and flavour. Not the citrus fruits I normally enjoy, but rich darker fruits, with a touch of chocolate and malt/toffee in the taste, plenty of body and smooth, and slightly sweet, Tynt Meadow is bottled conditioned, consequently having a long shelf life, so store in a cool place, drink quite chilled, and pour out carefully, unless you enjoy the addition of yeast particles from the lees. 😁

Second, and which I have written about reasonably often (eg blog), is from Brouwerij St Bernadus (website), their St Bernadus ABT 12 (10.0%), also bottle conditioned. Strictly, not a Trappist ale, but you wouldn't know it, as they had earlier brewed Trappist ales for the Trappist monks at Westvleteren from 1946 to 1992. In 1998 Hans Depypere bought the business and it has flourished since. The St Bernadus ABT 12 is a very deep dark coloured red Quadrupel, brewed with hops grown in their own hop field. This has a slightly malty/fruity aroma, again, a bit sweet, but with a dry slightly bitter finish. Tasting of dark plum and damson fruits, indeed, a Christmas Pudding of a beer, as many Quadrupels tend to be, very rich and tasty, nice one! 😋

But who was St Bernard? Bernard of Clairvaux was a 12th century monk, then Abbot, who was a principle actor in the foundation of the Knights Templar, and in the creation of the Cistercian Order that broke away from the Benedictines. Indeed, the Cistercians are also called Bernardines, after Bernard of Clairvaux, or White Monks, as they dropped the black cowl warn by Benedictines. Unsurprisingly, St Bernard is patron saint of the Cistercians and Knights Templar, and also patron saint of bees, beekeepers, and candle makers/chandlers. Knowledge! 👍

So, to celebrate, maybe raise a glass of Tynt Meadow or St Bernadus, cheers! 🍺