St Bernard's Day: 20th August.

2 suggestions for St Bernard's Day (more about at the bottom of this blog), first I decided to go back to the darker English Trappist Ale for today, brewed by Cistercian monks at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire (website), this Tynt Meadow is a 7.4% trappist ale. 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 to drink, 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...

The second suggestion which I have written about very recently (blog), so will precis that information here, is from Brouwerij St Bernadus (website), their St Bernadus ABT 12 (10.0%). Strictly, not a Trappist beer, although they had 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!

So, who was St Bernard? Bernard of Clairvaux was a 12th century monk, then Abbot, who was a principle in the foundation of the Knights Templar, and in the creation of the Cistercian Order that broke 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. There you are. 👍

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

Now I've Tasted Britain's First Trappist Beer!

I've written about this new addition to the wealth of beers available in Britain very recently (labelled as an "English Trappist Ale" though I know of no other trappist beer brewed anywhere else in Britain - see blog), and now I've tasted it. As you can see from the photograph I poured out a bottle at home. Brewed by Cistercian monks at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire (website), Tynt Meadow is a mighty 7.4% trappist ale...

A deep dark ruby red/mahogany colour and big gorgeous fruity aroma and flavour means that this isn't my typical tipple, but I swiftly went back to buy more, to 'lay down' and to share with friends, it's that good. Not the citrus fruits I normally enjoy, but rich darker fruits, with a touch of chocolate and malt in the taste, plenty of body and smooth to drink, though a wee bit sweet, my notes say "good stuff!" Interestingly, Tynt Meadow is bottled conditioned, consequently it has a long shelf life, so store in a cool place, drink quite chilled, and be careful when pouring the ale out, unless you enjoy the addition of yeast particles from the lees, cheers!

I'll have a few of those, many thanks!

Where did I purchase my Tynt Meadow? Luckily for me, just around the corner is the Eel & Bear, 28 Waldegrave Street, Hastings TN34 1SJ (facebook), who brought some in, but it's available online, if you lack a similar craft beer seller in your area; Google lists a few suppliers.

England's First Trappist Beer!

Yes, very true, Cistercian monks in Leicestershire are now brewing to help pay for their simple lifestyle, and have developed, following help and advice from other Trappist breweries and local brewers, a complex ale. Named after the plot of land the monastery was built on, as is traditional with Trappist breweries, Tynt Meadow (7.4%) is brewed using English barley and hops, an English strain of yeast, and with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Tynt Meadow is described by beer writer Roger Protz as "seriously nice."

Tynt Meadow is "mahogany-coloured, with a subtle, warm red hue, and a lasting beige head. Its aroma carries hints of dark chocolate, liquorice, and rich fruit flavours. The beer is full-bodied, gently balancing the taste of dark chocolate, pepper, and fig. It leaves a warm and dry finish on the palate." See website.  I need to taste this!

Mount Saint Bernard Abbey

Mount Saint Bernard Abbey was founded in 1835, but this permanent building, originally designed by Augustus Welby Pugin, was opened in 1844 though, because of the cost, without a completely finished church until after 1935, with a new architect, Albert Herbert of Leicester.

Tynt Meadow will be on sale from the 9th of July 2018, cheers!