Beer Review: Tynt Meadow English Trappist

The Beer Option–the use of beer for evangelization and cultural renewal–continues to unfold. In particular, the footprint of Trappist beers, the flagship line of monastic brews, has grown throughout the world in just the last few years. In addition to the seven classics of the Lowlands (Belgium and the Netherlands), we now have:

• Zundert, also in the Netherlands
• Tre Fontani in Rome (at the site of Paul’s beheading)
• Engelszell in Austria
• Spencer in the United States, Massachusetts to be precise
• And now one more: Tynt Meadow, the first Trappist beer in England since the Reformation

Trappists, Cistercians of the Strict Observance, generally name their beer for the closest town, though in this case, it’s the meadow surrounding Mount St. Bernard’s Abbey, as depicted by John Rogers Hebert in his painting of the monks at work:

Mount St. Bernard’s Abbey was established in 1835 in the midst of the revolutionary upheavals of Europe. Ironically, England, the nation that dramatically shuttered all of its monasteries, became a place of monastic refuge, and Mount St. Bernard reestablished an ancient monastic site. The Cistercians have always been known to support themselves through their entrepreneurial spirit, and, although the monks of Mount St. Bernard brewed in a limited fashion in the 19th century, they initially turned to dairy to support themselves. They recently ceased their milk production and turned to another traditional monastic craft, brewing, to take its place.

I consider myself a monastic beer hunter and greatly enjoyed the opportunity to try this brand new Trappist beer. The monks describe the beer as a “strong dark ale, but one with a clearly English character.” The brewery describes Tynt Meadow as “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.”

It is of moderate strength at 7.4% ABV, but still packed the punch of Trappist beer. The monks did an excellent job of building upon the monastic tradition, getting help from monks in Belgium, France and Italy, but also drawing upon English brewing: “Tynt Meadow is brewed with English barley and hops, using an English strain of yeast.” It was thick, had a good head, and left a good amount of sediment in the bottom of the glass. It tasted like a Trappist and I found it to be worthy of the name.