Beer Review – Tynt Meadow English Trappist Ale

I can still remember my first encounter with a Trappist Ale, a bottle of Chimay Grande Reserve back in the early 1990s. It was probably my first Belgian-brewed beer as well, and the expressive yeast character, strength, and prickly carbonation were unlike anything I’d tasted before.  I later learned that this beer was brewed at a Trappist monastery, and with a little searching one could find other Trappist Ales in the wild. At one point in the aughts there were six Trappist breweries located in Belgium – Achel, Chimay, Rochefort, Westmalle, Orval, and Westvleteren – and a seventh, La Trappe, not far across the border in the Netherlands. Enough to make things interesting, but not so many as to be overwhelming. The early to mid-teens there were something of a boom for Trappist breweries. Looking for a different approach to generate income to support their monastic communities, several Trappist monasteries emulated their brothers in Belgium by opening breweries – Zundert in the Netherlands, Stift Engelszell in Austria, Spencer in Massachusetts, Tre Fontane in Rome, and Tynt Meadows in England. However, this mini boom was to be short lived. In 2022 the monks at Saint Joseph’s Abbey decided to pull the plug on brewing operations at Spencer only eight years after opening, and earlier this year Stift Engelszell followed suit. In 2021, the International Trappist Association (ITA) revoked Achel’s official Trappist brewery title when they literally ran out of monks (the last two monks transferred to Westmalle). Given this somewhat concerning trend I figured that it would be a good time to review the youngest of the Trappist ales, Tynt Meadows, brewed by the monks at the Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in the British midlands, not far from Leicester.

• Brewery: Mount Saint Bernard Abbey
• Style: Trappist Ale
• ABV: 7.4%
• Package: 11.2 oz/330 mL bottle

If you visit the north of England you’ll find that there were once many abbeys and monasteries. The countryside is rich with the ruins of abandoned monastic communities. Perhaps the most glorious is Fountains Abbey, a World Heritage site in North Yorkshire, not far from Masham where the Theakston’s and Black Sheep breweries are located. At one time there were no fewer than 76 Cistercian Abbeys in the British Isles, but after Henry VIII split from the Catholic church, the wealthy church properties were confiscated or plundered by the king and/or his cronies. In that sense, it’s a something of a surprise to come across a Trappist monastery in protestant England. You might say that Mount Saint Bernard Abbey owes it’s existence to it’s relative youth. It was founded in 1835 on land provided by Ambrose de Lisle, who was eager to re-introduce monastic life in Britain. The monks took possession of a half-ruined cottage in Tynt Meadow, the geographic location that lends it’s name to this beer (traditionally Trappist breweries are named after the town where they are located). For nearly two centuries dairy farming was the main source of revenue for the monks, but eventually they could not compete with the low prices of larger commercial dairy farms. Looking for a way to keep the monastery running they turned to brewing, first releasing beer to the public in 2018. Reading from the article, The More You Master Something, the More Free You Feel, written by Mark Dredge for Good Beer Hunting, five years on the output of the brewery is a modest 838 BBL per year. Enough beer to fill approximately 300,000 bottles. Not a lot, but apparently enough to export beer to Central Ohio.

My Review

Following in the Trappist tradition of simplicity in naming and packaging, the label is cream colored with dark brown lettering in font that is based on a twelfth-century Cistercian script. The bottom of the label is cut in a pattern that is meant to capture the chapel and the contours of the surrounding countryside.  The three parallel lines on the bottle cap represent the lancet windows of the chapel. The beer pours a deep, mahogany brown color. Holding the glass up to the light reveals attractive ruby highlights and some suspended yeast that detracts a bit from the clarity (I was careful to avoid rousing the spent yeast from bottle conditioning upon pouring into the glass). The beer is topped with a small cap of creamy, biege foam. The aroma reminds me of unsweetened bakers chocolate, with faint background notes of spice and dark fruits. On the first sip my taste buds are first greeted by delicate powdered cocoa, followed by yeast-driven spiciness. The spicy notes initially seem rather aggressive, but after a few sips the flavor combo starts to grow on me. It’s hard to find the words to properly describe spice character of the beer, not exactly the clove or black pepper, something more like ginger without the citrus topnotes. The carbonation level is much lower than its Belgian counterparts, leading to a soft, almost creamy mouthfeel. The finish is dry and clean, leaving a lingering spiciness on the palate.

Summary

The beers produced by Trappist breweries outside of the Low Countries have tended to follow the contours of Belgian beer. Spencer was best known for an Abbey single and Tre Fontane makes a Tripel infused with eucalyptus. Tynt Meadows does exhibit expressive yeast character that seems more Belgian than British, but on the whole is quite distinct from the rest of the Trappist Ale catalog. The combination of a delicate chocolate malt base, decorated by yeast-driven spiciness, brings to mind a freshly baked gingerbread cookie. As the holidays approach why not treat yourself to a bottle of the World’s newest Trappist Ale. It would be a good compliment to an afternoon spent baking holiday goodies.

Rating: 7.5

Rating scale: 10 = perfection, 9 = excellent, one of the top beers in the world, 8 = very good, one of the top beers in its style category, 7 = good, a solid beer I’m happy to be drinking, 6 = average, not bad but not something I’m likely to buy again, 5 = below average, 3-4 = poor, should be avoided, 1-2 drainpour.