Abbey Beer

abbey beer. (ae'-bee beeyr')

    Any top-fermented beer produced by a commercial brewery that is under license from a monastery, located near an abbey, or has retained the original name and brewing style of a particular abbey. In Belgium, according to a law passed in Gand on February 28, 1962, beers brewed in Trappist monasteries or by commercial breweries under license may be labeled "Trappiste" whereas those brewed by commercial brewers in the style and manner of Trappist beers must be labeled "Bière d'Abbaye" or "Abdijbieren" (abbey beer). There are presently five Trappist abbeys brewing beer in Belgium and one in the Netherlands. In Germany and Austria, beers labeled "Klosterbräu" or "Stifsbräu" are not distinctive in style nor are they typically brewed in abbeys.

Syn: monastery beer

See also: Trappist beer