Thoughts on Spencer Trappist Ale?

I think these monks are trying to encourage moderation with their $20/4-pack price ($17.99 before tax). I picked this up out of curiosity last night, and i agree with the 90 rating. It's a really good beer, great example of the style, but $5 per 12oz bottle?

I did drink this in moderation because of the price though, so good job, monks. I also had 2 howlers of Proclamation's Tendril to supplement, but i went easy on the Spencer ;-)

 

I bought a single in Maine last week ($4.50). I thought it was tasty at first, but the second half of the bottle fell off and tasted metallic. One and done for me.

 

I also got the metallic taste (very clearly) from a bottle I had recently. I had tried it back when it first came out and there was no metallic taste whatsoever.

 

Wish Spencer would try their hand at making a quad.

 

Wegmans in Chestnut Hill has the best price on it I've seen, $14.99

 

Purchased a single bottle at Ryans and Caseys in Greenfield yesterday. Not my style, but not bad at all.

 

Just curious, but what format are you offering it and what price point?

 

We had it pouring into 12oz glasses, at 11 dollars a glass. Its pricey but its the only way to justify the purchase price. Man was it tasty though, and its a very good sell when you can tell all about the monks and where the money goes.

I'll definitely get it again.

 

For the price, it honestly comes down to Spencer vs Orval at times and that's not a fair fight. I like Spencer, but it's not in the same league as Orval.

 

yeah, back story always helps to sell. But indeed, where does the money go?

 

http://spencerbrewery.com/story/

It sounds like most of the money goes back to the Monastery where it allows them to do charitable work in the community. They are Benedictine monks, so I would think they aren't living in the lap of luxury. I've never been there, but my girlfriend had a chance to meet them when they were studying beer at the brewery she works for (not dropping any names), she said they were earnest and polite. I'd wager they are on the up and up. I DO want to go visit the monastery and brewery some day, so if I find out otherwise I'll be sure to blow the whistle.

 

Boston Magazine just came out with a very good overview of the Spencer operation.
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/home-design/article/2014/09/02/spencer-brewery-trappist-ale/

I was interested to learn from the article that the International Trappist Association gave them three conditions before agreeing that they could brew a trappist ale: "Build a state-of-the-art brewery with the finest and latest technology, hire a skilled brew engineer, and, for the first five years, make only one type of beer."

 

Interestingly in the above article, he doesn't mention that "one of the brothers [who] had been talking about brewing" by name. The one who actually brought up and pushed the idea of brewing beer. Maybe that's because he was cast aside from the brewing because he was against letting Chimay in and taking a piece of the pie in exchange for the Trappist moniker.

 

Reading another article from earlier in the year, it does sound like the younger monk who originally pitched the idea of brewing eventually left the monastery, but who knows why he left? Certainly it would be a HUGE leap to say that he was "cast aside" (I mean jeez, these are monks -- not SAB-Miller).

I haven't read anything about Chimay "taking a piece of the pie," just that they served as an advisor. And Chimay didn't give them the Trappist moniker. The Trappist designation comes straight from the International Trappist Association.

From the article referenced above, here's an excerpt about the former monk:
...I think his real interest would have been to do a craft beer, a craft brewery with the creativeness and the choice of going the craft route versus the Trappist niche, the craft versus the one beer. He wasn’t so interested in going that direction, and he had invited Father Isaac to go with him to Belgium originally when they did all the research. So that’s why the former brother…he didn’t really want [Trappist beer only]; for him, his interest and inspiration was the craft route....

 

one beer for 5 years? wtf

 

Secretly start brewing a quad now and put it in barrels with Lactobacillus for the remainder of the 5 years. It’d make for a nice 5th anniversary release party... if they’re still in the beer business in 5 years…

 

It's not a leap, it's a fact. You don't find it strange that Father Dominic throws all the different names, but mentions him only as "former brother"? I actually didn't know that he left (it looks like though), I heard, at least at that point, that he was no longer in the brewing process/work at the monastery.

Chimay was one of those who "allowed" them to receive the designation, because they all had to vote. (I'm not fully versed in how Order of Cistercians is run, but that's what I gathered and what was explained to me. They're very hierarchical from monastery to monastery. Chimay was the first to use the Trappist moniker, if I'm not mistasken.)

I don't know what the "former brother" wanted to achieve at the end, perhaps he wanted more than just "Trappist", but he was the one who pitched the idea, who pushed it, and eventually convinced them to go this route. When the time came to get the "Trappist" designation, there were two obstacles: 1) European monk-brewers were concerned about the quality, whether Spencer's beer would be able to carry the status of Trappist beer, 2) Chimay's fear of diminishing market share. US market is the main market for Chimay beers.

So at the end, Chimay essentially inserted themselves into the process. When the monks voted whether to let Chimay in (and receive the designation) the "former brother" was the only one to vote against it. So that's why he was essentially "cast aside" from the brewing process. And Chimay was in. And from what appears, in more than just a consulting role. And that's why Spencer Ale costs what it costs.

 

Cool story, bro. It would be cooler if you could cite some sources for your information.

 

Seems a bit paranoid. Exactly who do you suspect you may have to "blow the whistle" on?