Tynt Meadow English Trappist Ale is an English
Trappist beer, brewed by Trappist monks (precisely: the
Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, a Roman Catholic monastic order) at
Mount St Bernard Abbey, located in the town of
Coalville, in
Leicestershire, England, UK.
The monastery was founded in 1835. Brewing only commenced in 2018, when the abbey's small-scale dairy farm had become non-viable (vs. large agribusiness).
Tynt Meadow English Trappist Ale is its only beer.
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HOW DOES IT TASTE?
Short answer: delicious. Long answer:
In color, Tynt Meadow is burnished-copper; clarity is good. The beer is well-conditioned, pouring with a long-lived, off-white head and some nice lacing down the glass...possibly because of bottle-conditioning (with live yeast). That also may have contributed a measure of oxygen-scavenging (i.e, active protection against staling). The beer tasted fresh, despite its trans-Atlantic voyage.
The principal flavor is dark fruit with lesser motifs of bitter chocolate and treacle. Interestingly, the monastery does NOT use Belgian yeast (which is the norm for most
Trappist ales) but an unidentified English yeast-strain (in addition to English barley and hops, both also unspecified) that is noticeable in a fruit-cake flavor. The ale finishes smooth (I detest the illogical neologism "
drinkable"), although the alcohol does seem to create a strong presence in the aftertaste. 7.4% alcohol-by-volume (abv).
Imported bottle (330 ml / 11.2 fl.oz), tasted in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 20 September 2022.
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ERGO
Based upon their Cistercian adherence solely to prayer and work, the monks of
Mount St Bernard Abbey literally produce only enough beer to pay their bills and support their charities. They quote
Psalm 104:
You make the grass grow for the cattle and the plants to serve man’s needs, that he may bring forth bread from the earth and wine to cheer man’s heart.
I say, beer is
liquid bread. So, please, "
give us this day our daily bread."
A series of occasional reviews of beer (and wine and spirits).
No scores; only descriptions.