Brew Master Chuck Hahn of Malt Shovel Brewery, and the monks of the Benedictine Community of New Norcia, are delighted to announce a limited handcrafted brew – New Norcia Abbey Ale – launched on 23 September 2007.
Abbey Ale is a traditional monastic ale, golden in colour, blessed with scents of fruit and spice, with a delicate champagne-like finish balanced with just a hint of bitterness.
A limited batch of Abbey Ale has been brewed at the Malt Shovel Brewery in Camperdown, NSW, and shipped to WA for aging in the cool cellars beneath the 150 year old Monastery at New Norcia.
Abbey Ale is available exclusively on tap and in six packs and cartons from the New Norcia
Hotel.
NEW NORCIA ABBEY ALE – THE STORY
Beer and monks have enjoyed a long and happy association!
When Aussie brewing legend Dr Chuck Hahn first visited us in 2004 and was keen to discover if we had a history of brewing at New Norcia, it was not surprising that a trawl through the archives (and the 97yr old Dom Paulino’s expansive memory), yielded evidence of beer making at New Norcia.
In correspondence dated 26/9/1885, Br Beda requests a cask for making beer, because the pair they have don’t allow the beer to ferment.” And during Abbot Torres’ era it is noted that “Br Zabala and Richard have made beer, which is drunk by many workers.”
Many new enterprises have flourished and others failed throughout New Norcia’s 161yr old history. Unlike the monastery’s excellent olive oil, wines and bread, beer it seemed, suffered the same unremarkable fate as recorded attempts to cultivate tobacco and coffee.
Fuelled by Dr Hahn’s passion for developing a monastic ale, several years of conversation with the Benedictine Community ensued to decide if beer would again become a feature of New Norcia. As with Trappist beers, distinct guidelines dictate the development of an Abbey Ale. Once these criteria were satisfied, an initial brew was delivered to New Norcia for tasting trials.
Gaining the endorsement of the extended New Norcia family was an important next step. The ale – brewed in the Belgian Strong Golden Ale style – was sampled by the monks, employees and Friends of New Norcia in September 2006. Feedback on the taste and name of the ale was noted and formed the basis of the final negotiations between Chuck and the monks of New Norcia. Following the ancient Benedictine protocol, the monks voted to approve the use of their name on the Ale, and gave permission to Chuck to brew a year’s supply.
ABBEY ALES – DEFINITION
Distinct from the famous Trappist beers, Abbey Ales are brewed by commercial brewers and licence their names from abbeys. The term Abbey Ale in fact refers more to a relationship with a monastery than to a specific beer style. To qualify as an Abbey Ale (according to the trade organisation, The Belgian Brewers), the ale must have a link to an existing abbey, the profits from the sale must benefit the abbey, the brewer must protect the cultural heritage of the abbey and the abbey retains control over the advertising and marketing of the ale.
BREWERS NOTES
New Norcia Abbey Ale is the product of Australian pale malted barley and Belgian candy sugar brewed with imported hops and fermented with a Belgian Ale yeast. The result is a golden coloured monastic ale with intriguing aromas and a rich alcoholic finish. Spiciness from the Styrian Goldings hops and the Belgian yeast fermentation creates a lovely balance with the richness of the malt.
CONTACT:
For further information on New Norcia Abbey Ale, please contact:
Rebecca Johnson
New Norcia Marketing Manager
P. 08 96548107
M. 0439955598
E. marketing@newnorcia.com
For further information on The Malt Shovel Brewery, please visit: www.maltshovel.com.au