2017-02-21 Tue

Though it’s very difficult to find out the exact origin of beer, most sources date it back to the development of cereals around 12,000 years ago. Though it was being made before, the strongest evidence of beer production dates back around 5,000 years ago to the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia.

1800 B.C.’s “Hymn to Ninkasi” (an ode to the Sumerian goddess of beer) describes a recipe for a beloved ancient brew made by female priestesses. It is also found that people in Egypt were most probably paid in beers and it was a part of everyone’s daily diet, including children. The current, more modern beer came around the Middle Ages when Christian monks and other artisans began brewing beers seasoned with hops.

Trappist Beers are beers produced in monasteries run by Trappist monks. There are around 174 Trappist monasteries in the world out of which only seven (6 in Belgium and 1 in Netherlands) are authorized both to produce beer and label them with the authentic Trappist product logo.

Belgium Post had issued a commemorative stamp sheet honoring these Trappist beers on 16th January 2012. This sheet shows 6 different Trappist beers: Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvleteren.