- 1960 : the monks sue a brewer to protect their beers -

In 1960, the brewery of Veltem (Leuwen) brewed a beer named "Veltem Trappist". The brewery of Orval then asked a business lawyer to start a legal procedure. On February 28, 1962, a judgement of the court of Ghent ordered the brewery Anglo-Belge (owner of the brewery of Veltem) to pay 1 BEF in damages, as well as the publication of the judgement. Anglo Belge also had to support the cost of 9500 wood vats already engraved with that forbidden name... Since this judgement, "... the word “Trappist” is commonly used to indicate a beer brewed and sold by monks pertaining to Trappist order, or by people who would have obtained an authorization of this kind... is thus called “Trappist” a beer manufactured by Cistercian monks and not a beer in the Trappist style which will be rather called “abbey beer”. "

However, there used to be few exceptions to this rule. Examples include the brewery St Bernard in Watou (Province of Western Flanders), for its “Trappist” beer, St Sixtus) and Verlinden in Brasschaat (Province of Antwerp, for its “Trappist” beer, Witkap Pater). These beers could use the Trappist denomination or words closely related to the Trappist abbeys, following their respective agreements with the breweries of Westvleteren and Westmalle. These agreements, which were eventually dropped or simply became obsolete, are not valid today.

Other brewers attempted to use that famous name, including recent examples in the United States of America, which were quickly controlled by the monk’s lawyers. They must nevertheless always remain vigilant... that famous name is coveted!