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by torstenvl 1376 days ago
Trappist is not a type of beer. It is a type of Catholic monastic order. They just happen to make decent beer (and jam, and many other things).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappists

3 comments

Trappist is not a type of beer.

Ok I guess in English the correct term is indeed 'trappist beer', but in Dutch 'trappist' is used to refer to the beer as well as the monk/nun; there's a lot more talking about beer than about those monks obviously, so you can imagine that for me 'trappist' means 'beer' no matter what language so pardon my linguistic mistake :)

Same in French. I guess that whenever one sees the word trappist in a conversation, beer comes in mind first. Unless you are in a history class.
In Hungary, Trappist is first and foremost a cheese.

I would even call it the default cheese, though like many cheeses it was apparently invented in France:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappista_cheese

So this is a category error much like saying French is not a type of poodle. I assure you, it is, just as, well, two can play at this game https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer .
The link you posted shows the opposite: Trappists brew many types of beer, though arguably Trippels are the most common lately.

Saying Trappist is a type of beer is like saying French is a type of poodle — if you used the label only to refer to a poodle bred in France.

A more apt comparison is saying Bordeaux is a type of wine. Bordeaux is a region in France; it is well-known for 5-6 types of wine; any Bordeaux wine that qualifies for AOC proudly displays its Bordeaux heritage on the bottle.

Or Champagne, which are different kinds of sparkling wine made in Russia:

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/russia-champagne-law-sparkl...

(I see myself out now.)

Which raises the question[0], "Why French poodle?" Is there a non-French variety? Wikipedia indicates not [1], although they probably originated in Germany. [2]

[0] Not "begs". Never "begs the question," even if I am being pompously pedantic. [0']

[0'] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question#Vernacula...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poodle [1']

[1'] TIL the word "cynalogy"--"the study of matters related to canines or domestic dogs." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynology

[2] Also, while the Germans refer to the breed as "Pudel," the French call them "Caniche". So of course in English we call them <"French"> <German word>.

[3] Rabbits! They went down this hole!

There are category category errors being committed on all sides. The confusion is arising from the word "type". To some, a "type" of beer is a style of beer characterised by common ingredients, methods and appearance. To others a "type" of beer may be as loosely defined as simply the kind of container it is stored in (can, bottle, draught).
And the type of beer they make is known as Trappist Beer, which is what the project is named after. See: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1023/