Achel Loses The Authentic Trappist Product Label

In January 2021, Achel lost the right to use the Authentic Trappist Product label for its beer after the last monks left Saint Benedict’s Abbey in Hamont-Achel, Belgium. The brewery continued to operate, but the absence of a resident monastic community meant that the beer no longer fulfilled the ATP requirement that production be carried out under the supervision of Trappist monks or nuns. The change showed how the Trappist designation depends on monastic governance rather than on recipe, flavor, or brewery history alone. Achel remained historically connected to Trappist brewing and to Westmalle, but without monks living at the abbey, its beer could no longer carry the official ATP seal.