Once home to over 150 monks – a bustling hub of agricultural and spiritual life – the abbey dwindled down to just six monks at the time of its closure.
Years of declining vocations prompted the Irish Cistercian communities to consolidate, with the remaining monks relocating to St Joseph’s Abbey in Roscrea.
The story of Mount Melleray is indicative of a broader crisis within monasticism — and it is not unique to Ireland. Across Europe, Trappist monasteries are grappling with the same reality, and with it, the slow fading of a tradition for which they are widely known: their impeccable reputation as brewers of some of the world’s finest beer.
Historically, monks have been brewing beer for over 1,500 years, revolutionising the craft.
Originally, it was brewed as an act of hospitality for travellers and pilgrims during a time when beer was safer to drink than water, which was commonly contaminated by sewage. Rich in nutrients, it earned the nickname ‘liquid bread’.
Monks also introduced key innovations: they implemented sanitary brewing practices and were among the first to add hops to beer, extending its shelf life and enhancing its flavour.
As the psalmist says, “You make the grass grow for the cattle and the plants to serve man’s needs, that he may bring forth bread from the earth and wine to cheer man’s heart.”
Authenticity
What makes a Trappist beer authentic? The answer lies in the iconic ‘Authentic Trappist Product’ (ATP) label, granted by the International Trappist Association (ITA).
To receive the ATP seal, the beers must be brewed within a Trappist abbey and under the direct supervision of the monastic community. The rules are exacting — but they are consistent with the monastic way of life: one shaped by simplicity, silence, and service to others.
These beers are not produced for personal gain, but as a natural outgrowth of a life of prayer and labour”
“Any economic enterprise undertaken by member communities is marked by prayer, an attitude of responsibility, and silence,” the International Trappist Association noted. “The Trappists, both monks and nuns, participate in management as well as production.”
In keeping with this ethos, any profits from Trappist beer must go toward the needs and upkeep of the monastery, with the remainder given to charitable causes. These beers are not produced for personal gain, but as a natural outgrowth of a life of prayer and labour.
Finally, each beer must be of a high quality – a reflection of the Trappist ethos, ora et labora (prayer and work).
Decline
Quality, too, is non-negotiable. Trappist beers are expected to reflect the care, craftsmanship, and dignity of the community that brews them.
Typically ranging in alcohol content from 6% to 12%, they are made from natural raw materials — spring water, barley malt, hops, sugar, and yeast — and undergo a second fermentation in the bottle.
As the Belgian monks say: “Beer should be liquid bread, not coloured water.”
If a monastic community closes, if brewing is moved outside the monastery, or if the monks are no longer directly involved in production, the beer loses its ATP label. This has already happened in three cases: Achel in Belgium, Cardeña in Spain, and Mont des Cats in France — the latter now brewed under license by Scourmont Abbey near Chimay.
As of now, only nine of the original fourteen Trappist breweries retain the ATP label”
Even the only US-based Trappist brewery closed its door in 2022 after only 8 years. Bro. Anthony, secretary to the abbot at St Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, recalled the order’s own experience running the first (and only) Trappist brewery in the US.
“Perhaps we were a bit naive in the beginning,” he reflected. Despite early excitement, the endeavour struggled with licensing laws, cultural differences, and the inability to open a public tasting room on monastic grounds. In the end, he said, “our endeavour was still not supporting the abbey… it was best to close the brewery.”
As of now, only nine of the original fourteen Trappist breweries retain the ATP label – though with a caveat.
The remaining nine include: five from Belgium (Westvleteren, Westmalle, Chimay, Rochefort and Orval), two from the Netherlands (Koningshoeven and Zundert), one from Italy (Tre Fontane) and, since 2018, one from England (Tynt Meadow brewed at Mount St Bernard Abbey).
Closures
However, on May 13, 2025, the Trappist abbey Maria Toevlucht (Mary of Refuge) – brewers of Zundert – announced plans to close their brewery due to a shortage of Brothers. It was a sobering milestone, coming shortly after the abbey’s 125th anniversary. At its height, the community had over 70 monks.
In a statement to The Irish Catholic, ITA spokesperson Manu Pauwels acknowledged Zundert’s intention but noted that the abbey remains a member and still holds the ATP label — for now.
“The identity and way of life of a Trappist community,” he said, “cannot be reduced to statistics. What truly matters are the values carried by the ATP label… authenticity, responsibility, and involvement in a supportive economy.”
Another recent closure came in 2024, with Engelszell Abbey in Austria, once one of the few Trappist breweries outside the Low Countries. And even in Belgium — long the spiritual and literal home of Trappist brewing — the decline is visible.
In 2020, the last monks left Limburg Abbey, makers of Achel. The beer is still produced by laypeople using the same recipe, but the ATP label is gone.
These closures are not merely commercial losses. When an abbey falls silent, something deeper disappears — not just a beer, but a way of life. A history shaped not by markets but by prayer.
Not a product made for profit, but an invitation to joy and hospitality. The labels might fade. The numbers might dwindle.
But wherever monks continue to pray and work — even in silence — the tradition, the spirit, endures.