Rapha Cycling Presents "The Trappist Brewery Tour"

Four friends connect three ancient Belgian breweries in search of monk-crafted beer

Courtesy of your highly caffeinated and ever thankful editorial team at FM HQ

First things first, Trappist beer is crafted by monks, and has been since the Middle Ages. Due to strict criteria and regulation, there are only 11 Trappist breweries in the world—six are in Belgium, with three in the Ardennes region. With endless empty backroads, a serious lack of development, and plenty of hills to climb and subsequently bomb, the area tucked between Luxembourg and France made for the perfect two day trip for four Rapha cyclists. The result is "The Trappist Brewery Tour."

A standout quote from the video reads, “if you don’t have the passion, you can be ok, but you will never be excellent.” This goes for not just cycling, but everything in life, be it brewing beer to working making art. It’s so simple, yet so true. A common thread that allows the secluded, mindful approach to Trappist brewing to align so well with cycling.