Since 1870 there has been a cheese dairy at Westmalle Abbey. It can be found next to the brewery and the farm. Here the monks produce a semi-hard, mature cheese. Genuine Westmalle Trappist cheese is traditionally made with unpasteurised, fresh milk. The cheese is lightly salted and has a uniform texture.
Natural
Quality comes first in the cheese dairy. The monks only use milk from their own cows so they are in complete control of their basic ingredient. The production process is as natural as possible. The cream is left on the milk and no preservatives or colouring agents are added. Consequently, the colours of the cheeses differ slightly depending on whether the cows were grazed on the fresh meadows in the spring or kept inside their barns in other seasons.
Westmalle Trappist cheese is produced in limited quantities. You can find it at the abbey gate, in Café Trappisten just opposite the abbey, or at selected cheese stores, butcher’s shops and market stalls (where to buy Westmalle cheese).