La Trappe Exclusive “King’s Day” Witte Trappist Mandarina Bavaria

April 27 is Koningsdag, or “King’s Day,” here in the Netherlands. And 2017 marks the 50th birthday of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. In honor of this special anniversary, Trappist Brewery Koningshoeven of Tilburg has released a special, limited edition of their Witte Trappist, the La Trappe Witte Trappist Mandarina Bavaria Koningsdag Edition.

This special edition of the 5.5% ABV La Trappe Witte Trappist was brewed with Mandarina Bavaria hops for pleasant aromas of tangerine, orange, lemon and lime. The beer combines notes of mandarin and citrus, with the traditional clean, un-spiced profile of the La Trappe Witte Trappist, with its smooth, slightly tart finish perfectly complementing the fruitiness of the hops. The beer is a one-off, and will only be available for a limited time.

Trappist Brewery Koningshoeven was founded by Trappist monks in 1884, and has been crafting the finest Trappist ales for over two centuries. Its many world-class style beers and rare limited releases are bottle-conditioned and brewed with water from within the Abbey’s walls, while spent grain from the wort is used to feed the Abbey’s herd of cows.

King’s Day is an annual celebration here in the Netherlands to celebrate the royal monarch. It started in 1885 as Princess’s Day, and has been known as Queen’s Day since 1890 when Princess Wilhelmina became Queen of the netherlands. It remained Queen’s Day until 2013, when Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated the throne and passed on the throne to her son. The date also changed from April 30, the birthday of Beatrix’s mother and Wilhelmina’s daughter, Queen Juliana, to April 27, as that is the birthday of the King Willem-Alexander.

A portion of the proceeds of this special edition beer will be donated to the Oranje Fonds, a charitable foundation that was created in 2002 as the national wedding gift to Prince Willem-Alexander and and Princess Máxima. The Oranje Fonds has the mission to promote participation in society, and provides funds to organization to strengthen the social aspects of society.