Is there an example of the Trappist style that's considered the best of the style? I read in a blog post a few months ago that Westvleteren 12 is considered one of the, if not the, best example of a Trappist. I had one shortly after and it was a very, very good beer, although I don't know if it was so different from other similar versions (i.e. Rochefort 10) that I'd feel comfortable calling it 'the best'.

That said, I wonder if there's any particular Trappist that's normally considered the best of the style?
"Trappist" isn't so much a style as it is a commercial label.  Something like "Organic" or "Kosher" that comes with a set of regulated conditions that product was produced under.

Per wikipedia, to be able to be labelled a Trappist beer:


The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision.
The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life
The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need.
Trappist breweries are constantly monitored to assure the irreproachable quality of their beers.


A lot of those monasteries also make lighter or hoppy beers.  Engelszell even uses honey in their beers, so there's a pretty significant variety when it comes to what you can call "Trappist".

But if we're talking the classic dark Belgian-y abbey ale.  According to the Beer Advocate ratings, the top Trappist-produced beers are:


Westvleteren 12
Rochefort 10
Chimay Cinq Cents
Achel Extra Blond
Rochefort 8


Through user rankings.  The Brothers that run the site give Rochefort 8 a higher rank than 10, which I agree with, and give both Rochefort's a higher rating than Westy 12.

So I guess the answer is that somewhere between Westvleteren 12, the Rochefort 8 and 10, and Chimay is the best Trappist beer.  But even in the top 5 here there's some variation since Chimay and Achel are blondes, and Rochefort 8 is a fair lower ABV than the other 3.

With the styles being so wide, the real answer is probably whichever one you like drinking the most.

Though really, Rochefort 8 forever.