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Father Karel de Norbertine poses with a Grimbergen beer in the courtyard of the Belgian Abbey Grimbergen. Karel says that the fathers of the abbey will resume brewing after a break of two centuries.
Yves Herman / Reuters
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Yves Herman / Reuters
Father Karel de Norbertine poses with a Grimbergen beer in the courtyard of the Belgian Abbey Grimbergen. Karel says that the fathers of the abbey will resume brewing after a break of two centuries.
Yves Herman / Reuters
The last time the Grimbergen Abbey in Belgium brewed beer, the United States was only about 20 years old. But the abbey is now planning to make beer again, and for inspiration, it will turn to the original recipes and brewing instructions in its medieval text archive.
After its founding in 1128, the fathers of Norbertine Abbey spent centuries making beer. But they were forced to stop when the abbey was destroyed in 1798. Now they want to get back to brewing – and to do that, they hope to use the secrets that they have gleaned from ancient books that the abbey managed to preserve.
The name Grimbergen already appears on Belgian beer, thanks to licensing agreements with two commercial breweries: Carlsberg brews Grimbergen beers for the international market, while Alken-Maes, owned by Heineken, brews for the Belgian domestic market. The Abbey derives some of these benefits; now he wants to participate directly in the making of beer.
Fr. Karel Stautemas, sub-prior of the abbey, announced that he would undergo formal training to help manage the new microbrewery.
"Beer has always been part of life at the abbey and we are proud of the beers we have today," said Father Karel on Tuesday in announcing plans for the new brewery.
Some of the books kept in the Abbey Library date back to the 12th century. Those dealing with beer brewing are in Latin and Old Dutch, making it difficult to quickly identify the books to be used for the new project.
"We spent hours flipping through the books," said Karel, "and have discovered ingredient lists for beers brewed in previous centuries, the hops used, the types of casks and bottles and even a list of beers produced centuries ago. "
The abbey is located in Grimbergen, a town located about 12 km north of Brussels. The Abbey has been destroyed many times since its founding – the last time in 1798, when French soldiers destroyed the Abbey and its brewery during a violent crackdown on the Church Catholic. (The region has recently been annexed by France.)
Grimbergen Abbey, near Brussels, aims to combine the brewing traditions of its ancient books with modern techniques.
Grimbergen Abbey
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Grimbergen Abbey
Grimbergen Abbey, near Brussels, aims to combine the brewing traditions of its ancient books with modern techniques.
Grimbergen Abbey
This 1798 attack was devastating – but before its library was destroyed, the Abbey's fast fathers drilled a hole in a wall and transported several hundred pounds to safety.
Despite the repeated destruction of the abbey, it has always been rebuilt.
For centuries, Grimbergen Abbey has been associated with the symbol of a phoenix. His fathers adopted the mythical animal as part of their coat of arms in 1629, after rebuilding the abbey as a result of religious wars. The phoenix also reflects the Latin motto of the abbey: ardet nec consumitur – "burned but not destroyed."
The new brewery will be installed inside the walls of the abbey and will include a bar and restaurant for visitors. It is scheduled to open in 2020. Karel and five or six other workers produce relatively small batches of beer.
As for the new beer, she will use the same Belgian yeast Carlsberg currently uses to obtain rich and spicy notes in her Grimbergen breweries. The beer produced by the abbey will also be subjected to multiple fermentations and aging in barrels to deepen its flavors. And brewers will try to use local hops and some of the same approaches as those found in the Abbey Library.
"We are excited to use these books to bring back medieval techniques and ingredients to create new beers," said Marc-Antoine Sochon of Carlsberg, who will be the chief brewer of the new microbrewery.
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