This abbey in Belgium brews beers

Grimbergen Abbey, built in 1128, which stated serving beer for its monks, now has some of the best and premium range

Hyderabad: An abbey in Belgium has caught the attention of many for brewing beer for its monks.

Grimbergen Abbey, built in 1128 by the Lords of Grimbergen, started brewing beer using some traditional recipes soon after its construction in the same year. An abbey is a type of church that is part of a monastery, essentially a complex of buildings housing a community of monks or nuns.

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Everything was going well until the War of Grimbergen broke out against the Duke of Brabant in 1142. The abbey was completely destroyed, but in the later years of the war, it was rebuilt from scratch.

The abbey was again destroyed in 1566 owing to some religious wars in the area. This forced the Fathers to flee only to return to the ruins after 30 long years to rebuild the community.

The Grimbergen Abbey was re-established in 1629. Since then it has adopted the phoenix as a symbol of rebirth, along with the motto “ardet nec consumitur”, which means “burned, but not destroyed.”

Taking inspiration from the phoenix, the Fathers of the abbey soon began brewing the Grimbergen beer again. But during the French Revolution in the 18th century, all goods in churches and monasteries were looted and sold. The abbey and its brewery too were not spared. The Fathers had to leave again for the third time in 1798. And with this, the tradition of brewing the beer completely stopped.

In 2021, after around 200 years, beer brewing began again at the Abbey. Today, the abbey runs Grimbergen Abbey Brewery which serves some of the best and premium beers using age-old recipe books found in its library.