- New microbrewery planned at Grimbergen Abbey, known for its centuries of 
beer-making

- Ancient books will provide inspiration for microbrewery's new beers

- Father Karel to become first Father to combine formal brewing training with 
generations of Abbey beer-making knowledge 

Grimbergen, known for its award-winning and sensorial Belgian beers, has 
revealed it has received the permits to build a new microbrewery inside the 
walls of Grimbergen Abbey near Brussels. The microbrewery will bring brewing 
back to where it started and will combine brewing traditions from ancient books 
from the abbey's library with modern and innovative techniques to craft 
limited-edition batches of premium beers.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/891140/Grimbergen_Beer.jpg 

The medieval books have lived in the abbey's extensive library for centuries 
and the Fathers have recently delved deeper into their pages to uncover brewing 
techniques that have until now been lost to history. Grimbergen plans to use 
this information in its microbrewery to create unique and exceptional beers 
with never before known tastes. 

The books date from as far back as the 12th Century and their pages reveal 
fascinating details on how Grimbergen beers were brewed in the past. The 
collection has survived the three fires that have destroyed the Abbey. The 
third fire in 1798 during the French Revolution threatened to completely 
destroy the collection, but the books were saved thanks to the incredible 
bravery and ingenuity of the Grimbergen Abbey Fathers. They knocked a hole in 
the library wall and secretly removed around 300 books before the abbey was set 
on fire and destroyed for the third time. 

The Fathers of Grimbergen have also played a pivotal role in realising the 
vision of bringing brewing back to where it started. They've chosen Father 
Karel Stautemas, the subprior at the abbey to become involved in the 
microbrewery. He is set to take on an additional role to his usual day-to-day 
life by undertaking formal brewing training. This will allow him to combine the 
centuries of brewing heritage at the abbey with modern techniques to continue 
the legacy of generations of Fathers before him. 

Speaking at a launch event at Grimbergen Abbey, Father Karel said: "Beer has 
always been part of life in the abbey and we are proud of the beers we have 
today. We've really enjoyed reading more about past brewing traditions in the 
pages of these ancient texts. We've spent hours leafing through the books, 
which are written in Latin and Old Dutch, and have discovered ingredient lists 
for beers brewed in previous centuries, the hops used, the types of barrels and 
bottles, and even a list of the actual beers produced centuries ago. This new 
knowledge adds to our brewing heritage and I'm really looking forward to 
combining this with my training to revive brewing at Grimbergen Abbey. We will 
continue to study further to learn more of the book's undiscovered secrets."

Father Karel and the Fathers of the abbey will support Head Brewer Marc-Antoine 
Sochon, who has been heavily involved in making the microbrewery a reality. 
Marc-Antoine said: "The microbrewery will be a place for us to combine modern, 
inventive methods with the ancient Grimbergen brewing heritage. We're excited 
to use these books to bring back the medieval techniques and ingredients to 
create new beers that perfectly complement the excellent offering and flavours 
of the existing Grimbergen beers, such as Blonde, Blanche and Double-Ambrée."

At the abbey event where the new brewery was announced, Grimbergen unveiled a 
new limited-edition Grimbergen Triple D'Abbaye, which is an example of the 
types of brews that will be offered at the new microbrewery. The new 
limited-edition beer has been aged in whiskey barrels for five months, a 
technique similar to those used to brew Belgians beer back in the 1500s.

Grimbergen plans to open its microbrewery to the public in late 2020. It will 
also include a visitor centre that will give the visitors the opportunity to 
immerse themselves in the rich heritage of Grimbergen. The on-site bar and 
restaurant will give visitors the opportunity to savour the rich brews and pair 
them with local cuisine. 

To watch a video about the brewing heritage of Grimbergen and the new abbey 
microbrewery, please visit http://bit.ly/grimbergenmb.

Source: Grimbergen Beer