A tour of Trappist abbeys in Wallonia: this is the monks' beer.

One of the attractions of a trip to belgium is to taste its great variety of craft beers, more than 500, and in its cities you will find numerous stores where you can buy and taste them.

But you also have the opportunity to learn the history and secrets of the so-called Trappist beers, including a visit to some of the cistercian abbeys where they are made.

We have recently experienced experience of doing a route by Trappist abbeys of Wallonia, where the best beers of these characteristics are produced, which is a good excuse to travel to this Belgian region, not as well-known as its neighbor. Flanders.

On this trip you will be able to deepen your knowledge of the history of this type of beer, Also known as trapista beer, and what are the keys to its elaboration and its characteristics.

In this article we are going to give you some information that will surely inspire you to travel to WalloniaFrom our experience.

What is Trappist beer?

At the outset you should know that it is known as Trappist beer which is made within a Cistercian monastery, and this name is regulated by the International Trappist Association.

In reality, it is not the monks themselves who make it, but they do direct its production by lay personnel.

The building where Trappist beer is produced must be integrated into the monastery complex and most of the income generated by its brewing must be used for charitable purposes.

How many Trappist beers are there in the world and where?

In these monasteries they live Benedictine monks who lead a life of strict observance dedicated to praying and working.

Specific In Belgium there are five Trappist beers, three in the Wallonia region and two in Flanders.

Today, There are only eleven beers in the world. that can be called Trappist because they are made in Cistercian monasteries of strict observance, among the 171 Cistercian monasteries that exist.

In Spain there is a beer that also has the brand of a monastery, that of Cardena in Burgos, but it is not Trappist since it is produced in León, outside the monastic complex.

Orval Abbey, Trappist beer museum

On the route we recently took, the first abbey that we should highlight is that of Orval, which you find south of Wallonia, in the town of florenville, next to the border with France.

The first monks arrived there in the 12th century following the rules of Saint Benedict, which are summarized in praying, doing non-manual intellectual work, and giving hospitality.

It is a life with a balance between solitude and community life, in which, for example, the cloister is only used for reading.

These Benedictine monks have a diet of fish, eggs, rice, vegetables, coffee and milk, and they never eat meat.

To fulfill the vow of hospitality, they have an inn where they admit visitors who sleep in cells similar to those of monks, 75 euros, but they do not mix with the monks since there are two different cloisters.

Burned in 1636 in the 30 years war, la Orval Abbey It was rebuilt and then fell into ruins and abandoned in 1793, after the French Revolution.

Finally it was rebuilt again in 1948 in neo-Romanesque style.

As a curiosity, in 1700 13 monks resided in Orval; in 1980, 45 monks; and currently, it officially has 10 monks, although only seven actually live in the abbey.

The last two monks to have arrived at the abbey came from Syria and Jordan, and the latter is dedicated to making icons.

This is the visit to Orval Abbey and its museum

Currently, the Orval Abbey has a beer factory managed by a monk and with 49 workers, and a Cheese factory.

After our experiences, I tell you that the Orval sightseeing tour It is the most interesting and complete thing you are going to do in the route through Trappist abbeys.

With about 88.000 visitors a year, during it you will first tour a museum with very interesting multimedia presentations they tell the history of the abbey and current way of life of the community of monks.

In the area museum dedicated to Orval beer, which is amber in style with an alcohol content of 6,5 degrees, you will learn about its production process, from fermentation to bottling.

Then you can walk through the remains of an old church and the gardens adjacent to the monastery, an area that cannot be visited.

You can complete the visit by eating at the restaurant next to the monastery, where you can taste this Trappist beer.

Chimay beer, at Scourmont Abbey

Another place to include on the route is Chimay Space, building located near the Scourmont Abbey, southwest of Wallonia next to the French border.

As in the other abbeys, the monastic facilities cannot be visited, although you can come and see the church.

The abbey was founded in 1850 by Cistercian monks of Westvleteren Abbey on land given by the Prince of Chimay.

The community was initially established on a ruined farm, and construction of the monastery was completed in 1864.

During the Second World War, German troops occupied the abbey and forced some of the monks to leave it.

After the war, the abbey had to be rebuilt, so in 1946 the beer production project was launched, which helped the development of the monastery and the Chimay region.

This is the visit to the Chimai Space

The current Chimai Space on the site previously occupied by an old inn, which has always been a place to taste the products of the abbey. It also housed a small school.

Subsequently, the facilities have grown and now the cheese factory, the bottling line, and the room in which the beer undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle are located in the Baileux industrial zone.

La history of the Abbey and the Production system of the Chimay beer You can meet it at this information center, where you can also taste the beer and cheeses produced under the supervision of the monks.

Rochefort Trappist beer at Saint Remy Abbey

The third Trappist beer that you can try on your route through Wallonia is Rochefort.

Produced in the Saint Remy Abbey, in the town of Rochefort, until the 1950s the monks worked only in agriculture, but due to economic necessity they decided to start brewing beer.

Founded in the mid-1464th century, the monastery was initially occupied by Cistercian nuns, until XNUMX when they were replaced by monks.

It should be noted that at the end of the 16th century a first brewery was founded within the abbey.

During the French occupation it was closed and abandoned and became a farm.

At the end of the 19th century, new monks arrived and restored the monastery.

In this new stage there were about 80 monks, becoming 20 at the beginning of the current century, and now there are only twelve monks left, all Belgian.

It is a very closed community of monks that does not allow visitors, but the church is open to visitors during services with the monks praying.

The abbey now has a shop, as well as a inn which admits men who are going to retreat, meditate and relax, and who can also attend services and chat with the monks.

Regarding the beers, whose production is managed by the 73-year-old abbot with the work of 43 workers, until now they had three varieties with high alcohol content, specifically, 7,5, 9,2 and 11,3 degrees.

Now they have just released a blonde beer with an 8,1% alcohol content, although in 1920 they were already producing a blonde beer for domestic consumption.

7th century Aulne Abbey

To complete your visit to Wallonia abbeys, you can also include in your route the Aulne Abbey, one of the oldest in Wallonia, dating back to the 7th century.

You cannot visit the current monastery either, but you can walk through the remains of the old church.

This abbey was built in what is known as Valley of Tranquility, a place where you find river, forests, wood and stones to build buildings.

Completely restored at the end of the 50th century, today the entire complex covers an area of ​​XNUMX acres.

The current abbey church dates from the 19th century, although the 13th century building was the largest church in Europe included in a monastery.

Now you can walk through its remains, where the Gothic architecture of the main building, and you can see the configuration of what was the cloister, the chapter house and the refectory dining room.

The abbey also has its own beer, although it does not meet the rules to consider it Trappist, and you can try it in the bars in the area.