Sint Bernardus

Seven miles down the road from Westvleteren Brewery of the Trappist Abbey of St. Sixtus, is Brouwerij St. Bernardus. St. Bernardus produces an excellent line of Trappist/Abbey-style beers. No surprise since, from 1946 to 1992, they brewed the storied beers of Westvleteren under contract.

History

In 1831, facing religious persecution from the French government, four monks from the Mont des Cats Abbey in France fled across the border into Belgium and settled in the village of Watou in West Flanders, which is near the French border. They bought a farm and created Le Refuge Notre-Dame de Saint Bernard. The name came from a small church on a hill called l’église de Sint Bernardus – at the heart of the Mont des Cats Abbey in France. The monks began a cheese business which they finally sold in 1934, when the French government relaxed its restrictions on religious institutions. The monks moved back to Mont des Cats in France and sold the cheese factory, which changed hands again prior to World War II, when Evariste Deconinck bought the business and grew it steadily until he finally sold it to focus on beer brewing.

L to R: St. Sixtus label; Abt,12 label with monk; Abt.12 label with “Medieval Tradesman;” winking monk

Meanwhile, in 1946, a major event occurred. Evariste Deconinck’s good friend, the fourth abbot of Westvleteren, decided that the Abbey needed to get back to its roots of manual labor and self-sufficiency. The abbot restricted brewing at Saint Sixtus to quantities required to supply the monks and maintain the monastery. All sales other than from the abbey itself were suspended, and Brewery St. Bernardus in Watou was contracted to brew and market St. Sixtus beers commercially. Following the construction of an all-new brewery in 1946, St. Bernardus brewed using the St. Sixtus recipes, the original St. Sixtus yeast and even the St. Sixtus brewmaster, Mathieu Szafranski. Evariste Deconinck paid a huge sum for the rights to do this, plus annual royalties.

Bar Bernard offers a 360 degree view from the upper level

The original contract was for 30 years and Deconinck renewed it for 30 years in 1962. In 1992, St. Sixtus did not renew the contract, taking the brewing of their beers back to their abbey. This was, in part, due to management changes at St. Sixtus and the creation of the International Trappist Association (ITA), which mandated that authentic Trappist beers be brewed inside the abbey walls. With the contract gone, the Watou beers began marketing under the name Sint Bernardus.

St. Bernardus Products

When St. Bernardus stopped making Westvleteren beers, they needed to do some re-branding. Prior to the end of the contract, the St. Sixtus beers were labeled as “St. Sixtus Abbey.” Later on, they were labeled “St. Bernardus Sixtus.” When the contract ended, the labels became just “St. Bernardus.” Since the smiling monk on the label was no longer appropriate, the artwork showed the same figure without the monk’s cap and cape. He then became known as a “medieval tradesman.” And it’s a little-known fact that one Abt. 12 label out of every thousand has a winking character on the label.

The St. Bernardus line of beers consists of nine beers (Westvleteren has three).

  • St. Bernardus Extra 4 (4.8% ABV)

  • St. Bernardus Pater 6 (6.7% ABV)

  • St. Bernardus Prior 8 (8% ABV)

  • St. Bernardus Tripel (8% ABV)St. Bernardus Abt 12 (10.0% ABV)

  • St. Bernardus Witbier (5.5% ABV) - created in collaboration with brewer Pierre Celis (of Hoegaarden and Celis fame)

  • Watou Tripel - Belgian Tripel (7.5% ABV) - an old style Tripel

  • St. Bernardus Tokyo (6% ABV)

  • St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (10% ABV) - only available during the winter

The Abt (Abbot) 12 is the brewery’s most popular beer, accounting for 50% of production. The Prior 8 and the Tripel account for 15% each. The remaining beers in the lineup make up 20% of production. The brewery grows many of its own hops on the property, which is in the heart of Belgium’s hop-growing region.

Because St. Bernardus brewed Westvleteren 12 for so many years, many think they are the same beer. I can assure you this is not true, having compared bottles, acquired from the breweries, side-by-side on a number of occasions. They are both excellent, but distinctly different.

Stay at St. Bernardus

The Guest House next to the brewery is cozy and beautifully appointed

Located in a beautiful part of the country, the area around St. Bernardus is a great destination. The very best accommodations are in the St. Bernardus guest house, adjacent to the brewery. It is small (eight rooms) warm, inviting and beautifully furnished. Also, the Bar Bernard with its 360º view on the top floor is the perfect spot for a beer with friends or an event.

World Class

St. Bernardus makes world-class beers that are widely distributed in Belgium, Europe and the USA. You owe it to yourself to give them a try, if you haven’t already. Sante

Charlie GottenkienyComment