The First Abbey Beer
Years ago, I was walking around Brussels on a beautiful sunny day. On one particular street, there were a number of sidewalk cafes with pale yellow umbrellas advertising a beer. I was new to beer at the time, and was not familiar with Leffe, but noticed that a lot of café patrons were drinking their beers. The beers looked so good on that warm day that I stopped into one of the cafes and sat outside on the patio under one of those big yellow umbrellas. Of course, I ordered a Leffe Blond and was both surprised and delighted! While it looked like a Pilsner, it was bigger and more flavorful, and very drinkable. This was my introduction to the Belgian Blond Ale style – one of my favorite styles to this day.
Dinant, Belgium: The Cathedral; Overlooking the River Meuse from the Citadel; Maison Leffe
The Leffe Story
In 1152, the Abbey Notre-Dame de Leffe, a Trappist monastery, was established in Dinant Belgium on the river Meuse. The Cannons (similar to monks) ran the monastery. By the mid-1200s, the black plague was ripping through Europe; many at the time figured out that most drinking water could make you sick and that beer was a favorable alternative. So, in 1240, the Cannons began making beer at the Abbey, for distribution to the population.
By 1794, the French Revolution had destroyed the monastery and it was abandoned. The Cannons managed to get their abbey back by 1902 and started re-building, but World Wars One and Two saw it destroyed again. As the Industrial Revolution advanced brewing technology, beer-making began to move away from monasteries and rural areas and into larger towns and cities. With the invention of the steam engine and better railroads, beer could be distributed to other parts of Belgium and even internationally.
Rather than go back to traditional monastery brewing, Father-Abbot Nys made a deal with Albert Lootvoet in 1952. A contract was established in which The Lootvoet Brewery would brew Leffe beers outside the abbey. At this point, Leffe could no longer be considered a Trappist beer, but the first-of-its-kind contract established Leffe as the first Abbey brewery. A lot of breweries took up this business model in the years to come. Eventually, the Lootvoet Brewery was sold to AB-InBev, which brews Leffe to this day.
The Many Beers of Leffe
Based on what I could find in the U.S., I assumed Leffe only made a Blond and a Brune (brown) beer. When I visited Maison Leffe in Dinant, I was pleasantly surprised to find 14 Leffe beers!
Leffe Blonde (Blond in Flemish) – the flagship beer. Clear and golden with a big white head, it is malty with a touch of vanilla, cloves, bitter oranges. It is 6.6% alcohol and has a firm dry finish.
Leffe Brune (Bruin) is a 6.5% dark beer and was Leffe’s first beer under the Lootvoet agreement. It is dark brown with a roasty graininess and caramel flavors.
Leffe Tripel – an 8.5% Tripel that is bottle-conditioned.
Leffe Radieuse – an 8.2% dark beer – complex and rich with a clean dry finish.
Leffe Vieille Cuvée – a Belgian Dark Strong Ale with notes of chocolate, caramel, clove, nuts and plums. 8.2% ABV.
Leffe Riteul 9 - a 9.0% golden lager of distinct character that is both fruity and a touch sweet with well-hidden alcohol.
Leffe Ruby - a 5.0% fruit beer with a reddish amber color and notes of red fruits, berries, malt and caramel.
Leffe Noël/Kerstbier is a beer brewed and sold only at Christmas time. It is 6.6% ABV, medium brown in color with aromas and flavors of sweet malt, toffee, treacle and a hint of cinnamon.
Leffe Printemps/Lentebier is a fruity and spicy blond ale available only in the springtime. 6.6% ABV.
Leffe Nectar is a honey flavored beer that comes in at 5.5% alcohol, is orange in color and is soft and refreshing, with notes of spice and fruit.
Leffe Royale (Whitbread hops) – a three-hop golden-amber beer featuring Whitbread and two other hop varieties. 7.5% alcohol.
Leffe La Légère is a clean, crisp lager been made for warmer weather. At 5.0% ABV, it has a touch of fruity, spicy Belgian yeast and a fullness in the body.
Leffe Royale (Cascade hops) - a three-hop golden-amber beer featuring Cascade and two other hop varieties. 7.5% alcohol.
Leffe Blond 0º (non-alcoholic) – Leffe’s entry into the zero-alcohol market.
Leffe Today
With the resources of AB-InBev, worldwide distribution, and a solid brand lineup, Leffe is positioned for a high degree of success. While Leffe is brewed at the Stella Artois brewery in Leuven, visitors can enjoy a fantastic tasting room and museum experience at Maison Leffe in Dinant, overlooking the Meuse river. The first Abbey brewery is still one of the best!
