Belgian Beer: Lost Brewing Recipe Discovered After 220 Years

Belgian Beer: Lost Brewing Recipe Discovered After 220 Years

A brewery is about to be built inside the abbey in Grimbergen near the capital Brussels, Belgium. According to plans, beer will be produced using recipes from ancient books dating back 220 years. World-renowned Belgian beer connoisseurs may soon have the opportunity to taste a special beer. Accordingly, the beer will be made following lost recipes from ancient books archived in the Norbertine abbey in Grimbergen, Belgium, for over 200 years.

Monks at the Norbertine abbey have recently delved into researching a set of ancient books. These books were nearly destroyed after a fire during the French Revolution. As a result, they discovered many details about how Grimbergen beer was brewed from 1798 and earlier.

Father Karel Stautemas and Ton Smits are researching beer production recipes at Grimbergen Abbey. Currently, those in the abbey desire to produce their own original beer. They will combine ancient traditional recipes found in the books (some dating back to the 12th century) with modern techniques to craft limited edition batches.

“Beer has always been part of life in the abbey and we are proud of the beers we have today,” said Rev. Karel Stautemas, the provost at the abbey, in a statement. “We wanted to learn more about traditional brewing recipes in the past from these ancient texts. Spending hours reading books written in Latin and Old Dutch, we discovered ingredients used for brewing in previous centuries, how hops were used, the types of barrels and bottles. We even found a list of actual beers produced centuries ago,” he added.

The books were protected and preserved by the monks during the fire that devastated the abbey for the third time in 1798. They made a hole in the library wall and secretly moved about 300 books to safety before the fire raged.

The Microbrewery is built inside the abbey accompanied by an on-site bar and restaurant. It will open to the public in late 2020 and is expected to produce about 1 million liters of beer.

Grimbergen Triple D’Abbaye is one of the new limited edition beers, aged for 5 months in whiskey barrels using production techniques from the 1500s. The official description of this beer states: “First, the beer is aged in French oak barrels that previously held bourbon and whiskey, then left to ferment. During this time, the notes of coriander and fruit along with the spiciness will diminish, while the sweetness and vanilla from the barrels gradually infuse into the beer.”

However, the alcohol content of Grimbergen Triple D’Abbaye is high, at around 10.8%.

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