The Chimay brewery is a trapper brewery located in the abbey in the French-speaking province Hainaut. Four kinds of beer are produced there: ChimayBleue (9%), Rouge (7%), Blanche (8%), and also a special sort for the monks – patersbier (much less strong than the rest).
The abbey was built by the monks of Westvleteren in 1850 on land donated by Prince Joseph of Chimay.
After a while they opened a brewery and started making cheese. Beer brewing started in 1862. They only began selling beer in 1875.
During the Second World War, the brewery was completely destroyed. And in 1948 it was decided to rebuild it.
For the beer’s production, monks use mineral water from a well on the territory of the abbey. And the remnants of the production are used as food for the cows, the milk from which is then used to produce the Chimay cheese.
After the abbey we will head to the Bouillon Castle, the greatest knight castle of Belgium of the 11th century.
Bouillon Castle looks like a big gray dragon, seated at the top in the heart of the mountain range. It was built in 988 by the order and with the money of Knight Crusader Gottfried V. However, soon he had to say goodbye to the fortress, selling it to the bishops of Liege. The goal was the most ‘noble’ – he needed money to organize a crusade, which by the way was the only one in history that ended in success.
In the XVII century, the Bouillon Castle was majorly reconstructed and restored. That turned it into the fortress that we can see today.
During the reconstruction of the castle, the Orval monastery was built, in which one of the most famous breweriesin Belgiumof the 17th century was established. It still exists and is still functional; itsbrewingsecrets are carefully stored, and the traditions are carefully observed.
Besides its external appearance, the Bouillon Castle is impressive with its interior decoration. It has been almost completely preserved since the XVII century. And today the guests have the opportunity to sit at a table where issues of state importance were once getting solved.
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