Beer · Maker · Short entry

Saint Sixtus Abbey, Westvleteren

Trappist abbey in West Flanders whose monks have brewed since 1839. Its beers carry the Authentic Trappist Product label.

Location: Westvleteren, West Flanders, Belgium

Status

Brewing licence 19 April 1839; became an abbey in 1842 (abbey's own chronology).

History

In 1814 the hermit Jan-Baptist Victoor settled in the woods at Westvleteren; in 1831 monks from Mont-des-Cats joined him and founded the priory of Saint Sixtus. King Leopold I signed the brewing licence on 19 April 1839, and the monks brewed officially for the first time that June. The priory became an abbey in 1842.

From 1946 the Sint-Bernardus brewery in Watou brewed and sold beer under licence, while the abbey's own beer was limited to its needs; in 1992 the abbey resumed selling Trappist Westvleteren. Sales now go through an online reservation system (2019), and labels returned to the bottles in 2022.

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