Brouwerij St Bernardus

The genesis of Brouwerij St Bernardus is steeped in some intriguing history that is actually represented in their beers’ logo that features a monk.

A Tale of Monks

In the late 19th century, France adopted anti-clericalism attitude and policies. So in 1901 some of the Trappist monks at Mont des Cats in Godewaersvelde, France moved to the village of Watou in West Flanders, Belgium. There they took up residence at the ‘Patershof’ farm (also known as ‘Courtewyle’). Their original Watou location is “just a stone’s throw” from the current Brouwerij St Bernardus site.

What was the underlying reason for moving? In France they had to pay tax on their revenues and that was not the case in Belgium at the time. So the Trappists established “Refuge Notre Dame de St. Bernard” in Watou. And they produced cheese to finance abbey activities. Most importantly, they financed the activities without taxation.

As France took on a more tolerant attitude towards religious communities, the monks moved back to France to rejoin their brothers at Mont des Cats. This move took place in 1934.

The abbey at Monte des Cats (shown here) was destroyed during World War I. The abbey had to be rebuilt prior to the monks moving back in 1934.

Evarist Deconinck and the Creation of Brouwerij St Bernardus

Evarist Deconinck took over the vacated dairy in Watou and expanded its operations. Deconinck’s dairy produced two different cheeses: ‘St Bernard Watou’ and ‘Port Salut de Watou’ in the 1930s.

Evarist Deconinck was also a good friend of the abbot of Sint-Sixtus abbey, in Westvleteren, Belgium. Not long after the Second World War, the Trappist monks at the Westvleteren abbey invited Evarist Deconinck and his brother Antoine to brew and market their Trappist beers under license. Although the monks were already brewing and selling their beer, they felt the commercial nature of the endeavor distracted from their religious focus. Deconinck negotiated a 30-year contract.

At the same time, the monks of Westvleteren continued to brew for their own needs. The monks also continued to supply their abbey beer to a local café named In De Vrede, plus two other local cafés in the village.

Westvleteren’s Brewmaster Mathieu Szafranski joined the Deconinck brothers – Evarist and Antoine – in partnership. More importantly, he brought his considerable know-how to the new site, bringing both recipes and the famed Sint-Sixtus yeast. A new brewery called St Bernardus was established right next to the cheese workshop. But the cheese-making business was sold in 1959.

In the early 1960s Guy Claus, the husband of Bernadette Deconinck (the daughter of Evarist) joined the brewery. And in 1962, Brouwerij St Bernardus and the Westvleteren Trappist monks signed a new 30-year deal.

Throughout the years, the beer label carried several different brand names. Initially ‘Trappist Westvleteren’ was used, then ‘Sint-Sixtus’ and later followed by ‘Sint-Sixtus & St. Bernardus’.

Changes

In 1985, the Sint-Sixtus abbey of Westvleteren inaugurated a new brewing hall and resumed brewing on a larger scale. Brouwerij St Bernardus’ contract expired in 1992 and the Westvleteren monks decided not to renew the contract. Instead, the monks made and sold their own brews. They continue to do so today.

Brouwerij St Bernardus responded by launching their own commercial product line of beers. From 1992 on, the brewery’s beers were marketed under the St. Bernardus brand name. This period was also marked by uncertainty as the brewery tried hard to revive its fortunes and inject new life into its brand.

Hans Depypere took over the brewery in 1998. Under his management, brewery sales grew from a few hundred thousand liters to 4 million liters in 2017. Furthermore, Hans invested substantially in expanding and improving Brouwerij St Bernardus. The investment funded the opening of an entirely new wing in 2018. The new wing provided space for additional warehousing, a new brewery shop, a new venue for meetings, conferences and parties, a new reception area for brewery tours and, to top it all off, an impressive 360° roof top bar that also serves as a tasting room and goes under the name of ‘Bar Bernard’.

Visiting Brouwerij St Bernardus

Our team visited St Bernardus within about 3 weeks of their new wing opening. In fact, several areas were still undergoing construction.

Upon arriving at St Bernardus, park underground and then take the elevator to the top floor to find Bar Bernard. This modern, spacious bar provides sweeping views of surrounding farmlands and an adjacent hop field. Further, the bar provides both indoor and outdoor seating. Glass walls ensure you a spectacular view from either choice.

Bar Bernard provides modern comfort and picturesque views.

However, I recommend sitting outside if the weather permits. The view of the adjacent hop field and surrounding area can’t be beat.

The area surrounding Brouwerij St Bernardus is primarily agricultural.

Today St Bernardus brews nine beers:

Abt 12
Prior 8
Pater 6
Tripel
Wit
Christmas Ale
Extra 4
Watou Tripel
St Bernardus Tokyo (Originally created to celebrate the opening of the first St Bernardus-themed café in the Japanese capital.)

Simply click on each above beer to read its description.

Many of the beers are considered a close match in recipe and style to the St. Sixtus beers, which can be hard to obtain outside the area. Certainly the Abt 12 reigns as St Bernardus’ flagship beer.

Bar Bernard offers sample flights of all St Bernardus beers as available. You’ll want to try them all.

St Bernardus provides brewery tours in Dutch, English and French languages. The tour takes approximately 90 minutes. Most importantly, you need a reservation. Book a guided tour by clicking here.

Guided tours are available to single visitors as well as groups of 30 or less.

Don’t Miss the Guesthouse!

If at all possible, spend one or two nights at the St Bernardus Guesthouse. The guest house resides in the Brouwershuis where the monks and later Evarist Deconinck made cheese. In addition, the site provides the perfect launching point to explore the region, especially if you love beer, walking and cycling!

The St Bernardus Guesthouse offers 10 rooms, a lounge, a beautiful garden, free WiFi, free parking, full breakfast and beer tasting.