I owe a personal debt of gratitude to Chimay as the many many bottles of it that I consumed during my fathers illness and subsequent death, help get me through that terrible period.
Here is a little history from their website.
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In order to understand the reason that the monks brew beer, we invite you to consider an essential historic moment.
The monks of the Abbey of Scourmont at Chimay belong to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, known generally as Trappists.
These monks, who follow the Rule of Saint Benoit (going back to the 6th century) take the name of "Cistercians" from the monastery of Citeaux, founded in Burgundy in the 12th century.
The Cistercian monasteries are divided into two great Orders, of which one is historically attached to the Abbey of La Grande Trappe, in Normandy. From here originates the popular name of "Trappists".
The monks dedicate their life to the worship of God in prayer and meditation. Making a vow of celibacy, they live in a community, under the direction of an abbot and renounce all personal possessions.
The heart of their life is their work and they try hard by these means to secure aid for the poorest people.
The work of the monks has for a long time essentially been the cultivation of crops in the field, but recently this has extended to light industry, in particular food and agricultural activities. This is how, in the northern part of the country, they have brewed beer for many centuries.
Since the monks carry out their work with the same concern for perfection that they strive for in their life of prayer and study, brewing has become a true art over the course of time in the abbeys and has been perfected at the Abbey of Scourmont through the most modern scientific methods.
It was during the summer of 1850 that a small group of monks established themselves on the wild plateau of Scourmont close to Chimay.
They had to do a lot of work to transform the barren soil of this region into fertile farmland.
Around the monastery that they had built, which was of great beauty and simplicity, a farm was developed, followed by a cheese making plant and a brewery.
The Abbey of Scourmont gave birth to various industries which made it the principal provider of employment in the region and into which it injected a powerful dynamism.
Their role of initiators no longer being necessary, the monks gradually withdrew from the direct administration of all these companies in order to continue their life seeking God, shared between prayer, study and manual work.
The production and distribution of Chimay Trappist beers is performed by S.A. Bières de Chimay.
Chimay is always brewed on site at the abbey, which guarantees its authenticity and quality. It is bottled at Baileux, a few kilometres from the Abbey.
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