Grimbergen

On every Grimbergen brewery label, the Golden Phoenix immediately catches the eye of beer connoisseurs. This special heraldic animal is linked to the brewery's turbulent history and symbolizes its tirelessness and strong will.

Like a phoenix from the ashes

As was often the case in the Middle Ages, the brewery was founded with the founding of a monastery in 1128. Grimbergen Abbey was founded by the Norbertine Order and the monks immediately began brewing beer for their own needs and those of the region. The brewery suffered its first major setback in 1142, when the Grimbergen nobility went to war against the Duke of Brabant. The abbey and brewery were completely destroyed in the unrest. Reconstruction followed and just over 400 years of peace. The monks practiced their brewing craft, developed recipes and refined their beers. In 1566, the next stroke of fate came: the abbey and brewery were destroyed again in a devastating fire. The religious wars raged in the country and drove the monks from their homeland. Thirty years later, life returned to Grimbergen and the next generation of monks rebuilt the abbey. The phoenix was chosen as the heraldic animal at that time and has since reflected the eventful history of Grimbergen. The motto "Ardet nec Consumitor" - "burned but not destroyed" shows the unwavering faith of the monks. But even the new heraldic animal could not save the Grimbergen brewery from being reduced to ashes again during the French Revolution. So the abbey had to be rebuilt a third time, which the monks promptly did. Since then, the brewery has run without major disruptions and the beer from Grimbergen is no longer only drunk in the region.

Tradition with taste

900 years of brewing history, experience and knowledge go into the beers of the Grimbergen brewery. As well as these invaluable attributes, there is so much more to this beer: the discipline and perseverance of the monks, their will to hold on to the abbey and brewery and not to be discouraged even after it was destroyed three times, and their great passion for good beer. The brewery's range today includes a small but fine series of tradition-conscious beers made according to recipes passed down from generation to generation. All beers are brewed in the Belgian style and are characterized by their special character and full-bodied variety of flavors. Grimbergens Blonde , Double Ambrée and the other creations taste best when poured well chilled into a stylish goblet and enjoyed in peace. The optimal serving temperature is six to eight degrees.