Christmas Ale

Brouwerij St. Bernard in Watou, Belgium, originally brewed the beers of the abbey of Sint-Sixtus, better known as Westvleteren, from 1946 until 1992, when the license expired and Westvleteren built its own brewery in its abbey (using new water and a new yeast from Westmalle). St. Barnardus continued to make the beers as they were, without any connection to the Trappist monks, dropping the names that made it famous, but using the same recipes and the same Westvleteren yeast strain. It was a steep climb back, but now St. Bernardus is known around the world. The majority of the hops used in their beers come from their own fields, planted in 2009, next to the brewery. And the beer is still as satisfying as ever!