Watou
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| Location | Watou, Belgium | ||||||||||
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| Opened | 1945 | ||||||||||
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Watou is a type of Abbey beer produced in Belgium.
History
In the late 19th century anti-clericalism in France forced the move of the Catsberg Abbey Community to the village of Watou in West Flanders, Belgium. The “Refuge Notre Dame de St.Bernard” was established. Originally cheese production financed Abbey activities. In the 1934 it was decided to close the Belgian annex and return all monastic activities to France. Evarist Deconinck took over the cheese factory and built a first building at the Trappistenweg in Watou where the cheese was further developed and commercialised. After 1945, the Trappist Monastery St. Sixtus decided it would stop the sale of its beer.
An agreement was reached where inside the walls of the Monastery the monks would brew only beer for their own consumption; but would sell to the public at the gates of the Monastery and also for a few taverns connected to the Monastery. Deconinck brewed and sold the Trappist Beers under licence (for a period of 30 years). A new contract was agreed in 1962. In 1992, the agreement came to an end because the Trappist Monasteries (5 in Belgium and 1 in the Netherlands) decided that the qualification ‘Trappistenbier’ could only be given to beers brewed inside the walls of the Trappist Monastery. Since 1992 the beers brewed in Watou are sold under the new brand name of ‘ St Bernardus'.
Beers
There are currently 7 beers sold under the St Bernardus label:
- St Bernardus Abt 12 - (10.50% ABV).
- St Bernardus Prior 8 - (8% ABV).
- St Bernardus Pater 6 - Dark beer (6.7% ABV).
- St Bernardus Tripel - (8% ABV).
- Watou Tripel - (7.5% ABV)
- St Bernardus Witbier - Traditional Wheat beer (5.5% ABV).
- Grottenbier - Aromatic dark beer (6.5% ABV).
Serving and drinking
The serving and drinking of Belgian beers is ritualised to a greater extent than it is in most other countries. The key element of this ritual is the use of a specific, often branded glass. In Belgium almost every type of beer is served in its own type of branded glass.
Although a brand name on a glass will not impart any difference to the taste or texture of the beer, the shape may have an influence. Chalice shaped glasses are seen as better suited for strong, richly flavoured ales such as abbey beers than a conventional straight shaped glass used for lagers and light ales.