Zundert Trappist

There are monasteries where beer has been brewed for centuries. The production of barley juice in abbeys has a long tradition and is based on several factors. On the one hand, beer was brewed to provide the monks with liquid in times of impure water, and on the other hand, the men of God took up brewing and other craft activities to secure their livelihood, support charitable causes and maintain the abbey. The Maria Toevlucht Abbey in Klein Zundert in the Netherlands has existed since 1900, but brewing has only been taking place since 2013.

Patience is a virtue that is mastered in the Zundert house

Before the monks decided to swing the mash paddle, they ran a farm. They kept cattle and plowed fields. The hard, physical work was always an integral part of the monastic practice and is seen as a balance to contemplation and prayer. Little by little, farming became less and less profitable, which is why the monastery looked for other sources of income. Their attention fell on the brewing industry and they decided to convert the farm into a small brewery. Construction work began in 2012, and the beer was refined at the same time. Because Cistercians are closely connected to their hometown due to the Stabilitas vow, the community wanted to create brewing specialties that reflect their home culinary traditions and are so complex that they must be enjoyed in peace and with mindfulness. Some of the brews are refined with herbal aromas from local plants, others contain smoked malt, which symbolizes peat mining in the region. The journey began with a single beer. A year of development went into this brew and the creation was given five years to position itself on the market and to get a feel for brewing. Only after this time was the next attempt made. Today the range includes three different brews and the collaboration brew Three Rules of Authentic Trappist , which is produced together with the two other Trappist breweries La Trappe Trappist and Tynt Meadow .

love down to the smallest detail

In addition to all the effort and work that went into the beer, the monks also put a lot of thought into the logo of their brewery. The heraldic animal is a lapwing: it is a memorial to the De Kievit farm where the adventure began. The abstract and modern bird rests in a square that was modelled on the keystone above the abbey's windows. The font is based on the long monastic tradition. A funny detail is the "d", which has the same hood as the lapwing. With a lot of dedication, the monks of the Maria Toevlucht abbey manage to combine modern style elements with the millennia-old customs of their religion.