Chimay is the name of the Trappist brewery located near the town of the same name in the southern Belgian province of Hainaut. The official name of the abbey is Notre-Dame de Scourmont (Our Lady of Scourmont), but many people refer to it as the Chimay abbey or Bières de Chimay. The abbey was founded July 25, 1850 by a group of 17 Cistercian monks from the Westvleteren abbey in the area of Scourmont, which is immediately outside of the town of Chimay. See westvleteren brewery. The first name given to the abbey was Trappist Abbey of Saint Joseph. The first abbot, father Hyacinthe Bouteca, renamed the abbey as Notre-Dame de Scourmont. Father Hyacinthe also began designing and constructing a brewery to provide additional income for the abbey. In 1862 the brewery was completed and opened for business. True to Saint Benedict’s motto “ora e labora” (work and prayer), the brewery provided a means for the monks to work with their hands when not in prayer. The abbey began selling beer to the public almost immediately after opening and became successful. The abbey grew quickly from an initial 16 monks in 1850 to 80 by 1858. By 1875 two types of beer were sold to the public in bottles, both strong ales called Bière Forte and Bière Goudronnee. In 1944, after World War II, the monks had to restart their brewery after losing their copper kettles to the German army. They enlisted the help of the famous Belgian brewing professor Jean De Clerck, of the Katholiek Universiteit Leuven. See de clerck, jean and katholieke universiteit van leuven. De Clerck helped the monks rebuild the brewery and reformulate their beers to a modern standard. The first beer was released to the public by Easter of 1948. De Clerck’s assistance to Chimay led the abbey to be quite successful and the monks showed their appreciation by allowing De Clerck and his wife to be buried in their private cemetery behind the abbey. To this day, proceeds from the sales of Chimay beer support the abbey and charitable work in the community.

Currently the monks of Chimay produce four unique types of beer, which are bottle-conditioned and unpasteurized. The commercially available beers are packaged in crown-capped 33 cl bottles and 750 ml bottles finished with cork and wire-cage. The first is Chimay Red (7% ABV), also known as capsule rouge or “red crown” in English. In the 750 ml bottling, this beer is known as Chimay Première. This beer has a deep amber/copper color with a thick, long-lasting head of foam. The aroma and taste are fruity and flavorful, with notes that the monks liken to apricots. The second offering is Chimay Triple (8% ABV), with the 750 ml bottling labeled as Chimay Cinq Cents. It is popularly known as “capsule blanc” or white crown in English. This beer has a deep gold color and is the driest-tasting of the Chimay beers. It is also the most generously hopped, displaying hop character from first sip to the aftertaste. It has an assertive ester character that the monks describe as “muscat and raisin.” Several years ago, this beer became available in draught form, in which it has enjoyed considerable success. The third offering is Chimay Blue (9% ABV), which is labeled as Chimay Grande Réserve in 750 ml and special 1.5 l magnum bottles. This beer has assertive alcohol notes in aroma and taste and is balanced with sweet, dark malt character, even though the beer is low in residual sugar. Of the three main Chimay beers, the Grande Réserve is considered the most age-worthy, gaining considerable character over several years. The final beer is Chimay Dorée (“Gold,” 4.8% ABV). This beer, brewed in the “singel” style, is not available commercially and is made largely for the consumption of the monks in the abbey, who rarely taste the other Chimay beers themselves. See singel. Chimay Dorée can also be found at the pleasant nearby restaurant/inn L’Auberge de Poteaupré, which has close ties with the abbey.

The abbey is separated from the concerns of the world through its establishment of a secular commercial arm called Biéres de Chimay. Chimay has grown to produce 123,000 hectoliters annually, exporting 50% of that volume to more than 40 countries. While brewing and fermentation take place within the walls of the abbey, the beer is bottled at a separate facility 10 kilometers away.

In 1860 the abbey started a small dairy operation. For the first 15 years the main product was butter and it was sold only to individuals and other religious communities. The quality was not good and by the 1880s, the dairy operation was in danger of closing. One of the monks traveled to the Sept-Fons abbey in the region of Auvergne, France to learn how to produce the flavorful varieties of French cheese. Chimay then produced cheese for a number of years; eventually the production was relocated to dairies outside of the region of Chimay. Quality is said to have suffered, and in 1980 the Chimay abbey formed a venture with local farmers to bring cheese manufacturing back to the region of Chimay. In October of 1982, the new venture officially opened and a state-of-the-art cheese production facility began operations. This venture has been very successful and is now called Chimay Fromages. Five types of cheese are currently made: “Old Chimay,” a hard cheese made with whole milk and aged at least half a year; “Chimay with Beer,” a hard cheese whose rind is soaked in Chimay beer; “Chimay Grand Classic,” a semi-hard cheese aged for a minimum of 4 weeks; “Chimay Grand Cru,” a hard cheese aged for a minimum of 6 weeks; and “The Poteaupré,” a semi-hard cheese aged for at least 5 weeks.

The abbey ran a small cured meat company called Chimay Salaisons from 1987 to 1995. Producing a range of sausages, cured meats, and hams, Chimay Salaisons was meant to further diversify the abbey’s food production. Production was modestly successful, but the abbey decided to abandon this business completely in 1995.

See also belgium, cistercian order, and trappist breweries.