St. Bernardus

📍 Watou, Belgium
🔗 sintbernardus.be

St. Bernardus brewery is a Belgian brewery located in Watou, West Flanders. It was founded in 1946 by Evarist Deconinck, who took over a cheese factory that had been producing beer under license from the nearby Trappist abbey of St. Sixtus.

The brewery initially brewed the same beers as St. Sixtus, but in 1992 the Trappist breweries agreed that only beers brewed within the monastery walls could be called Trappist beers. St. Bernardus was therefore no longer allowed to use the Trappist name, but it continued to brew the same beers under its own name.

St. Bernardus is known for its abbey beers, which are brewed in the Belgian strong ale style. The brewery’s most famous beer is St. Bernardus Abt 12, a quadrupel that is widely regarded as one of the best beers in the world.