When they are not praying, the monks work, respecting the motto to the letter Ora and Labora of Saint-Benoît. In almost every abbey, good local products are produced such as cheeses, biscuits, pâtés, honey and also beer. A brewing tradition that goes back thousands of years and is perpetuated in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
It's a little less in reality in France where only one abbey still brews its own beer. And not for centuries since it was only in 2016 that the Benedictine monks of Saint-Wandrille, located between Le Havre and Rouen, began producing abbey beers. “There are traces of a brewing past in this abbey which was founded in 649 but it remains very slight”, underlines François Parmentier, general assistant of the brewery.
140,000 bottles produced each year
For a little less than ten years, Norman monks have taken turns brewing and bottling “Saint-Wandrille”, the amber beer, and “Sicera Humolone”, the white beer, in 50 centiliter bottles. Each year, 140,000 divine bottles are produced in the abbey before being sold directly on site or in monastic craft shops. “We also offer barrels for bars and restaurants in the region,” explains François Parmentier.
Living recluse and in silence, the monks of Saint-Wandrille are not far removed from the concerns of society, starting with ecology. A few weeks ago, they invested a tidy sum of money to change parts on their bottling line to switch to the reusable bottle. “The old ones were not approved while the new ones can be washed up to fifty times,” says the monks’ assistant, highlighting their effort “to reduce waste.”
To help finance the work, the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille launched a major online sale a few days ago with promotions on its stock of old bottles. Having faith by nature, the monks hope to sell 5,000 by December 2, the end date of the operation. Once the order is placed, the beers will be delivered just before Christmas. A good gift idea to slip under the tree. In moderation of course.
