Belgium is revered for its ingenuity and brewing tradition when it comes to crafting speciality beers. Part of this rich history means that six out of the seven remaining Trappist beer breweries are in Belgium. A Trappist beer is one that is brewed by the monks themselves, while an abbey beer is a beer with a history that can be traced back to a religious order, but is now made by a brewery. St. Stefanus is an abbey beer with a strong link to the order of Sint Stefanus. Abbey beers tend to have a strong history and also a rich and distinctive taste because of the age-old recipes and brewing processes.
To this day, only seven genuine Trappist beers still exist, six of which are brewed in Belgium. Although the brewing of our speciality beer has moved outside the walls of the Sint Stefanus monastery to the Van Steenberge Brewery nearby, a strong relationship exists between the two establishments. Because of this link, St. Stefanus is a Belgian abbey beer with a rich history that is now protected by both the Augustinian Order at Sint Stefanus and our family of brewers.
To this day, only seven genuine Trappist beers still exist, six of which are brewed in Belgium. Although the brewing of our speciality beer has moved outside the walls of the Sint Stefanus monastery to the Van Steenberge Brewery nearby, a strong relationship exists between the two establishments. Because of this link, St. Stefanus is a Belgian abbey beer with a rich history that is now protected by both the Augustinian Order at Sint Stefanus and our family of brewers.
The Augustinian Order of monks was established in the Ghent in 1295, when the Borluut family (a wealthy family of wool merchants who held civic posts in Ghent for four Centuries) first allowed them into the city. Two years on, in 1297 the bishop of Ghent gave his permission to the order of monks to build their monastery in the city around the church of Saint Stephanus. The resulting Sint Stefanus (Sint referring to the specific order located in Ghent, and not the religious figure of Saint Stephanus) was the first Augustinian Order in the Low Countries, right at the heart of the second-most powerful and influential city in Europe at the time.
Monks have always brewed beer and the abbey brewery at Sint Stefanus was no exception. It was acknowledged that brewing was part of the work a monastery should do for its community. During Lent, monks would also sustain themselves on beer and share their surplus with beggars, pilgrims and patients in the hospitals they established.
The original Sint Stefanus monastery was destroyed in the "iconoclastic fury" of 1566 when Calvanists ravaged every single church, monastery and convent in the Low Countries. It was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again by the French Revolution, which stripped all abbeys and monasteries in France and the Low Countries of their wealth and power. In 1796, the monastery was once more rebuilt - this is the current building that still stands today.
In 1978, the Augustinian monks of Sint Stefanus announced that they were looking for a brewery to make and sell their beers. They knew they didn't have the same ability as a modern brewery to protect the recipe and yeast strain. While the beer is no longer brewed on site, the order retains a very close relationship with the Van Steenberge Brewery, which produces the beer on the behalf of the monastery. Proceeds from this Belgian abbey beer help the monastery maintain their beautiful historical site.
The building which stands today was built in 1796 and boasts a magnificent entrance hall as well a library of over 3000 Monastic scripts dating back to the 15th Century. The large intricate stained glass windows glow with light from the inner courtyard, honouring St. Augustine, the founder of the Augustinian Order.
The remains of the Gothic chapel sit in the middle of the much larger church, where mass is still held every day. Symbols and iconography decorate the walls, ceilings and floors. Above the door to the dining room, ancient carvings sit alongside the Borluut family coat of arms. This reminds the monks as they go to eat that they are able to do so, thanks to the family that remained influential in Ghent for several centuries.
Walking around the monastery, you'll notice the repeated placement of an image of a flaming heart, pierced with two arrows. It features in windows, statues, locks and even the cutlery, reminding the monks of the spiritual awakening of one's inner world (the heart), prompted by the influences of the outer world (the two arrows). A treasured symbol for the Augustinians, it encourages them not to hide away in seclusion, but instead to participate in and serve the community. This is why Augustinian monasteries are found in towns and city centres, whereas abbeys of other orders are often hidden away in the quiet hills of the countryside. You'll notice architectural elements of the monastery in the St. Stefanus bottle label and cap. In fact, the monks' songbook was a source of inspiration for the St. Stefanus "S" and continues to reside in the library today.