About the Zundert Trappist Brewery

The monastery - "Abdij Maria Toevlucht" is the home of the Zundert Trappist Brewery. An opportunity for a new monastery in the Netherlands arose in 1897, when Miss Anna Catharina van Dongen from the town of Zundert gifted a piece of land to the Abbot of the Koningshoeven Abbey. It was decided that the church would build an abbey on the land, a refuge for French monks called "Our Lady of Refuge."

After financial troubles, the brothers of Our Lady of Refuge left with their horse and cart in the direction of the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle, where they were met with open arms. The brothers were able to return home and build a church on the grounds of Our Lady of Refuge. It soon grew to become home for 80 monks, but a monastery of that size was unsustainable. In 2007, the sixth abbot of the abbey was selected, and the cattle farm came to an end. Between 2000 and 2005 several of the abbey buildings were extended and renovated. The brewery was built in 2011 and beer production started in 2013. At the moment, there are 21 monks who make up the Trappist community of Zundert.

Zundert Trappist Beer

Trappist 8 Ale Copper-gold top-fermented beer, with secondary fermentation in the bottle