De Koningshoeven Brewery

Lore & Background

The brewery was established in 1884 to finance the monastery and support charitable causes, operating as a commercial enterprise from the start. The abbey owned several bars in the area and produced lager under its own 'Trappist' brand while also contract brewing for private labels. In 1969, the abbey licensed brewing operations to the Artois Brewery (now InBev), but the deal ended in 1980, prompting the monks to resume brewing themselves, this time focusing on top-fermented beer that had been made only in limited quantities since the 1950s. Over time, the brewery introduced Dubbel and Tripel in 1987, Blond in 1992, and marketed a beer called Enkel between 1993 and 2000.

From 1980 until 1999, the monks largely ran the brewery, but due to their advancing age, a limited liability company was set up as a subsidiary of Bavaria in 1999, renting the buildings and equipment from the abbey. This arrangement sparked a dispute with the International Trappist Association, which felt the commercial involvement violated regulations for the Authentic Trappist Product logo. The brewery withdrew the logo on 1 December 1999 but continued to label the beer as Trappistenbier. After a lengthy study and review of the agreement, the beers regained the right to display the logo on 9 September 2005, with the monks taking a more active role in day-to-day operations, working several hours each day.

The brewery was originally called De Schaapskooi, a name still used casually in the region. The water for the beer comes from five 200-metre deep wells on the abbey grounds, and all beers except the Blond are bottle conditioned. Spent grain from the brewing process is used to feed the abbey's herd of cows.

Reader's Guide

De Koningshoeven Brewery holds a distinctive place among Trappist breweries as one of only five outside Belgium and the sole producer of a Trappist witbier. Its history reflects the tension between monastic tradition and commercial necessity: founded to finance the abbey, it was run as a commercial enterprise from the outset, later licensed to a large brewer, then returned to monk-led operation before entering a partnership with Bavaria that triggered a dispute over the Authentic Trappist Product logo. The resolution in 2005 reaffirmed the monks' ultimate authority over brewing while allowing secular management of business operations. The brewery's beers are marketed under the La Trappe name, though the Koningshoeven name was used in some markets until 2010.

The brewery has also used its spare capacity to brew other beers, including Wieckse Witte and Chimay at various times. Its existence, like all Trappist breweries, is to finance the monastery rather than for profit. The brewery's Tilburg's Dutch Brown Ale is produced mainly for export. The range includes a variety of styles from Blond to Quadrupel, seasonal Bockbier, organic PUUR, and alcohol-free options Nilis and Epos.