Chimay, near the French border
Chimay: the Trappist beer of Scourmont Abbey
Chimay is brewed by the monks of Scourmont Abbey near the French border. The brewery is closed to visitors, so you meet the beer at Espace Chimay nearby.
Chimay is a Trappist beer, brewed by the monks of the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Scourmont. The abbey stands on a plateau near the French border. Its brewery sits inside the monastery and is closed to the public. So you meet the beer a short walk away, at Espace Chimay.
Chimay on our first day
Chimay was part of the very first day of Belgium’s Wanderlust, on 3 July 2024. Our guest that day was Amy L. from New York. Later in the day came Maison Leffe in Dinant, and then Chimay. In that first year, the Dinant day ended with a tasting flight in Chimay.
Since 2026 the day no longer ends there. The Trappist moment now comes at lunch, after Grotte de Lorette. Guests drink Rochefort a few kilometres from the abbey that brews it.
The abbey and its beer
According to Chimay’s own history page, about ten monks came to the Scourmont plateau in 1850. They came from the abbey of Saint-Sixtus at Westvleteren, with one task: to help the Chimay region. The plateau was wet and had water in plenty, so they brewed beer with it.
Their first beer came in 1862. It was the Chimay Red, which the abbey still calls the “Première”. The cheese followed in 1876.
After the Second World War, a young monk called Father Théodore studied brewing science. He worked with Jean De Clerck, a beer professor in Leuven. In 1948 he isolated the yeast cells that every Chimay is still brewed with today.
Chimay is one of the five Belgian Trappist breweries, with Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvleteren. The Chimay site lists three rules. The products are made in the abbey or right next to it, under the monks’ supervision. Most of the income goes to social causes.
Espace Chimay, at the Auberge de Poteaupré
Espace Chimay is the place where visitors meet the beer, in Bourlers. Its pub, restaurant and hotel is the Auberge de Poteaupré, with eight rooms. Next to it are a shop and the Chimay Expérience.
The Chimay Expérience is a self-guided exhibition about how the beers and cheeses are made. It has an animated model of the abbey and a cupboard of ingredients. You can follow it in French, Dutch or English. The visit ends at the Auberge with one Chimay on tap, a 25 cl glass.
If you order more than one beer, use the order from our own tastings. Blond before dark, low before high, and every Trappist in its own chalice.
The walk to the abbey
From the exhibition, the abbey is a walk of 10 to 15 minutes. You may enter the garden, the church and the monks’ cemetery. The services in the church are open to the public. The guesthouse takes people who want to share the monks’ life of prayer for a few days, as the abbey’s own site explains.
When it is not worth it
If you want to watch beer being brewed, this is not the place. The brewery is inside the abbey and closed to visitors. The Expérience is an exhibition about the beer, not a brewery visit.
Plan around the calendar. In the quiet months, the Expérience and the shop close on Mondays, except on public holidays. All of Espace Chimay closes for about two weeks in December. The Auberge takes no groups on Sundays and public holidays, and dogs may not enter the Expérience.
Our day around Dinant now has its Trappist moment at lunch, with Rochefort. If that suits you, tell us your dates.
Days we ran here
- After the usual towns: a Dinant day, August 2024. Trappist beer at Chimay in the afternoon, then dinner.
- Amy L., July 2024. Our first day, with Maison Leffe and then Chimay later in the day.
Chimay on your day
Chimay is not on our standard Dinant day, but we add it on request. Pickup at your door in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges or anywhere else in Belgium. Tell us your dates and we build the day around you. Days run year-round on request, and you get a personal reply within 24 hours.
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