For nearly 190 years the monks of Westmalle in northern Belgium have been involved in making beer. They began brewing in this corner of Flanders in 1836 to have an alternative to milk or water with their daily bread. Today, Westmalle is an international brand, producing 40m bottles of three varieties of beer a year, mostly for Belgium and the Netherlands, but also enjoyed by beer connoisseurs in Britain, France, Italy and beyond.
Yet uncertainties hover over the future of Trappist beer production in this traditionally Catholic country, where fewer people are drawn to a life of monastic contemplation.
