The Abbey brewery
We're brewing beer at the abbey site again. An Abbey brewery has been built on the ground floor of the Park Abbey guesthouse, at exactly the same place where the brewery used to stand.
The idea of once again brewing beer in Park Abbey arose during the restoration of the buildings. For example, there be an office space in the Guest Quarter, behind the Provisor’s House. But there is also room for an Abbey Brewery, 'Braxatorium Parcensis', exactly where it stood hundreds of years ago.
This is the reconstruction of a historic abbey brewery, at exactly the same place where the brewery used to stand.
The monks work with age-old recipes to brew some of the artisanal beers. Based on tradition, they will get their ingredients from the immediate vicinity of the Abbey. They also work together with brasserie De Abdijmolen to grind the malt.
A daring feat of construction
The building was a daring feat of architectural construction. The makers of Braxatorium Parcensis were not allowed to change anything about the architecture of the building. That’s why they designed everything right down to the centimetre.
They designed everything right down to the centimetre
The necessary machines, such as fermentation tanks, had to fit through a 1.37-m-high door. When you’re in the brewery, you can hardly believe that all that material made it inside. The beautifully restored ceiling could not be damaged. The vapour drainage of the brewing kettle does not go through the roof, but through a unique condensing brewing kettle.
Reconstruction of historic brewery
Park Abbey may be the third out of the four Leuven abbeys to have its own beer, but it is unique in itself. This is the first reconstruction of a historic abbey brewery, and moreover, at exactly the same place where the brewery used to stand.
The monks founded the cvba Braxatorium Parcensis (Bra-Pa) for this purpose. Bra-Pa has a lease agreement with the city of Leuven, the leaseholder of Park Abbey. This made it possible to carry out the necessary renovations for the realisation of the Abbey Brewery.