The Brewery
From Reformation to Revival
Mount Saint Bernard Trappist Brewery is a small-scale, built for purpose facility located within the Abbey, in what used to be our kitchen and laundry. Today, brewing is one of our principal fields of labour by which we sustain our community of monks and maintain upkeep of our home.
Our brewery uses sustainable practices, ingredients and techniques, allowing us to deliver a modern interpretation of time-honoured Trappist ale in an environmentally friendly and community conscious manner. From our humble beginnings experimenting with a small home brewing kit, we now produce over 1,000 hectolitres of Tynt Meadow which can be found throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, North & South America and Asia
Brewing on-site at Mount St Bernard
The way we make our beer reflects who we are – it is a blend of our background, aspirations and beliefs.
Cistercians esteem the value of simplicity. Simplicity doesn’t stand for a thing done simply, or cheaply, but rather represents a distillation of complexity. It is about processing and ordering a rich, varied reality in such a way that the result seems self-evident.
There is evidence that ale was produced at Mount Saint Bernard in the nineteenth century, with past visitor’s expressing a liking for the monks ‘table beer’. While this recipe is lost to the ages of time, Tynt Meadow is its descendent in spirit.
Our brewery is small yet state of the art, supported by a bottling line capable of filling and crowning a total of 2,000 bottles an hour. Secondary fermentation occurs on-site in a dedicated, temperature-controlled facility. We operate a local delivery service, as well as shipping to distributors in Britain, Europe and North & South America and Asia.
Supervised, Sealed & Blessed
The monks of Mount Saint Bernard Abbey are real.
Their lives are dedicated to our work, reflection, observance, and prayer.
Traditionally working as farmers to provide upkeep for the community and as a form of self-sustenance, within the last decade we transitioned to join the great tradition of Trappist brewers.
We supervise the brewing process at Mount Saint Bernard Trappist Brewery, observing strict quality assurance and sustainability protocols. Throughout the many stages of an ale’s making, many members of our community are involved in the production, sealing and secondary fermentation of Tynt Meadow.
Every batch of Tynt Meadow is sent from Mount Saint Bernard with a blessing. There is no magic in this. We humbly bless our beer as it begins the next stage of its journey – it is the realisation of those labours in which we take great pride.
Sustainability
We believe that sustainability is a pursuit found in product, practice and outlook. In the harvests of today, it is important that we nourish and nurture seeds for tomorrow. We see ourselves as custodians and guardians of the land, traditions and principles entrusted to us.
Mount Saint Bernard Trappist Brewery utilises water from the original well that was built on-site almost two hundred years ago in the original ‘well field’. We prioritise the use of local ingredients wherever possible.
We are committed to walking lightly upon the earth and see our produce as a bounty to be shared, sourced from natural gifts that it is our responsibility to preserve for future generations to enjoy.
How we Help
Our philosophy is informed by our history, sustained by our beliefs and realised through our actions. In our lives, we in turn draw from the philosophy of Saint Benedict – our endeavours should always be in service to the community and assist in the pursuit of well-being.
Mount Saint Bernard Trappist Brewery is a not-for-profit operation. Our brewery is small by modern standards and is purposefully so, allowing us to pursue fulfilling labour while operating sustainably without commercial considerations. Proceeds from the brewery form a primary source of income that provide sustenance and upkeep for our community at Mount Saint Bernard, as well as allowing us to contribute to charity near and afar.
As a community that in turn is part of a broader community, we seek to fulfil our role as neighbours, servants, and friends. Our home is open to all those whom wish to visit. More information on Mount Saint Bernard Abbey is available here.
