Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs

Rooted in Montignies-sur-Roc, the Brasserie de l’Abbaye des Rocs belongs to Belgium’s early modern microbrewery movement. Its brewing began in 1979 on a remarkably small scale: just 50 litres every two weeks. From that modest beginning, the family brewery developed a distinctly Walloon identity, combining natural malt-based brewing with local water drawn from the rocky underground beneath the site. A pioneer of small-scale Belgian brewing The brewery’s first years were deliberately modest. In 1979, production operated at 50 litres per fortnight. VisitMons describes Jean-Pierre Eloir as having built the necessary equipment himself, including installations made with reclaimed machinery, while the brewery became the first Belgian enterprise granted permission to produce below 10,000 hectolitres annually. That combination of ingenuity and small scale places Abbaye des Rocs among Belgium’s notable early microbreweries. From village operation to working brewery The brewery expanded in stages rather than through a single transformation. A new building and 1,500-litre vessels arrived in 1987, followed by trademark registration and fermentation and storage facilities in 1991. In 1993, the cooperative became a public limited company and acquired bottling equipment. By 1996, a new brewhouse could produce 50 hectolitres per brew, marking a substantial change from the original 50-litre batches. A local Walloon character The brewery presents its beers as traditionally pure-malt products without artificial flavourings, flavour enhancers or added sugar. Its documented brewing context includes Walloon hops, natural malts, yeast, spices and water drawn from a borehole in the rocky subsoil. The resulting identity is less about inherited abbey mythology than about a family-run brewery firmly situated in the Honnelles landscape. A pioneering Walloon microbrewery whose story is defined by inventive beginnings, gradual expansion and a strong sense of place. Montignies-sur-Roc, Honnelles, Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium 1979 1979: Brewing activities begin at an initial capacity of 50 litres every two weeks. 1987: A new building and 1,500-litre brewing vessels are installed, and a cooperative company is created. 1991: The brewery registers its brands and adds fermentation and finished-product storage facilities. 1993: The cooperative becomes a public limited company and acquires bottling equipment. 1996: A new brewhouse capable of 50-hectolitre batches enters service.