Brasserie Val de Sambre

Brasserie Val de Sambre carries Belgian abbey-beer heritage into a modern brewery near Thuin, in the Sambre valley. Its story begins with the revival of Abbaye d’Aulne beers in 1998, first brewed among the abbey’s restored eighteenth-century stables, then continues from 2019 at a purpose-built site in the Thuin-Lobbes zone. The brewery’s identity is therefore rooted in a specific place, an established abbey tradition, and a broader contemporary range. From Aulne’s ruins to a new brewery According to the brewery’s history, monks at Aulne once brewed both a substantial strong beer and a lighter “small beer.” A fire destroyed the abbey brewery in 1752; it was rebuilt in 1796, while brewing activity ended around 1850. Commercial brewing returned in 1998 when the Leveau establishments revived Aulne recipes in restored former stables within the Cistercian ruins. A modern home with an old address in its memory Growing demand made the abbey site too small, leading to the creation of Brasserie Val de Sambre in 2019 near Thuin-Lobbes. The brewery now makes the Abbaye d’Aulne range, including Blonde, Brune, Ambrée and Premier Cru, alongside Hélécine, Blanche de Charleroi, Chérie, Merlette and Sambrée. Its own account also highlights water from an on-site source and the conversion of brewing residues into energy. Tradition beyond the abbey range Sambrée shows the brewery’s willingness to connect Belgian brewing tradition with local civic history: the beer was created in 2016 for Charleroi’s 350th anniversary and later expanded into several styles. The result is a brewery whose heritage is not presented as monastic continuity, but as a modern continuation of brewing associated with Aulne and the surrounding region. A modern Walloon brewery built around the revived brewing identity of Abbaye d’Aulne. Thuin and the Aulne Abbey area in Wallonia, Belgium; since 2019, production has been based in the Thuin-Lobbes zone. 2019 1752: A fire destroyed the historic brewery at Aulne Abbey. 1796: The abbey brewery was rebuilt. 1998: Commercial brewing returned at Aulne when the Leveau establishments revived the abbey beers in restored former stables. 2016: Sambrée was created to commemorate Charleroi’s 350th anniversary. 2019: Production moved to the newly established Brasserie Val de Sambre near Thuin-Lobbes.