These monks are making beer and people like it

A monk walking in the cloister of the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille, in Saint-Wandrille-Rancon, north-western France. Benedictine monks of the abbey brew their own beer, reviving a know-how which had disappeared in France. Photos: AFP

Between prayer, Gregorian chants and spiritual reflection, they work on producing France’s only truly monastic beer.

“For me, it’s a major event, one of the most important since I began my career in 1973,” said French beer expert Herve Marziou, who advised the monks as they resurrected the venerable trade at the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille.