Belgian monks resurrect brewery after two century break

Norbertine Father Karel poses with a Grimbergen beer, symbolised by a phoenix, in the courtyard of the Belgian Abbey of Grimbergen before announcing that the monks will return to brewing after a break of two centuries, in Grimbergen, Belgium May 21, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman

GRIMBERGEN, Belgium (Reuters) - Belgian monks at the Grimbergen abbey are on the verge of brewing beer again after a break of more than 200 years.

The abbey, whose emblem is a phoenix with the Latin motto "Ardet nec consumitur", meaning "Burned but not destroyed", was ransacked and had its brewery smashed in 1795 by French troops.