Mount St. Bernard Trappist Brewery

Mount St Bernard Abbey was founded in 1835 near Coalville, becoming the first permanent Cistercian monastery established in England since the Reformation. For generations the monks supported themselves through farming, following the Trappist tradition of combining work, prayer and contemplation.

Historical records show the monks brewed a simple table beer during the Abbey's early years, but the practice eventually disappeared as farming became the community's primary source of income. By the early twenty-first century, however, traditional small-scale agriculture had become increasingly difficult to sustain, prompting the monks to explore new ways of supporting the Abbey.

Construction of the brewery began in 2017, reviving Mount St Bernard's brewing heritage and making it the first Trappist brewery established in the United Kingdom. Brewing takes place within the Abbey grounds under the supervision of the resident Cistercian monks, with profits helping to support the monastic community and the upkeep of the Abbey rather than private shareholders.

The brewery's flagship beer, Tynt Meadow, takes its name from a meadow that once belonged to the monastery and became England's first officially recognised Trappist ale. Every beer is bottle conditioned and brewed using water drawn from the Abbey's own artesian well alongside carefully selected local ingredients wherever possible.

Today, Mount St Bernard Trappist Brewery is one of only a small number of Authentic Trappist Product breweries worldwide. Its beers reflect the Trappist values of simplicity, craftsmanship, sustainability and hospitality, continuing a brewing tradition that has been associated with monasteries across Europe for centuries while remaining uniquely English in character.