Father Théodore was responsible for the re-start of the Chimay brewery after the Second World War. He worked with Professor De Clerck of Louvain University. Together, they managed to isolate the Chimay yeast that is still in use and laid the foundations for the beers that we know today.

In 1948 he introduced the Spéciale Noël Christmas beer, the predecessor of the current Chimay Bleue (1956). He also brewed the Chimay Triple, albeit on a small scale. This beer was so well received that, in 1966, the monks decided to start marketing it.

Nowadays, Trappist abbeys do not confine themselves to just brewing a classic Dubbel and Tripel. There are often lighter versions, called ‘Enkel’ (‘only’ or ‘exclusive’) which are brewed for consumption within the abbey walls. These are the so-called ‘refectory beers’ drank by the monks themselves.

When the Auberge de Poteaupré, an abbey tavern and visitors’ centre, opened its doors in the 1970s, the Dorée on tap quickly became the house beer. This youngest member of the Chimay clan entered the market in quite a modest way.

On the occasion of the launch of the Chimay Dorée cheese, the monks gave permission to the brewery to market the Chimay Dorée beer more widely. The Chimay Dorée cheese is now offered as a seasonal product.

In common with all the Chimay beers, this top-fermented beer re-ferments both in the bottle as in the barrel. The Chimay Dorée proves that even a light beer can be surprisingly complex. In common with many white beers, coriander and curaçao are responsible for the taste.