To understand the story of Belgian beer you need to start with Trappist and monastery beer. Since 530AD and the Rule of Saint Benedict monks have brewed and sold beer. Before the 12th to 13th centuries monasteries were the only places that there was beer brewing on a commercial scale. The brewing and sale of beer supported the monastery then and now. The way they operate has changed over the years however the philosophy is the same. Today there remain 5 Trappist breweries in Belgium. The Trappists are a catholic order originating in La Grande Trappe Abbey in the French province of Normandy.