The Grimbergen beer can trace its lineage back to the founding of the Grimbergen Abbey in 1128 in Belgium. Here, the abbey was established by a Norbertine order of monks, who brewed their beer for locals and pilgrims, thus laying the foundation for an entire category of beers that today are referred to as “abbey ales”. Despite wars, revolutions and fires, the Grimbergen abbey, the order, and their beer still exists today. 

Over the past nine centuries the Fathers of Grimbergen have passed on the knowledge of beer brewing from generation to generation. Not an easy task, as the Grimbergen abbey have burned to the ground three times over the past nine hundred years. First during the war of Grimbergen in 1142, again in 1566 during the religious wars, and again during the French Revolution in 1798. Each time the abbey has been rebuilt from the ashes stone by stone — which explains why the fathers refers to their ale as “the beer of the phoenix”.

The film ‘Legacy’ by Grimbergen is inspired by these dramatic historical events, and is part of a global campaign for the brand. It tells the story of a young monk who devotes his life to the order, and saved the precious beer recipe book from an abbey fire. In the trailer-like film we see the Grimbergen abbey as it appeared in the middle ages, burning to the ground. We follow one young monk as he conjures up the strength and passion to brave the flames and make his way to the library. While fighting his way through the fire, we see flashes of his life as a monk. The phoenix that appears to guide him on his path, becomes a symbol of his inner will and inspiration, as it leads him to save the precious recipes of the Grimbergen beer.

The film for Grimbergen was directed by Rune Milton and conceived by UncleGrey, Denmark.