Latest reviews from Hamont Achel

“Visited in August 2021. Not actually in the monastery, only in the shop and restaurant. The shop was a delight, hard to not buy a beer. Service in the shop was like in a regular shop. Restaurant was OK, typical Belgium food. But I scored more Belgium beers.“

vipinvelp 993 days ago

“Actually this is the Saint Benedict Monastery. The whole touristic part of the place - this part of the monastery used to be the stables - has had a make-over and it seems that this process is not completed yet. Anyway the inn-brasserie is operational, really a no-nonsense place don't expect culinary highlights, just a simple bit boorish menu. Important is that you can get here the 7% versions of the blond and the bruin direct from the barrel. You can see the brewery through a large window pane. On the opposite side of the yard you can find the very nice beer shop. The focus is on Trappist and abbey beers as well as some beers from the surroundings.“

blackisle 1562 days ago

“Right on the border between Belgium and Netherlands, in fact some of the monastery grounds are in Holland. Despite the unwelcoming entrance inside the cafe is a nice open cafeteria where you can see the brewing process through a glass wall. Big highlight here is two beers you can only get here. A 7% version of the blonde and the bruin. Blonde is a fantastic beer. Bruin very good. You can also get lovely cakes here, particularly a cherry cake. Soup, toasted sandwiches tea and coffee available. Service is a bit surly middle aged Belgian lady. Next door is a fantastic beer shop focusing on Trappist and abbey beers.“

EdKing 1865 days ago

“De Achelse kluis, een Achel zal misschien de minst verkochte trappist zijn. (denk ik) hier in de kluis verkoopt hij vanzelfsprekend als zoete broodjes, en geef toe als de cirkel rond is smaakt het bier goed!“

DraftWhisperer85 2152 days ago

“One of those beer pilgrimages to be made, but a funny spot to review. The abbey is obviously very nice to visit. The cafe has the local beer which you can’t get elsewhere, food is cheap and not amazing. The beer shop is an Aladdin’s cave with great prices and a decent range, especially of the Trappists. I’d visit again if in the area.“

JorgeLee 2253 days ago

“I really enjoy this place: not only is it an abbey and a brewery, but they also have a local art gallery, a supermarket (worth checking if only for the enormous selection of Trappist and local beer), and a restaurant, only place in the world where you get to try the Achel lighter ales (formerly 5% abv, now 7%.) The surrounding area is worth a stroll, and you are right in the border between Belgium and The Netherlands (which cuts the abbey in two, albeit not literally.)“

huineman 2261 days ago

“Visited the abbey shop in 2004 to pick up a bottle of Achelse Zomer, a precursor of Achel Extra Blonde made only once. Got a few other beers rarely seen outside of the Limburg province even today, and a few local beer glasses (a part of Belgian beer folklore I gave up on a long time ago). The cantina of the abbey itself was sober but nice, if only to sample the ’refter’ beers from tap and have a glimpse at the brewing equipment - something you won’t be able to see in any other Belgian trappist brewery, but nothing extraordinary as such. You appreciation of visiting this ’sacred’ location depends on nothing but your intentions: by itself a pleasant environment to visit as a part of Belgian beer culture in the midst of the green Limburg countryside, but certainly not your typical Ratebeerian’s destination to collect a large number of ticks. In that sense difficult to rate in the context of this website...“

Alengrin 2586 days ago

“Revisited last week, have to update my last rating, service friendly, prices are good. Restaurant are > good, selection meh since its only achel. Store > selection is good with the italian and american trappist for cheap(er) prices.“

SVD 2858 days ago

“Visited in summer of 2015. Very big outside terrace, very touristic. Small shop on the entrance fo the site where I could by some beers I didn’t find in my region. And of course yes you can drink the 2 lower alcohol Achels, and buy the 2 higher alcohol ones which are very nice but that’s about it. Food choice was not great.“

Bierridder_S 2951 days ago

“nice abbey. Small restaurant with the 5% beers on tap. Terrible service, crew is not motivated. Small shop with some belgium beers. Good hiking nearby. according to my wife there is good pie.“

Bosbouw 3255 days ago

“Only Achel beers, the both 5% on tap and the both 8% on bottle. Food was decent, service little bit cranky. But beside that an wonderful location in a nice surrounding. Total score 54 for the bar-restaurant. In the shop many beers mostly the abbey- and trappist beers. Decent choise here nevertheless. Also other alcoholic drinks and food for sell here. Total score 70 for the shop.“

goozen 3291 days ago

“Mooi rustig klooster met winkel en klein restaurant. Duidelijk is dat men niet voor het grote publiek gaat maar een andere levenswijze volgt. Daar op lettend is dit een uitstekende lokatie.“

Icedwarf 3360 days ago

“This is a combined review, for the self service restaurant and the shop. Restaurant is OK, self-service, the local 5’s on draught. Prices are OK. Not much to be said here. The shop isn’t really connected to the monastery I think. Decent selection of some Belgians and Trappists. Bought some glassware. Not really recommended.“

Mathieu87 3414 days ago

“I love this place. A school-like cafeteria and a bottle shop that also sells all manner of groceries and plastic horrors. The antidote to pretentious hipsterism and snobbish pub culture. Service is friendly and English is spoken.“

turbothy 3611 days ago

“Close to the Dutch border. This is a super place to buy Belgian beers.“

PeatyPete 4028 days ago

“Nice Achel beers on draft, good selection of glassware available. Large terrace which was packed with tourists. The beer ice cream did not taste like beer at all.“

jvdijk99 4230 days ago

“Only two beers on draft. Achel blond and bruin 5 percent available nowhere else. Beer shop has many lesser known Belgian beers. Definitely worth a visit.“

Iphonephan 4289 days ago

“Not a beer destination as such but an interesting development for Belgium and a solution to ‘where to stay when you go to Achel cloister’ conundrum if money is less of an issue than perfection. At this Michelin-listed restaurant normal people make and serve exquisite food - from the appetisers to the cheese course they don’t put a food wrong. Beer-wise they have just started stocking a small selection of top-of-the-range beers including Achel (of course), La Trappe Quadrupel Oak-Aged and four-year-old Chimay Grande Réserve. The good value B&B opposite, of the same name, is run by the restaurant’s former owners.“

Tim Webb 4351 days ago

“A nice brewery but a fair hike to get there by public transport! Nice selection of Achel beers, including two beers only available at the cloisters. The Trappist Blonde is lovely on draught. The beer shop is also impressive with a fair range and lots of glassware. Plenty of space to sit outside on a sunny day also.“

Benjii 4551 days ago

“Review is for the bar, not for the bottle shop, which in my opinion has very little to see with the monastery or the brewery. It’s cool that you can get the 5% beers. It’s less cool you can’t drink any of the others. There’s no service, just self service in what looks like a high school canteen. At least in the summer you can sit outside, but I guess in winter, when you have to sit inside it’s much less cosy. So, worth to check it out? Only if you desperately want to try the Achels 5% (which I did) and maybe stock up some bottles from the shop. But other than that, not really.“

tderoeck 4564 days ago

“Rustic monastery with a surprisingly large portfolio of quality beers (trappists, Dupont, quadrupel OA). A kind of canteen serves the 5% ABV tap beers. Service is minimal, environment is lovely, prices are quite acceptable. Therefore recommended.“

bierkoning 4679 days ago

“ODB & I made the trip up by car to the middle of no where to find this pleasant little diamond in the rough. Great place to sit a taste the Achel Blonde (which is quite outstanding). The beer shop is surprisingly large with a lot of glassware. They have a pretty good variety of beer here as well. Overall, great trip, highly recommended!“

eds4bama 4907 days ago

“Leuke plaats om diverse Belgische speciaalbieren te kopen.“

MADpalace 4960 days ago

“Nice terras to sit on. Small range of light meals/snacks. They have their own beers available in the cafe and quite a good selection other belgian beers available from the abbey store, including a lot of trappists, abbij beers, gueze/fruit beers and other belgian ales. I would have thought the selection to be close to 200 diiferent beers.“

mickmac 4988 days ago

“Last time I was here is about 5 years ago. Within these five years they changed a lot. I remember that I bought a shitload of Belgian beers here which were kind of normally priced (some cheap, some expensive) Now they have just a tiny bit of different beers left. I heard monk Fustus (or brother Fustus) died and he was the responsible one for the beers that were imported. Since he died they shrimp their collection massively, unfortunately. Also the Abbey cheeses where not to be found, just one I saw. This was different in the past too. There’s no person that helps you, unless you ask for help, but there collection is so small that you don’t need any help. It’s a beautiful place, in a beautiful part of the Belgian/Dutch border and nature. Though it got too touristic. Overall it’s ok, nice nature, some ok beers and food, other memorabilia is sold in another store, so there’s anything for anybody.“

Countbeer 5085 days ago

“A modern tavern in a old monestry is not what I expected. So that is why my ambiance rating is not that high. Although when you sit outside and the weather is nice, you look around and see all the old buildings while enjoying your achelse kluis beer-icecream, it is a nice detour worth place filled with rest. And you can also find a nice small shop which sells rather interesting beers in bottles to go. A lot of organic and bio-beers can be found here.“

thebeermonk 5199 days ago

“The newest of all the Trappist breweries, almost located both in the Netherlands and in Belgium (don’t be afraid, the greatest part of it - including the modern brewery - is in Belgium ;-) ); besides the cloister itself, You’ll find there the bare brewery tap, which looks "like a municipal library" (Tim Webb), a gallery and a grocers’s shop, selling the Achel products plus a relatively wide range of belgian micros. Worth a detour!“

pivnizub 5228 days ago

“I really like this place, even though it might soon be boring from a ticker point of view. The cafe has their beers on tap, including the two only available here, and the food is simple but decent. The shop has a fine selection of beers, and ended up bying thirty or so different beers I hadn’t had plus some old ones. If in the area some other time, I’ll certainly go back.“

yngwie 5251 days ago

“The abbey is very serene and peaceful. There is beautiful scenery on the way there as well. The cafe/brewpub is rather quaint but has a nice atmoshphere. The staff is very friendly and spoke Dutch and English. There is a very meager food selection- sandwiches, soup, bread, pie. They serve 5% versions of their blond and bruin beers that are only available on tap there. I had them both and I enjoyed them. The beer store is great. They have an excellent selection of Belgian beers and a few imports as well. Most of the Trappist beers are available. Every Trappist brewery was well represented (with the exception of Westvleteren of course). And the glassware- wow! I have never seen such a selection of glassware. They have proprietary glassware available for seemingly every beer they sell. I was amazed. Also of note was the decent wine selection, Trappist-made cheese (Achel), and Trappist-made chocolate (La Trappe). The chocolate is delicious. I haven’t sampled the cheese yet. Prices were really quite reasonable for everything. The trip was a really enjoyable experience. I highly recommend a visit.“

delnoche 5328 days ago

“A tourist trap, but quite nice as such. Get the Achel 5 beers (the Blond is a nice summer brew, Bruin less so but ok) for about 2e/glass, maybe eat a sandwich, visit the art gallery, and then head to the shop, which carries a decent selection of beers at very fair prices. Also lots of glassware. In the middle of nowhere, but worth the trip.“

sayravai 5375 days ago

“Went on a detour from Germany to stop here. Very nice courtyard between the old stables and the canteen (I can’t name it otherwise), luckily it was sunny. Lots of cyclists here and a few locals. Had both beers, which were cheap but also very disappointing imo. The beer store has a good selection glasses and of standard and some rarer Belgians for fair to cheap prices, I picked up approx. 20 new rates. Worth a detour just to "tick" the location.“

Borresteijn 5380 days ago

“Got there by bike. The place is quite touristic for a beer place. Terrace and cafe are okay, friendly and helpfull staff. The store has all the belgian beers you can get everywhere else and you most likely already had. Well, one rare treat they had when I got there, some bottles Cuvee van de Keizer 2000. There are still some of them, I couldn’t carry all of them. ;) I liked the place.“

skortila 5395 days ago

“Got a ride by car, but seems to be a very nice area to go by bike as well. The sun trap terrace is inviting, but a bit too cold in March. The inside Cafe is a bit like a truck stop diner. Tried both 5 degree draught beers. Also available was both 8 degree and the extra bruin. The beer shop packs a rather nice selection as well. Well worth an extra trip.“

gnoff 5898 days ago

“There are three attractions here: a religious shop, a cafe, and a beer shop. I’m not religious, except with respect to beer, so we headed straight for the cafe. The food was simple and cheap, perfectly fine for killing your hunger while sampling the beers. (Ask for the bottled versions for the real deal, unless you’re just curious about the drafts.) From the cafe you can also peek through the windows to the brewery portion. The real highlight, though, was the shop. A great selection of beers, glasses, cheese, and other goodies. Oh my, we dropped a lot of coin in there.“

JoeinDahlem 6016 days ago

“We actually skipped the whole brewery section and headed to the store, which has an incredible selection of belgian and dutch beers (most trappists available) as well as the best selection of glassware I’ve seen. Go there if you have the chance.“

raymondwave 6029 days ago

“I visited this place while on a beer treck through Belgium. After visiting Westvletern, Westmalle and Hoegaarden I was sorely disappointed in the beer that they were serving. True the store on the grounds had a nice selection of beers and there were the usual 3 beers from Achel to be found in the bottle. But the Achel beers on tap in the fancified cafeteria were awful! The bruin tasted very new, overly yeasty and lacked any sort of taste that was remotely close to the bruin in the bottle. The blond was undrinkable. One of the guys in my group bought it, we all took a sip and then left a near full glass because it was awful. The location is quite pleasant, there are a few items to eat, such as a couple of hot sandwiches, some slices of pie and some soup, as well as some cheese. But all in all this was a disappointment. If you go, walk around the place, it is quite pleasant. Go to the store to purchase some beers and then head west to Westmalle.“

waldowalters 6063 days ago

“Ok, probably one of those places you must have visited once but I wasn’t too impressed beerwise. The scenery is interesting though, especially on a warm weekend. Crowded with people who come here by bus, car or bike having a Trappist and lunch.“

jbrus 6151 days ago

“Enjoyed this trip to Achel. Wasn’t expecting such a selection of beer and glasses. Definitely worth the trip and hope to get back.“

auderale 6199 days ago

“Expected to get some achel products and found a whole lot more. The complex is very nice and the selection in the beer shop is vast. Definetly a return trip will be had by me.“

SHIG 6202 days ago

“A place where you can taste 2 trappist beers from draft, that you will find nowhere else. Sure only 5 % of alcohol but still good beers. In the early days 3 draft beers. Also a good choise in the shop.“

oberabcbbsok 6202 days ago

“The complex consists of a brasserie, where the beers from tap are served, and a beer store, where you can buy your crates. Quite modern wooden interior, not really inviting actually. But they have the two achel 5 beers on tap, as well as the two regular beers. Furthermore, the beer store offers a good range of belgian beers, including the trappist ales. Also, some other products made in the abbey are available. Can be quite crowdy on summer days.“

caesar 6591 days ago