Bjorn Sorel , a 45-year-old site coordinator from Overmere, East Flanders, won the home brewing competition organised by Grimbergen Abbey on Tuesday. His beer will be available in stores this autumn.
The abbey sought a light (3.5% to 5.5%) blond beer to complement a Belgian stew for its second edition. A professional jury, including abbey sub-prior and procurator Karel Stautemas, selected Sorel and two other finalists from 77 entries. The three finalists were then invited to refine their beers at the Grimbergen Abbey Brewery, under the guidance of the head brewer.
At the final event, held at the church in Grimbergen, Sorel’s “fresh-fruity” beer received the most votes and was crowned the Grimbergen Cuvée 2025.
Sorel, who began brewing just three years ago, described his win as “somewhat surreal.”
The abbey, along with Alken-Maes, the brewer responsible for producing and distributing Grimbergen Abbey beers in Belgium, plans to release the beer in limited quantities at the end of August through two retailers and around a hundred hospitality venues.
In 2021, the abbey opened a microbrewery in the outskirts of Brussels, about two centuries after brewing ceased there. This brewery, with an annual capacity of around 10,000 hectolitres, produces various specific Grimbergen beers.
The well-known Grimbergen varieties for the Belgian market are brewed on a larger scale in Alken by Alken-Maes. Carlsberg in Denmark brews them beers for international markets.
