Monks launch legal fight to protect water purity of Trappist beer

Belgian brothers fear Lhoist lime quarrying will threaten production of brew

As keepers of one of only 14 abbeys in the world producing Trappist beer, the monks of Notre-Dame de Saint-Ri(C)my, in Rochefort, are dogged defenders of the purity of the spring water from which it is made.

A long-running attempt by one of Belgium's richest families, the Lhoist-Berghmans, to lower the area's groundwater level to help prolong the life of their local lime quarry business has been fought against hard by the monks in the courts. But, until now, there has been no suggestion of any sin.