The Abbey, HAMILTON, Waikato

The Abbey is the Waikato’s only Belgian Beer Café and one of more than 50 internationally that faithfully reproduce the craft and culture surrounding Belgian beer. The story of Belgian beer dates back to the Middle Ages when monasteries and abbeys controlled the supply of beer to the population. With the obvious hygiene and nutrition issues of the time, beer brewed by monasteries and abbeys was not only safer to drink than water but it was highly nutritious and was often described as “liquid bread”. The Abbey name is a tribute to the monks who pioneered many of Belgium’s extensive range of beers in ancient abbeys and monasteries.