Norbertine Beer... Sort Of

Last time I talked about a couple of "secular" beers (Huh? Secular beers? What I mean are beers not brewed by religious), one having origins with a religious order and the other named after an order. Another secular beer that used to be brewed by religious is Leffe ale. Brewed in Belgium and known as an abbey beer (Abbey beers are beers not brewed by Trappists, beers brewed under an arrangement with a monastery or beers that use the monastic angle in their branding).

 Leffe has it's roots with the Canons Regular of Prémontré. The abbey was founded in 1152, went through all kinds of calamities like a flood, a fire, plague, marauders, and the French Revolution which saw the end of the brewing until the Abbey was able to brew again in 1952. They don't brew the beer anymore, a commercial enterprise does, but royalties go to the abbey.