February 9, 2002 -- You may have heard about the uproar surrounding the proposed expansion of a chicken farm near the Abbaye Notre Dame de Saint-Rémy, where the famed Trappist ales of Rochefort are brewed. But what hasn't been reported is that the whole thing might be a tempest in a teapot.

As was first reported in a Reuters story, the monks at Saint-Rémy have asked specialists at the Liege University to study the permeability of the land around the monastery in response to the proposed expansion of a nearby poultry farm. The concern, the story says, is that the increase in droppings could have the potential to pollute the spring water used in the brewing of the well-known and well-regarded Rochefort ales. An unidentified spokesman for the monks is quoted as saying: "We're afraid the quality of the water will change."

However, a response to the story from François de Harenne of the Abbaye Notre Dame d'Orval, another brewing monastery in the south of Belgium, defuses the issue somewhat. In a letter sent to a number of North Americans with connections to or involvement in the brewing industry, de Harenne claims that the situation has been somewhat overstated.

"We do have close contacts with Rochefort and they told me last week that the reaction of the press was exaggerated on this subject," writes de Harenne. "That poultry (are) situated about 12 km from the abbey is not really a danger for them according to the fact that the owners are aware of what they may do or not. The abbey, however, supports a movement of many other citizens of its area who want to limit the sprinklings of (liquid) manure in the fields for protecting the underground waters. Their good beers are not really in danger."

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