Catalogue no. BBG115
Glasses
Exhibit information
Glass style Goblet A stemmed glass with a broad bowl, traditionally associated with stronger Belgian beers, particularly Trappist and abbey ales.
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Explainers
Capacity 33cl
Manufactured 2018 Curator’s Notes A 33cl goblet manufactured in 2018 which looks considerably older than its date suggests. Years of use have left an almost oil-like iridescence across the glass, while the printed decoration is beginning to show its age. The result is an object with considerably more patina than its relatively recent manufacture might imply.
The decoration is simple. Abbaye d'Aulne appears prominently on the front, accompanied by a rather jolly-looking monk encircled by the words Cistercium Mater Nostra. The phrase is part of the beer's established visual identity rather than decoration peculiar to this glass.
That Cistercian reference is well founded. Aulne became a Cistercian abbey in 1147 and developed a genuine brewing tradition; the abbey's own history describes brewing as one of the activities through which the community prospered. Abbaye d'Aulne Today's Abbaye d'Aulne beers explicitly continue that Cistercian brewing heritage.
This is not a pristine collector's example, but that is part of its appeal. At 30 cents from a brocante, its evidence of a previous life felt just about sufficient reason to give it another one in the collection.
