A talk with Vanberg & DeWulf founders Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield

A lot has happened in 30 years, including much recognition from Belgium about Vanberg and DeWulf’s role in spreading the appreciation of Belgian beer on our shores: “We were the first Americans to be inducted into The Belgian Brewers Guild in their 500 year history,” Wendy told me. “We also were nominated for the Mercurious Award, the highest civilian honor given by the Belgian government for service to Belgium abroad,” she added.

Photo of Brewery Ommegang
Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, N.Y.

Feinberg and Littlefield founded Brewery Ommegang, America’s first Belgian-inspired Farmhouse Ale brewery, in 1997. In 2003, they sold their majority stake in the operation to Duvel-Moorgat. “We are proud to have been pioneers of the good beer movement in the USA,” Feinberg told me.

On November 15, 2011, Feinberg and Littlefield organized the largest one-day celebration of Belgian beer culture stateside, with their “Coast to Coast Toast” that celebrated their 30 years in the beer business. 350 bars took part, and a trip to Belgium was given away. It was a great success, as was the second, the C2CT2 in 2012. The third edition, the C2CT3 will be coming up on November 14th of this year.

Coast to Coast Toast 3 image
Coast to Coast Toast 3 image

As far as what they love to do now, Littlefield observed: “We enjoy going back to Belgium every year for 3 to 4 months and working with our brewers, and searching for new breweries and new beers, and discovering new cafes and restaurants. The relaxed lifestyle and beer culture have always been a huge draw. We try to bring some of that back here by helping promote pairing beer with food, beer dinners and the like.”

To sum it up: “Our mission is to give American beer enthusiasts access to beers that are beautifully crafted, authentic expressions of the Belgian brewer’s art. And I think we do that,” Don explained. See: belgianexperts.com.

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