Breweries
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Brasserie de Waterloo: Brewery, Visitor’s Center, Restaurant, and more….
On June 18, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte met his final defeat at the battle of Waterloo, a small hamlet of villages located about eleven miles south of Brussels. Now, an old farm that was set up as a field hospital by The Duke of Wellington, who led the English and their allies to victory that day,…
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Toer de Geuze 2015 is three months away
The biggest one day celebration of lambic beer in Belgium, Toer de Geuze, is just three months from today. The event, held only every two years, features an open house at most of the lambic breweries and blenderies in Belgium’s lambic country, in the Payottenland and Zenne Valley, areas to the south and west of…
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Updates from Geuzestekerij Oud Beersel
I visited Oud Beersel again a few weeks ago, and I’m happy to report that all is well. Actually, that would be an understatement, as the venerable Beersel lambic producer is doing very well. During my visit on August 30th, blender/co-owner Gert Christiaens told me that demand is such for his beers that he needs…
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Meet Anne-Françoise Pypaert, the first female Trappist brewmaster
Step aside, guys. The lady is in charge. Welcome to Brasserie d’ Orval, Anno 2014. Things have changed a lot in the male-dominated world of the Trappist Abbey breweries in the last few decades. A significant number of women now work at these hallowed places, mainly in the area of lab work, marketing, and quality…
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Brasserie Cantillon set to expand and double production
Jean Van Roy released some big news today: Brasserie Cantillon has found a space where they can add lots of extra barrels and increase production by double over a four year period. The building is just 300 meters from Cantillon, and was the site of another lambic blendery, Brasserie Limbourg, which closed in the 1960’s.…
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The Belgian brewery: fifty shades of grey
This is a guest post by Carl Kins. Carl is very well known in beer circles in his native Belgium, as well as all over Europe and the U.S.A. He is a member of Zythos, The European Beer Consumer’s Union (E.B.C.U.) and other beer associations and groups. He is an International Beer Judge, and has…