De Dolle Brouwers ("The Mad Brewers") is a Belgian

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

, based in

Esen Esen may refer to: Given name * Esen Buqa I (1310 - c. 1318), Khan of the Chagatai Khanate * Esen Buqa II (1429–1462), Khan of Moghulistan * Esen Taishi, 15th-century Oirat leader of Northern Yuan dynasty Surname * Aydin Esen (born 1962), Tur ...

in the province of

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

. The building housing the brewery is believed to date from 1835 and has a long brewing history since its inception by local doctor Louis Nevejan, having become the Costenoble brewery in approximately 1882 and remaining in that family for three generations. It was defunct when purchased by De Dolle and restored to function as a brewery in 1980. The grounds of the brewery and tasting room are open to visitors for tours once a week, and by appointment for larger groups.

Beers

* ''21'' (9%

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest of the solution, ...

) Limited-edition beer with an

Original Gravity Gravity, in the context of fermenting alcoholic beverages, refers to the specific gravity (abbreviated SG), or relative density compared to water, of the wort or must at various stages in the fermentation. The concept is used in the brewing and w ...

of 21 degrees Plato brewed only in 1998 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Hotel Erasmus in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

. * ''Arabier'' (8% ABV) Particularly hoppy beer, dry-hopped with whole leaf Nugget hops grown in

Poperinge Poperinge (; , ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders, Flemish Region, and has a history going back to medieval times. The municipality comprises ...

. * ''Boskeun'' (7% ABV) Literally "rabbit of the woods", this strong blond Easter beer (Paasbier) hopped with

Goldings This is a list of varieties of hop (''Humulus lupulus''). As there are male and female plants, the flowers (cones) of the female plant are fertilized by the pollen of the male flowers with the result that the female flowers form seeds. These se ...

. * ''Dulle Teve'' (10%) Strong golden

Tripel Tripel is a term used by brewers mainly in the Low Countries, some other European countries, and the U.S. to describe a strong pale ale, loosely in the style of '' Westmalle Tripel''. The origin of the term is unknown, though the main theory i ...

-style ale, the name meaning literally "Mad Bitch" in American English or "Angry Bitch" in British English. * ''Lichtervelds Blond'' (9%) Tripel-style ale. * ''Oeral'' (6%

) * ''Oerbier'' (9% ABV) Meaning "original beer", this was the brewery's first product. The addition of

lactobacillus ''Lactobacillus'' is a genus of gram-positive, aerotolerant anaerobes or microaerophilic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria. Until 2020, the genus ''Lactobacillus'' comprised over 260 phylogenetically, ecologically, and metabolically div ...

gives the beer a somewhat tart taste when aged. Hopped with Goldings from Poperinge. * ''Stille Nacht'' (12%) Strong

Christmas beer A seasonal beer is a beer that is typically brewed during or for a particular season, holiday or festival period. Many breweries produce seasonal beers. Seasonal beers may be produced when fresh ingredients are available during various seasons, pe ...

. * ''Special Extra Export Stout'' (9%) Strong dark beer. All of the De Dolle products are bottle-conditioned, and additional seasonal or special brews are also produced.

Awards and recognition

De Dolle received 4

Gold Awards The Gold Awards is an annual awards show that honours the best performers in the Hindi-language television industry. The awards are presented in various areas of excellence, such as popular programming, including music programmes, news, ente ...

in respected user ratings site RateBeer in their Best Beers of Belgium 2008 and 2 in 2009. In 2000, De Dolle brewer and owner Kris Herteleer was awarded the biennial "Golden Hammer" award by Bruges-based brewing and cultural society t Hamerken'' for his work in restoring the brewery to function and also research on local brewing history.

Gallery

File:De dolle driveway gate.jpg, The driveway gate to De Dolle Brewery in Esen, Belgium File:De dolle warehouse front.jpg, Sign on the front of the De Dolle Brewery warehouse in Esen, Belgium File:De dolle kris herteleer.jpg, Kris Herteleer, owner of the De Dolle Brewery in Esen, Belgium, gives a brewery tour File:De dolle mash tun.jpg, Classic mash tun at De Dolle Brewery in Esen, Belgium File:De dolle lambic fermenter.jpg, Classic lambic fermenter at De Dolle Brewery in Esen, Belgium File:De dolle warehouse view.jpg, Warehouse and pub seating at De Dolle Brewery in Esen, Belgium File:De dolle bottling line.jpg, Bottling line at De Dolle Brewery in Esen, Belgium. This equipment is from the 1920s.

References

External links

Official website

De Dolle Brouwers profile at BeerAdvocate

De Dolle Brouwers profile at RateBeer

De Dolle Brouwers
Brewery details from ''BeerTourism.com'' Breweries of Flanders Companies based in West Flanders Diksmuide {{beer-stub