Van Honsebrouck is a Belgian brewery in Ingelmunster,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. Founded in 1865 as Sint-Jozef Brewery, it was renamed to Brewery Van Honsebrouck in 1953. It is one of two breweries outside of

Pajottenland The Pajottenland (; in English occasionally Payottenland) is a distinct region within the Flemish Brabant province and the south-western part of the Brussels Region of Belgium. The region is located west-southwest of Brussels. The Pajottenland i ...

to produce

lambic Lambic ( , ; ) is a type of beer brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium southwest of Brussels since the 13th century. Types of lambic beer include gueuze, kriek lambic, and framboise. Lambic differs from most other beers in that it is Bre ...

beer.

History

The location of the brewery's building and the whole village of Ingelmunster were razed in 1695 following hostilities between English, French and Spanish soldiers. The current building dates back to 1736, and has cellars that date back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. In 1986 the castle was bought by the Van Honsebrouck family. The family have been brewing Ingelmunster beer since 1900. On 17 September 2001 a fire broke out in the castle that completely destroyed the museum-brewery. The brewery is owned and operated by the seventh generation of Van Honsebrouck brewers in Ingelmunster. The current CEO is Xavier Van Honsebrouck, who took control in 2009.

Products

Van Honsebrouck produces several different beers, including: * ''Kasteel Donker'', a dark beer (11% ABV) * ''Kasteel Rouge'', a blend of Kasteel Donker and cherry liqueur (8% ABV) * ''Kasteel Tripel'', a full-bodied

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 ...

(11% ABV) * ''Kasteel Blond'', a blond beer (7% ABV) * ''Kasteel Hoppy'', a blond beer with a hoppy flavor, launched in 2013 (6.5% ABV) * ''Cuvée du Chateau'', which is Kasteel Donker that has been aged for ten years (11% ABV) * ''St Louis '', the line of lambic beers with fruit ** ''Premium Kriek'', a sweet red beer that uses pits of the Oblacinska cherries and is aged 6 months on lambic (3.2% ABV) * ''Fond Tradition'', a traditional and unsweetened

gueuze Gueuze (; ) is a type of lambic, a Beer in Belgium, Belgian beer. It is made by Blending (alcohol production), blending young (1-year-old) and old (2- to 3-year-old) lambics, which is bottled for a second Fermentation (food), fermentation. B ...

* ''Brigand'', a golden-blond beer (9% ABV) * ''Bacchus'', an Old Flemish Brown beer (4.5% ABV) * ''Bacchus Kriekenbier'' (5.8% ABV) Made with 15% cherries. The 37.5cl bottle has no label, but is instead wrapped in a sheet of printed tissue paper.Product packaging, purchased 2012 * ''Passchendaele (5.2% ABV) Belgian Special Blond Ale, brewed in commemoration of the First World War Centenary'' File:Kasteel Donker Ingelmunster beer 01.JPG, Kasteel Donker File:Kriek St Louis 5.JPG, St Louis Premium Kriek File:Brigand Bier 1.JPG, Brigand

References

External links

Van Honsebrouck website

Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck
- History and information about the brewery and brewers in English {{lambic Breweries of Flanders Companies based in West Flanders