Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck: Difference between revisions

'''Address:''' Oostrozebekestraat 43, 8770 Ingelmunster

Van Honsebrouck is a producer of spontaneous fermentation beers as well as ales and lagers. The brewery began producing spontaneously fermend beers based on the the success of [[Brasserie_Belle_Vue|Belle-Vue]] in the 1950s. By the early 1970's they were brewing their own spontaneously fermented products using a [[koelschip]] and foeders for aging.

Wort was transferred into oak foeders that held Bacchus and blended with a house-brewed wort. This eventually inoculated the yeast culture into the foeders which lead to in-house production of spontaneously fermented ale after their wort supplier ceased production. In an attempt to replicate the environment in the Pajottendland the brewery experimented with trucking their wort into the region for cooling. The experiment was ultimately unsuccessful, and all spontaneous fermentation is done in-house today.<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref>  In 1969 Van Honsebrouck became the second largest "gueuze" producer in Belgium behind Belle-Vue using 700,000 kg of malt.<ref name=HonseHistory> Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck, [http://www.vanhonsebrouck.be/en/brouwerij/geschiedenis# Brewery History]</ref>

In 1986 Van Honsebrouck introduced the Kasteel line of beers which are not spontaneously fermented.

<ref name=HonseHistory> Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck, [http://www.vanhonsebrouck.be/en/brouwerij/geschiedenis# Brewery History]</ref> Since 1997, Van Honsebrouck has produced what they call a traditional product, Gueuze Fond Tradition. Wood shavings and oak bars were used from 2008 until 2012 when new foeders were set up for the beers.<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> In 2009, Xavier Van Honsebrouck took over the brewery as the 5th generation owner.  As of 2010, 45% of the annual production is dedicated to spontaneous fermentation beers.<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref>

The brewery is planning to move to a 7.5-acre site of the former furniture factory in Izegem. The new brewery will have a capacity of 200,000 hectoliters, doubling that of the current brewery in Inglemunster.<ref name=HonseHistory> Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck, [http://www.vanhonsebrouck.be/en/brouwerij/geschiedenis# Brewery History]</ref>