Breweries

Maredret Abbey, in Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse, is a Neo-Gothic gem founded in 1893 by Agnès de Hemptinne and 6 nuns. The monastery of Benedictine Sisters is located on a vast estate of 15 hectares, and is still currently occupied by twenty or so nuns. The community motto is “Ora et Labora”: “Pray and Work”. The Sisters live there almost independently thanks to the vegetable garden, orchard, goats, chickens and their source of water.

Unfortunately, they do not receive any subsidies to restore this magnificent building, which has borne the brunt over the years. The desire and urgency to safeguard their heritage led the Sisters to approach the Belgian family brewer Anthony Martin in order to develop a range of Maredret “Altus” and “Triplus” craft beers together.

A solidarity project where spirituality and flavours meet with ease for a journey to the heart of spelt, spices and other precious plants.

At the foot of the famous Lion’s Mound, scene of the great Napoleonic battle, the Mont-Saint-Jean farm continues traditions dating back over a thousand years. The Waterloo brewery, established long before this former British hospital, has been producing the best traditional beers there for more than 500 years and is now back with a tradition of yesteryear, launching itself into the distillation of high-quality Gin and Whisky. And there is nothing really surprising about this, since a farm as impressive as the Mont-Saint-Jean farm very probably had a distillery at the time.

Indeed, a distillery was an effective way to transform outdated beers. As a reminder, a distillate is a concentration of grain alcohol from the fermentation of cereals and, therefore, a beer. It is the same base of Waterloo beer that makes the main element of Waterloo Gin and Whisky.

Although we were already distilling spirits from juniper berries, “Genever” or “Peket”, the Battle of Waterloo opened our eyes to new products discovered on the fields after the battle. In the 17th century, with Flemish influence, the English relied on our Genever to add their spices from their colonies and thus create Gin.

The history of the Mont-Saint-Jean farm during the battle therefore made, despite its atrocity with more than 6,000 soldiers treated on the farm, a positive contribution. British soldiers reportedly left Whisky and Gin casks inside the farm itself. This allowed farmers in the region to take inspiration from these spirits.

Today, the very taste of the Gin and Whisky distilled on the farm is directly influenced by these ancestral Belgian-English legacies.

Bourgogne des Flandres, Bruges brewing tradition.

Located in the heart of Bruges, the Bourgogne des Flandres brewery immerses you in the history of Bruges brewing, where Bourgogne des Flandres beer has a special place. It is the archetypal Flemish tradition of blended beers, where young and old beers are carefully blended to create the perfect balance.

In the attic of a listed building, the beer is brewed according to centuries-old traditions and then combined with lambic from the Timmermans brewery. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the breweries of the Van Houtryve family, including the Den Os brewery, played a very important role in Bruges. They were known for their bottling know-how and technique, which was very rare at the time. Bottled beers, such as Bourgogne des Flandres, were served on special occasions. And it was at the beginning of our century that Anthony Martin decided to faithfully rebuild artisanal know-how, and revive this cultural jewel.

Today, the brewery brews Bruinen Os, a Flemish brown beer, and Blonden Os, a Flemish blonde beer. Both can be tasted like this or be combined with lambic to make way for Bourgogne des Flandres Brune or Bourgogne des Flandres Blonde. Genever also has its place in the history of Bruges, and certainly in the story of the Den Os brewery, which is why the Bourgogne des Flandres brewery is now distilling genever made from beer, which was awarded a gold medal in 2023.

Timmermans, the oldest lambic brewery in the world - Anno 1702

It all started with a farm in the village of Itterbeek in 1702, just a stone’s throw from the church. At that time, the farm was called “La Taupe”, in connection with the region’s undulating landscape. In the early 20th century, its owner, Frans Timmermans, and his wife developed craft brewing so much that the brewery was renamed “Timmermans Brewery”.

Threatened with destruction by a vast real estate project, the brewery was saved by Anthony Martin in 1994. It is classed as a historic building. A vast conservation plan was implemented, thanks to which this brewing, artisanal and cultural heritage is today still beating to the drum of the grain mill (19th) and brews lambic each winter season to allow it to mature in wooden barrels for between 1 and 3 years or with fresh cherries. Thanks to the know-how of the master brewer, these lambics of different ages or with cherries will then come together to become an Oude Gueuze, an Oude Kriek, a Faro, a fruity lambic beer or a refreshing Lambicus Blanche, a mixture of wheat beer and lambic.

At the foot of the famous Lion’s Mound, scene of the great Napoleonic battle, the Mont-Saint-Jean farm continues traditions dating back over a thousand years. The Waterloo brewery, established long before this former British hospital, has been producing the best traditional beers there for more than 500 years and is now back with a tradition of yesteryear, launching itself into the distillation of high-quality Gin and Whisky. And there is nothing really surprising about this, since a farm as impressive as the Mont-Saint-Jean farm very probably had a distillery at the time.

Indeed, a distillery was an effective way to transform outdated beers. As a reminder, a distillate is a concentration of grain alcohol from the fermentation of cereals and, therefore, a beer. It is the same base of Waterloo beer that makes the main element of Waterloo Gin and Whisky.

Although we were already distilling spirits from juniper berries, “Genever” or “Peket”, the Battle of Waterloo opened our eyes to new products discovered on the fields after the battle. In the 17th century, with Flemish influence, the English relied on our Genever to add their spices from their colonies and thus create Gin.

The history of the Mont-Saint-Jean farm during the battle therefore made, despite its atrocity with more than 6,000 soldiers treated on the farm, a positive contribution. British soldiers reportedly left Whisky and Gin casks inside the farm itself. This allowed farmers in the region to take inspiration from these spirits. Today, the very taste of the Gin and Whisky distilled on the farm is directly influenced by these ancestral Belgian-English legacies.

The history of Martin’s beers is closely linked to the city of Antwerp. It was in 1909 that John Martin left his native England to settle in the port of Antwerp. The young John Martin soon noticed that beer consumption is as significant in Belgium as it is in England. This is how he began importing English, Scottish and Irish speciality beers in oak barrels. It was in England that John Martin became familiar with English Pale Ales, which would later inspire him to develop a new beer. He was able to bring together the best of the English Pale Ales and enhance it. It would be his masterpiece!

After the Second World War and his exile in England, he brought back the “Bulldog” Pale Ale, a product that met with great success. The beer was renamed the Martin’s Pale Ale on the occasion of the 1958 World’s Fair. The Belgian market came to refer to it as the “Pale Ale from Antwerp”, the iconic Belgian Pale Ale, which received many gold medals over the years. With this success, the dream arose to bring the beer home completely and brew it in Antwerp, where it all began.

A dream that would finally be fulfilled by John’s grandson, Anthony Martin, through a partnership with Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie (ABC).

Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie, a local and independent brewery, was founded 10 years ago by the couple Johan Van Dyck and Karen Follens, with particular thanks to support from 1,000 crowdfunders! The brewery’s mission is to revive Antwerp’s brewing history and put Antwerp back on the map as a beer town. Since its foundation, ABC has built a strong reputation in Belgium and abroad with its unique range of beers. Martin’s beers are now also brewed in their brewery... not far from where John Martin arrived in 1909!