KORTRIJK/BELLEGEM - It was in 1892 that Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste opened for business in Bellegem, a village near Kortrijk in West Flanders, close to the French border. Since then, countless glasses of classic Flemish red-brown ale have flowed out of the company’s oak foeders, the big wooden barrels that are so characteristic of traditional Belgian brewing. But Omer Vander Ghinste hasn’t just preserved a tradition, it’s expanded both in size and in the variety of beers it produces. In 2010 the brewery pumped out 5 million litres of beer; this year it will be 9 million. In the same seven-year period, turnover more than doubled to €23 million euros. It’s a brewery with a strong connection to its home region, managing 250 cafés around Kortrijk, Ypres and Ghent, while exports, at 10% of production, are quite modest...

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RONGY - In Rongy and all around it, spring is in the air. The fruit trees are in bloom and nature has put on its most beautiful face. I’m on my way to Brasserie de Brunehaut, a brewery surrounded by orchards. Here you can sense the rhythm of the seasons. It is no coincidence that rural breweries are great supporters of their ‘terroir’. The link with agriculture, the village and the region is never far away...

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WESTMALLE - If you order a Westmalle you’re likely to be served with a Tripel. This is no coincidence as this strong blonde Trappist beer now accounts for 75% of the beer output of this abbey brewery. It used to be exactly the other way around. You would order a ‘Trappist’ and expect a dark Dubbel. Both of these beer styles have a long heritage. Would you like to join us on our time travels? This story commences in 1836 when Westmalle had just gained abbey status...

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TONGEREN - After a fifty-year wait the moment has finally arrived. Once again, the city of Tongeren can boast its own brewery and city beers. The story commences with the 2009 Coronation Celebrations, a festival that is held every seven. To mark the occasion, Davy Daniëls and Bart Durlet launched a city beer under the name of Amburon Blond. Both were exclusively involved in contract brewing with the Anders brewery. Anders has now been sold and Davy has founded the Amburon Belgian Craftbrewery...

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ANTWERP - Why would a butcher open a store at a brewery? The question doesn’t throw Luc De Laet, the man who has done just that at the De Koninck brewery. “We share our respect for traditional crafts,” he responds. “And we are both going back to the roots of our trade. Each animal has its own story. We use its meat in the most sustainable way possible, ‘from nose to tail’.”. Crafts and everything ‘artisan’ is hip these days...

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