The region known as West Flanders ('''Dutch:'''''West-Vlaanderen'', '''French:''' ''Flandre-Occidentale'') is an area in northwestern Belgium that borders France, The Netherlands, the North Sea, and the Belgian provinces of East Flanders and Hainaut. Its capital is the city of Brugge ('''French: '''''Bruges''), and its principal river is the Leie ('''French: '''''Lys'') which flows from the Pas-de-Calais region in France.
As in other areas of Belgium, there has always been a strong brewing tradition in the region which has given rise to two distinct styles: Oud Bruin and Flanders Red Ales. Though these styles are distantly related to lambic from a [[Microbiology_and_Biochemistry|microbiological]] standpoint, these beers should not be confused with lambic from the [[An_Overview_of_Lambic#Pajottenland|Pajottenland / Senne Valley]]. That is not to say, however, that breweries in the West Flanders region have not successfully capitalized on lambic beer and culture throughout history.
==Post-World War II==