Brasserie Van Haelen-Coche

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Gueuze Van Haelen Freres label.

History

From Bier et Brouwerijen te Brussel: Located at Chaussée d'Alsemberg 991-993

In the Uccle town archives, there is a building permit (AP 2460) of a certain Van Haelen who wished to build a brewery along the route Brussels-Lille. These two documents make us suspect that Van Haelen, a pub owner and innkeeper (at the future site of the brewery Merlo Merlink), moved from the Stallestraat to the Alsembergsesteenweg into their own new private brewery between 1866-1898. The specialty of this brewery was Gueuze and Kriekenlambic in bottles. Around the turn of the century they also brewed Lambic, Faro, Bruin Tafelbier, and Mars.

In early 1902, Emile Van Haelen-Coche had permission to construct a beer depot in the back garden of his brewery located on the Alsembergsesteenweg 615 (later 991). The brewery was then called "Brasserie del'Ange". Van Haelen-Coche Brewery disappeared between 1963 and 1970 (1968, ed.). By 1970, the brewery buildings were sold to an industrial bakery.

From the State Archives of Belgium: Brasserie-Malterie de la Fontaine was founded in 1751. Bought in the first half of the nineteenth century by Lambert Van Haelen (b. 1808), it remained in the hands of the family for several generations. In 1898, Emile Van Haelen and his wife Henriette Coche, both brewers, had built a brewery and a mansion on the lot they had acquired on chaussée d'Alsemberg.

On October 5th, 1929, their children transformed the family brewery into a limited public company with a capital of 4.5 million francs under the name "Brasserie Van Haelen-Coche (S.A.)". It specialized in the production of lambic and gueuze, and like many breweries of this type, it did not resist the postwar restructuring period for long.

In 1959, the company was put into liquidation by law due to the expiration of it's term. On September 23rd, 1960, the Van Haelen family founded a new company with no name change. The brewery was taken over by Brasserie Unies (formerly Brasserie De Boeck) in 1964.

Timeline

1751: Brasserie-Malterie de la Fontaine founded
1820s-1850s: Lambert Van Haelen purchases brewery (exact date unknown)
1898: New brewery and mansion built on Chaussée d'Alsemberg 991-993
1929: Limited public company formed: "Brasserie Van Haelen-Coche (S.A.)"
1960: New company created after liquidation in 1959
1964: Acquired by Brasserie Unies

Beers

• Faro
• Gueuze
• Kriek
• Kriekenlambic
• Lambic
• Lambic de Coupage
• Mars

Glassware

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Playing Cards

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Links

• Historical info
• List of beers