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==History==
Van Haelen Freres operated their brewery in Uccle-Calevoet (Beersel) from 1902 until 1967. Dominique and Frans Van Haelen were brothers, and sons of Pauline Lardinoy from her first marriage to Auguste Van Haelen, of a well known brewing family in Uccle. The two brothers took over the Fontaine brewery ('t Fonteintje), run by their parents J.B. Michiels and Pauline Lardinoy. Dominique was the brewer and Frans handled business matters. They produced Gueuze , Kriek, and KriekLambic, also supplying wort to local blenders, such as Theo Hanssens of [[Hanssens Artisanaal bvba | Hanssens Artisanaal bvba]]and Luc Vanhonsebrouck further abroad in Inglemunster. His St. Louis products debuted in 1958, using barrels inoculated with Van Haelen Freres lambic wort.<ref name=GeuzeKriek>[[Books#Geuze_.26_Kriek:_The_Secret_of_Lambic_Beer|''Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer'']] Van den Steen, p. 169</ref>
Frans Van Haelen (1872-1939) was also a well known cultural figure in his time, a patron of the arts and benefactor to the pre-war artist group later known as the Brabant Fauvists. This group assembled at the brewery, and worked in a loft above a cafe across the street, Cafe Les 3 Pigeons. It eventually closed in 2009 and is now a Spanish restaurant, Casa España. Van Haelen was a friend of famous Belgian artist James Ensor, and several Ensor paintings were seen hanging inside the brewery before it was demolished in 1971 to build a Delhaize supermarket. Van Haelen also sponsored the restoration of the castle in Beersel from 1928-1939. He was said to be the richest man in Beersel before the second world war.