Brouwerij Willems
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History
Founded by Louis (Lode) Willems (b. 1895) in 1930 at Weverstraat 11 in Wambeek. Produced Gueuze and Krieken-Lambic. Willems was a direct competitor of De Troch, both in brewing and political life. Louis De Troch had been the mayor of Wambeek since 1899, and waged an economic war on his business rivals in the 1930's, using his influence to apply political pressure on his competitors.
In 1932, Lode Willems was elected to the office of provincial councilor. In 1933, he ran in the mayoral election against incumbent mayor Louis De Troch. and won by 15 votes. Shortly before his planned inauguration, he suddenly passed away. It is believed that he was poisoned, and his grave was also defaced by political opponents. The brewery operations were continued by his widow Maria Severanckx until 1936, when the brewery was eventually sold to Louis De Troch.
Beers
- Gueuze
- Krieken-Lambic
Sources
- Conversation with José Willems, granddaughter of Lode Willems.
- Jef Van den Steen, Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer, 2012. pp. 80
- Guido Van Cauwelaert, "In search of a grandfather who changed the history of Wambeek" , Editie Pajot, 01 Dec 2017. article translation