Brasserie Huygens
History
Huygens was a lambic blender in Vlezenbeek, founded in 1911 by Jan-Baptiste Huygens (b. 1883) during the interwar period. In 1897, at the age of 14, Huygens apprenticed at the Union Marchands de Bières in Uccle. The origins of the blendery began at the corner of Postweg and Schreinstraat in Vlezenbeek, with a café and adjacent warehouse. After World War I, he built a new residence and second adjacent warehouse. Jan-Baptiste Huygens was the master blender from 1911 until his death in 1958. His son Dominiek and his two son-in-laws Henri Depever (Jeanne Huygens, 1913-1999) and Eugeen De Kegel (Irma Huygens, 1925-2013) continued the business until 1970. Lambic was sourced from Lindemans, De Neve, Eylenbosch, Moriau, and Winderickx. Huygens' closure was attributed to the decreased popularity of Gueuze in favor of sweeter beers.
Beers
- Gueuze
- Kriek
Links
Historical account (Dutch) (PDF).
Photos
Huygens Gueuze - Kriek glass.
Videos
References
• Debraekeleer W. e.a., Brouwerijen en bierstekerijen in Beersel. Lambiek en Faro zijn de beste bieren van de wereld, Beersel, Het heemkundig genootschap 'van witthem' Beersel, 2003.
• "Twee Eeuwen Biercultuur In De Zennevallei" (Two Centuries of Beer Culture in the Senne Valley) exhibition guide, Provincie Vlaams-Brabant Dienst Erfgoed, 2016.