Brouwerij Verhofstede

Verhofstede Brewery is one big family story. The love of brewing is in their genes. For four generations, they have been creating pure, natural products like liqueurs, herbal drinks, gins, ... in which you can taste passion and craftsmanship in every sip. It all began in 1885, when Stefanie De Jaegher, after the death of her husband, bought the brewery, formerly a distillery. Not much later, she remarried Julien Verhofstede and together they continued to brew the Verhofstede family story. They were successful, because the village soon fell in love with the particularly rich flavour of their brews.

In the 1920s, Eugène Verhofstede took over the business from his parents. He remained loyal to the tradition and expanded the range steadily. He supplied the beer merchants and pubs with beer with his horse and cart. Business was so good that, in 1944, he erected a brand-new brewery building, designed by architect Renaat Braem and which to this day remains the heart and soul of their company. In the sixties, at a time when many breweries were shutting down, they were taking a different track: that of jenever. Along with his brother Christiaan, Stefaan Verhofstede was now in charge. As a qualified biochemist, the latter began to experiment with spirits. In 1961, this resulted in our hop jenever, after which numerous recipes followed.

The future of the distillery continued steadily as the 4th generation took the helm. The mood for renewal reached its peak in 2021. The building designed by Renaat Braem, an iconic Belgian architect, was renovated into a place full of character. The distillery, steeped in a rich history, is more ready for the future than ever before.