Belgium: Local businessmen to resume production of Peeterman beer

Businessman Patrick Vanoppen will resume production of Peeterman beer at the Breda brewery, whose rights he has purchased from AB InBev, The Brussels Times reported on December 25.

The production of the Leuven brew had been stopped in 1974.

“With the Breda Brewery, we’ll be able to inject new life into the old Leuven beers,” said Bert Crombez, head of creation. “Thus far, we’ve been treading modestly with the Goldor pils and Blondor blond, but soon we’ll be relaunching Peeterman on the market and others will follow, like Adrianus.”

The brewery should be in operation by 2020 in a private hotel in the Leuven city centre. In the meantime, production will be delegated to the De Kroon brewery in Flemish Brabant.

A more or less bitter version of Peeterman beer could be manufactured. However, that decision will be left to the public which will be able to taste the two flavours at the end-of-year Corrida on the 30th of December. “The degree of acidity did, in fact, change the taste of the beer around World War II,” Crombez explained.

Legend has it that the Peeterman, which owes its name to the nickname given to the residents of Leuven, was the preferred beer of the people of Flemish Brabant in the 18th century.

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