The real taste of Bruges

Red-brown beer with a rich, creamy finish

Bourgogne des Flandres occupies a very special place in the Belgian beer landscape. It is a typical example of the Flemish beer blending tradition with old and young beer being mixed judiciously to achieve a perfect balance.

Bourgogne des Flandres Pure is brewed on site in the loft and blended with lambic from Timmermans Brewery. This lambic has aged for over eight months in wooden barrels. The result is a surprising red-brown beer with a low alcohol content and a very rich finish.

De Halve Maan, Brugge, Belgium

Since 1856

Beer has been brewed at De Halve Maan's location since 1564. The current brewery has been family-owned and operated since 1856, passing through six generations of the family tree. For decades, the family brewers have strived to offer world-class beer, both in quality and taste, whilst remaining true to their traditions, and the art of brewing. The brewery has developed awardwinning recipes which are dearly beloved by the citizens of Bruges, and the world beyond.

In 2016 Halve Maan built a beer pipeline beneath the medieval streets. The tube transports 1,000 gallons of beer per hour (12,000 bottles) to its bottling plant two miles away. Visitors can glimpse a section of the pipeline through a transparent manhole cover cut into the cobblestone street.

Brugse Zot Belgian Blond

Belgian Blonde - 6.0% ABV

6×4pk 330ml. bottles — ½ bbl. keg

The official table beer of the city of Bruges, Bruges Zot is a delicious blonde beer, brewed according to a unique and traditional recipe. Launched in 2005 by Xavier Vanneste, its name harks back to the late Middle Ages, when the Emperor Maximilian of Austria visited Bruges. Bruges Zot is a very drinkable thirst-quencher with bags of character, brewed with four varieties of malt and two types of aroma hops. Thanks to refermentation, the taste evolves in the bottle.

Straffe Hendrik Tripel

Belgian Tripel - 9.0% ABV

Various package formats available. See price sheet

Straffe Hendrik Tripel is a powerful beer with rich flavors of malt and hop that is brewed to the same original recipe in the same unique setting in the heart of the medieval Bruges – and with good reason. Toasted orange in hue and with a spicy finish, it is among the most-versatile beers the world over, equally at home as a refreshing sip or a top-notch pairing. In recent years, beer critics have hailed it as the best Tripel in the world

Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel

Belgian Quad - 11% ABV

Various package formats available. See price sheet

In 2010 De Halve Maan launched Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel, an intense beer, dark in color and full in taste. The aroma is elegant, spicy and slightly roasted. The sophisticated blend of special kinds of malt give the beer a complex character, combining to deliver a beer equal parts delicate and powerful. The refermentation in the bottle creates a living beer that is assured to evolve over the years.

Straffe Hendrik Heritage

Belgian Quadrupel - 11.0% ABV

6×750ml. bottles — 20L keg

Limited Annual Release

Straffe Hendrik Heritage is a special version of the well-known Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel that has been allowed to mature for more than a year in oak casks in the brewery’s cellars, which date back to the Middle Ages. Each year different barrels are carefully selected so that no vintage is exactly alike – making its annual release appointment tasting. Straffe Hendrik Heritage is a beer that can be kept for several years, during which time the taste will further evolve in the bottle. As it gets older, a hint of port or Madeira wine will become more evident.

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Straffe Hendrik Xmas Blend

Belgian Quadrupel / Winter Warmer - 11.0% ABV

12×750ml. bottles — 20L keg

Limited Winter Release

Hidden underneath the De Halve Maan brewery in Bruges is a medieval-era cellar that has housed everything from alcohol to, during wartime, horses. It’s from this secretive location that the much-celebrated Straffe Hendrik Heritage line of barrel-aged quadruple was born. In 2018, for the first-time ever, De Halve Maan released this special winter blend of its iconic quadruple from the same collection of barrels. Featuring a blend of barrels unique from the Heritage series and finished with fresh quadruple, this winter warmer is destined to become a celebrated addition to not only the Straffe Hendrik line, but to Belgian winter ale line-ups everywhere.

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Brasserie Dubuisson, Pipaix, Belgium

Since 1769

Brasserie Dubuisson is the oldest and most authentic brewery in Wallonia. The brewers at Dubuisson confine themselves to a relatively limited range of beers, but beers that all display a very asserted character and personality. The Brasserie Dubuisson beers are noticeable by very marked aromas and flavours, without compromising or cutting corners. The “neutrality” and “smoothness” of flavours, aromas and tastes is not appreciated at Dubuisson. Each Dubuisson beer is a beer “with character” that the drinker will remember. While remaining true to the principles of traditional production, the Dubuisson brewery is constantly trying to improve the production process in order to meet the demands of customers that are spread out over every continent. All of the improvements are made using strictly 100% natural raw materials.

Scaldis Caractère

Strong Amber - 12.0% ABV

6×4pk 330ml. bottles — 20L keg

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Scaldis Tripel

Belgian Tripel - 10.5% ABV

6×4pk 330ml. bottles — 20L keg; ½ bbl. keg

Originally introduced by current brewer Hugues Dubuisson in 1998 as a 65th Anniversary celebration of Scaldis Ambrée , today the triple has become a beloved part of the brewery’s core offerings. Where the Ambrée behaves in many ways like a red Burgundy wine, the triple behaves like a white: tropical, creamy and crisp. Its 10.5% ABV serves as yet another reminder of its inspiration.

Scaldis Noël

Strong Dark / Winter Warmer - 11% ABV

6×4pk 330ml. bottles — 20L keg; ½ bbl. keg

At the urging of customers seeking an ideal beer for their end-of-year celebrations, Brasserie Dubuisson introduced Scaldis Noël in 1991 – it’s been hailed as one of the best winter ales in the world ever since. By combining caramel malts with carefully selected hops, this strong dark ale delivers a bouquet of fruity aromas wrapped in a beer dark ruby in color yet remains balanced like its namesake. When it comes to winter warmers, it’s hard to argue with nearly 30 years of near-universal praise.

Brewed using a recipe that dates back to 1933, Scaldis Caractère has been perfected by three separate generations of family brewers and has come to represent everything the brewery embodies: traditional ingredients, patient fermentation and balanced flavor. With its rich amber color, rustic aroma and bittersweet flavor, Scaldis Caractère behaves in many ways more like an aged Burgundy red wine than it does a beer – and pairs with food similarly well. And as one of Belgium’s strongest beers, it’s capable of maturing for years to come. 89 91

Scaldis Pêche Mel

Fruited Ale - 8.5% ABV

6×4pk 330ml. bottles — 20L keg; ½ bbl. keg

Limited Annual Release

Inspired by a popular cocktail made with the Scaldis Caractère and fresh peach juice, Scaldis Pêche Mel has been a year-round addition to the Brasserie Dubuisson portfolio since 2009 and is a portrait of balance. The natural fruit aromas provide a beautiful harmony with the bitterness of the Caractère, allowing for a fullbodied and completely balanced beer – lacking the sweetness of the fruited lambics to the north and, at 8.5% ABV, significantly heavier than the radlers to the east.

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Scaldis Prestige

Strong Amber - 13.0% ABV 6×750ml. Bottles

The Scaldis Prestige is a Scaldis Caractère that, rather than maturing in stainless steel tanks, has spent six months finishing in oak barrels. During the bottling process, small amounts of sugar and yeast are added to the beer so it re-ferments in the bottle during its stay in the brewery’s warm room. This develops the natural yeast cloud and gives the beer its exceptionally high alcohol volume of 13%.

Reviving the traditional use of oak barrels has introduced aromas and tannins that haven’t been experienced in beer for many years. Even the most demanding beer lover will be bowled over by these qualities. Think of the aromas of whisky and other spirits matured on oak coupled with an extraordinarily rounded character.

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Scaldis Prestige de Nuits

Strong Dark - 13.0% ABV

6×750ml. Bottles

The Scaldis Prestige de Nuits was introduced to the market in 2008. To create this beer, the Scaldis Noël was matured for six to nine months in oak barrels that were previously used to mature Bourgogne de Nuits-StGeorges, one of the great Burgundy wines. The beer is decanted into 75cl bottles and placed in the brewery’s warm room to produce a second fermentation.

The final result is utterly surprising. This is a beer with plenty of character, a clear colour, vinous aromas and a taste profile that leans towards wine…

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Scaldis Prestige de Charmes

Tripel - 13.0% ABV

6×750ml. Bottles

Hugues Dubuisson is always on the lookout for extraordinary products. It was in this spirit that he came up with the idea of maturing Scaldis Triple in oak barrels, which had previously been used to store white Burgundy wine, more specifically the famous Charmes Meursault.

The traditional maturation process in recycled wine barrels allows the beer to develop an aromatic explosion of white and yellow fruit, with flowery and citrusy touches, as well as wine-like impressions contributed by the Chardonnay grape. This exceptional beer is an example of brewer’s art with a capital A

Surfine

Saison - 6.5% ABV

6×4pk 330ml. bottles — 20L keg; ½ bbl. keg

With the Surfine, Dubuisson is reviving a brand which originates from the rich history of Brasserie Dubuisson. The beer is a traditional Saison and a typical regional product from the Province of Hainaut. It is brewed with 3 kinds of malt, 3 varieties of quality Belgian hops and fermented with 3 types of yeast.

Surfine is a golden blond ale. This refreshing beer has a surprisingly balanced, slightly bitter taste. The aromas are strikingly complex and fruity. Citrus is the predominant note, but there are flowery touches reinforced by impressions of herbs and pepper.

Cuvée des Trolls

Blond - 7.0% ABV

6×4pk 330ml. bottles — 20L keg; ½ bbl. keg

The Cuvée des Trolls was created in 2000 in the tanks of microbrewery Le Brasse-Temps, which was established in Louvain-la-Neuve by Brasserie Dubuisson. It is an unfiltered blonde beer with a natural cloud. The beer is produced using only yeast, malt, hops, sugar and water and has an alcohol volume of 7%.

Thanks to the addition of dried orange peel during the boiling process, the beer has very pleasant fruity aromas that are in beautiful harmony with its delicate, fully rounded taste. It is an exquisitely balanced and barely bitter beer that tastes full in the mouth and has sufficient body.

Gouden Carolus, Brouwerij Het Anker, Mechelen, Belgium

Since 1471

Brewery Het Anker is a fifth-generation family brewery at the heart of the Grand Béguinage of Mechelen (Kingdom of Belgium), which is a recognized UNESCO world heritage site. At this unique location, beer has been brewed since the Middle Ages (1471). Emperor Charles V, who grew up in Mechelen, even had his favorite brew delivered to Spain when he lived there. The brand name “Gouden Carolus” is a reference to the gold coins used during his reign. The brewery’s award-winning specialty beers are still brewed in the authentic brew hall with traditional copper kettles. The Gouden Carolus beer range is widely available in Belgium and exported to over 40 countries worldwide.

Gouden Carolus Tripel

Belgian Strong Ale - 9.0% ABV

6×4pk 330ml. bottles & 20L keg

Full graceful tenderness, with a clean and neat taste, this beer will enchant you: matured in the bottle, exclusively obtained from pale malt, highly fermented and 100% natural. With a fullbodied flavor that still works thirst quenching, thanks to a balanced hopping. For ideal savoring, gently pour out in one fluent movement, at a temperature of 5-7° C (41-45°F). This pleasant golden blond beer is preferred by all who loves heavier, somewhat seasoned and refreshing beer.

Van De Keizer Imperial Blond

Belgian Strong Dark Ale - 11% ABV

6×750ml. bottles & 20L keg

Every year on the 24th of February, we celebrate the birth of Charles Quint. Therefore we brew a special beer in limited edition called Gouden Carolus

Cuvée van de Keizer Imperial Dark

(‘Grand Cru of the Emperor’). This exceptional ale ages well, developing a refined complexity and intense aromas. With powerful notes of roasted malts, caramel and plums, its surpris-

Van De Keizer Imperial Dark

Belgian Strong Dark Ale - 11% ABV

6×750ml. bottles & 20L keg

Every year on the 24th of February, we celebrate the birth of Charles Quint. Therefore we brew a special beer in limited edition called Gouden Carolus Cuvée van de Keizer Imperial Dark (‘Grand Cru of the Emperor’). This exceptional ale ages well, developing a refined complexity and intense aromas. With powerful notes of roasted malts, caramel and plums, its surprisingly soft and fruity aroma combines a warm roundness with a refreshing taste. An imperial brew to cherish and enjoy in moderation.

Gouden Carolus Noël

Christmas Ale - 10.5% ABV

6×4pk 330ml bottles

6×750ml. bottles & 20L keg

For more than 35 years we had to miss the Christmas beer but in 2002 the tradition was restored with Gouden Carolus Christmas. It’s a strong, dark ruby red beer with character and contains an alcohol percentage of 10.5 % alc./vol. Brewed in August, the beer rests a few months to reach an optimal balance. Three kinds of hops and 6 different kinds of herbs and spices define the rich taste of this Christmas beer.

KEREL / VBDCK Brewery, Tielrode, Belgium

The Verbeeck – Back – De Cock brewery has been around since the end of the 19th century, when it became one of the most beloved independent breweries in the northern region of Belgium. The brewery was, is and remains a family affair: no monks or big corporations in sight. When the original family brewery closed down in 1966, all of the original beers were lost. None of it was saved. Or so people thought. Deep down in one of the basements, covered by a pile of rubble, a single bottle of the original KEREL beer had been preserved. With the greatest of care, the bottle was whisked off to a team of Belgian experts to analyze and extract the original KEREL yeast DNA. It’s the very same yeast that is used today to brew every new delicious batch of KEREL beer.

KEREL Bière de Garde

Bière de Garde - 7.5% ABV - 24 IBU

6×4pk 330ml bottles

"Very malty, very high-maintenance but irresistible to the true beer connoisseur. Try it for the touch of caramel, stay for the complex character full of delicious paradoxes."

The brewing process of a “bière de garde” (“beer for keeping”) is an artisanal high-wire act

KEREL Saison

Saison - 5.5% ABV - 22 IBU

6×4pk 330ml bottles

"This easy-to-love thirst-quencher uses different kinds of hops and grains so you’ll discover new aspects of its flavour with every sip or swallow."

Saison is traditionally brewed during Winter and savored during Spring/Summer. It’s usually very fruity with deep earthy yeast tones and a mild tartness. The VBDCK version has all of that, plus a dry character and medium bitterness perfectly suited to bathing-suit-season and beyond.

KEREL Stout

Belgian Stout - 6.0% ABV - 44 IBU

6×4pk 330ml bottles

Deep and dark and rich with coffee and pure chocolate flavours, rounded off by modern hops. All stouts are dark and mysterious, but the VBDCK brewers deepen its typical roasted flavours even further by lightly hopping the brew or adding coffee or chocolate during the brewing process for a sweet-mocha touch.

KEREL Organic Wit

Belgian Wit - 6.6% ABV - 28 IBU

6×4pk 330ml bottles

Meet the newest member of the KEREL family and the second one in our organic range: Organic

Lambiek Fabriek

Founded 2016, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium

“The Beer Country” has a new lambic maker! Lambiek Fabriek began when friends Jo Panneels (of Dworp) and Jozef Van Bosstraeten (of Sint-Genesius-Rode) started buying lambics from various producers almost ten years ago, and blending it to make their own beers. They are an exci*ng, new, and promising lambic producers, run by friendly, knowledgeable, enthusias*c beer lovers. It is highly recommended to seek-out their beers .

Oude Kriek, Tradi*onal unfiltered blend of homebrewed lambics and matured in oak barrels. The lambic has a macera*on with fresh cherries for 6 months. ABV: 6.0%

Oude Geuze, Tradi*onal unfiltered blend of homebrewed lambics. Manufactured with several vintages of lambic, matured in oak barrels.

ABV: 6.3%

Specific, unfiltered blend of home-brewed lambics, matured in oak barrels. This blend consists of lambics of +/- 2 years old and are scared based on their specific aroma. ABV: 6.0%

Unique, unfiltered blend of home-brewed lambics, matured in oak barrels. The lambic has a macera*on with the Muscaris grape, grown in Limburg, Belgium. ABV: 8.8%

Unique, unfiltered blend of home-brewed lambics, matured in oak barrels. The lambic has a macera*on with red currant and the Muscaris grape, grown in Limburg, Belgium. ABV: 5.0%

Unique, unfiltered blend of home-brewed lambics, matured in oak barrels. The lambic has a macera*on with the black currant, beHer known as cassis.

ABV: 7.0%

Brouwerj Omer Vander Ghinste, Bellegem, Belgium

Since 1892

Bellegem has been home to the Omer Vander Ghinste Brewery since 1892. Founded by Omer Vander Ghinste and handed down within the family, the brewery is now in the hands of fourth-generation owner/manager Omer-Jean Vander Ghinste During World War II the brewer at that time was Omer-Remi. Having spent some time in the St. James Hospice in Paris as a refugee, he was inspired to create a line of beers called “Jacobins” in honor of the Dominican Friars that answer to that name in France and who had given him shelter in his time of need. Today the brewery is better known as a producer of lagers, but has maintained the expertise and equipment to produce excellent spontaneously fermented beers.

OMER

Belgian Blond Quad - 8.0% ABV 6/4/ 330ml bottles

OMER. Traditional Blond is a top-fermented beer with a secondary fermentation in the bottle, brewed according to a traditional recipe. It contains carefully selected ingredients, such as high-quality malted barley from the Loire region (France) and three varieties of aromatic hops. It is a full flavoured beer with a fruity aroma and a subtle bitterness. Pale golden and extraordinary, Omer has a firm malt character with a pleasant hop bitterness and warm, bready aroma. Tasted in it’s signature glass it’s a treat for the eye and palate.

Bred-Brown Flanders Sour Ale - 5.5% 6/4/330ml bottles

Originally called "Ouden Tripel", this ancient West Flanders Brown beer has found a new élan as a regional specialty under its current name: "VanderGhinste RoodbBruin".

“Overall, this is an outstanding Oud Bruin in my opinion. It's a bit sweet, it's a bit sour, and it's extremely wellbalanced. Aside from the (just-a-hair) too high hop bitterness for my expectations, this beer is a killer. If you can find this one (and you like Flanders-style sours) get this beer today.” - Beer Connoisseur

Flanders Red Sour Ale - 6.6% 6/4/330ml bottles; 20L keg

Prestige is a blend of 24 month-old foederbier, spontaneously fermented in and blended from foeders IX, XI and XIV. It has a deeper brettanomyces character and an overall soft and fruity character. Sourness is here in plenty, just like the Cuvée Rouge, but the balance is finer and tipped more toward stone fruit. The complexity of true spontaneous fermentation cannot be equaled by any other method. Extended aging brings about different stages of fermentation, each adding their own note. Cerevisiae, brettanomyces, and lactobacillus are like voices in a choir— only a truly gifted brewer can bring them into harmony.

100% Pure Foederbeer—Flanders Sour Ale - 5.5% 6×4/pk 330ml bottles; 20L keg

This iconic beer offering is “unblended old lambic, aged for 18 months or more.” It boasts assertive flavor character but is beautiful and sophisticated with a full body and overtones of vanilla, dried cherry, stone fruit and cocoa. It is a complex, beautiful sour beer that embodies the Vander Ghinste tenets of refined and robust taste.

Where’s the name come from? According to Artisanal Imports, which brings the brews stateside:

“During World War II the brewer at that time was Omer-Remi. Having spent some time in the St. James Hospice in Paris as a refugee, he was inspired to create a line of beers called "Jacobins" in honor of the Dominican Friars that answer to that name in France and who had given him shelter in his time of need.”

Sour - Flanders Red Ale - 4.5% 6×4pk 330ml bottles

Our Jacobins Kriek has a well-balanced, pleasant and slightly sweet flavor, which is best enjoyed when drunk out of its own bowl-shaped glass. An excellent thirst quencher and… perfect for drinking in an outdoor café!

The basic ingredient of our Jacobins Kriek is wort made of wheat and malted barley. This wort is first boiled and then transported to the brewery’s open cooling vessel to cool down. To obtain its true “kriek” or cherry flavor, natural cherry juices are also added. The fruitiness of the aroma clearly reveals itself in the mouth.

Brouwerij Oud Beersel, Beersel, Belgium

Since 1882

With a history stretching back to 1882, Brouwerij Oud Beersel is not only one of the last remaining authentic Lambic breweries in Belgium, it’s one of the oldest.

Oude Gueuze Vielle

Oude Geuze - 6.0% ABV

Oud Beersel Oude Geuze is one of nature’s miracles. Oude Geuze is a blend of lambic from different years. One year-old lambic is still readily fermentable. Two year-old and three year-old lambic’s main contribution is to the taste. Blending the lambic produces a sparkling beer that is made in accordance with time-honored traditions.

Oude Kriek

Fruited Lambic - 5.0% ABV

Oud Beersel Oude Kriek is an artisanal product, made from real cherries and Oud Beersel Lambic matured in old barrels. They are slowly absorbed into the Lambic, which develops a fruity character and a ruby red color. Oud Beersel Oude Kriek is unique of its type in that it contains around 400 grams of cherries per liter.

Vandervelden

Lambic - 6.5% ABV

The Vandervelden series are a tribute to the founder of Oud Beersel, Henri Vandervelden, who started the brewery in 1882. A unique blend that consists only of three year old lambics from three foeders formerly used for the maturation of Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy’s best wines. The complexity of the obtained lambics results in a very refined Oude Geuze.

The Green Walnut

Lambic - 6.5% ABV

For the production of the Green Walnut real fruit is used, in the same way as for the Oude Kriek of Oud Beersel. In July the still green walnuts are gathered in the Oud Beersel orchard and are added to the Lambic beer that matured in wooden wine barrels. The initial bitterness which is extracted from the walnuts is tempered during the ripening of the walnut Lambic. This results in a delicate balance between the light sourness of the Lambic beer and the bitterness of the green walnuts. The wooden wine barrels provide a subtle touch of red fruits to the beer. Green Walnut is a strong companion for blue-veined cheese, dried ham and salads with nuts.