THE VAN STEENBERGE BREWERY

The village of Ertvelde is located in the Belgium countryside, about a 20 minute drive north of Ghent. This is the home of the Van Steenberge Brewery, the only remaining brewery in the Meetjesland area of East Flanders; a region that housed 664 breweries in 1900. The brewery's history stretches back over six generations to its humble Belgian farm beginnings, located on the same land.

  • The Early Days

    The first records of the family brewing beer date back to 1784, when Jean Baptist De Bruin began selling it to cafes and bars in the village under the name 'De Peer' (It's almost certain they were brewing before this, this is just the first date that was recorded). De Bruin married Angelina Petronella Schelfaut, but the couple remained childless and after De Bruin's death it was Angelina who carried on the business. Her nephew, Jozef Schelfaut, had trained as a brewer and often helped out.

     

    Angelina left the De Peer Brewery to Jozef and he planted his own two-hectare hop field, built an oast house to dry the hops and a malt house, essentially making the brewery self-sufficient. Under his control, the brewery began to supply his Drydraad beer as far afield as Ghent.

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  • The Early Days

    The first records of the family brewing beer date back to 1784, when Jean Baptist De Bruin began selling it to cafes and bars in the village under the name 'De Peer' (It's almost certain they were brewing before this, this is just the first date that was recorded). De Bruin married Angelina Petronella Schelfaut, but the couple remained childless and after De Bruin's death it was Angelina who carried on the business. Her nephew, Jozef Schelfaut, had trained as a brewer and often helped out.

     

    Angelina left the De Peer Brewery to Jozef and he planted his own two-hectare hop field, built an oast house to dry the hops and a malt house, essentially making the brewery self-sufficient. Under his control, the brewery began to supply his Drydraad beer as far afield as Ghent.

  • The Van Steenberge Family

    Jozef's daughter, Margriet, married Paul Van Steenberge, a chemical engineer who eventually became a Professor of Microbiology at the Sint Lievens brewery school in Ghent and at the Agriculture faculty at the University of Ghent. He served in WWI, and in August 1914 he was captured and interned across the Dutch border. He was placed in the microbiology laboratory of the Technical College in Delft with Professor Beyerinck, a former student of Louis Pasteur. Louis Pasteur is the man who pioneered our knowledge of yeast in brewing, paving the way for the creation of modern beer. During this time, Paul developed an extensive knowledge of modern brewing techniques. He returned safely to Ghent and took over the brewery in 1922, when Jozef Schelfaut died.

  • The Brewery Expands

    Under Paul Van Steenberge's drive and vision, the brewery expanded significantly. His son, Jozef, quickly developed a strong passion for brewing and steered the brewery through WWII while his father pursued a political career. Paul remained in touch with what was going on at the brewery, and when tough times began to threaten its future, Paul considered joining forces with the other brewers in the area. However, his wife Margriet saved the day, proclaiming 'I was born a brewer's daughter, and I shall die a brewer's daughter' insisting that the business remain in the family. Paul had no choice but to follow his wife's demands.

     

    Jozef continued working in the brewery whilst studying law, at the wish of his father. Following in his father's footsteps, he then became the mayor of Ertvelde. In 1962, when Paul Van Steenberge died, Jozef took over, paying as much attention to the brewery as he could while still maintaining his political career. In 1978, he retired from politics and focused his full attention on his main passion; brewing beer. Jozef always loved high fermentation Belgian beers and he admired the Trappist brews. This passion paved the way for the unique partnership between the brewery and the Sint Stefanus monastery.

     

    This partneship was, in part, made possible by Janis Jerumanus. A child of refugees from communist Lativa, Mr Jerumanus was raised by Augustinian monks who also paid for his education. He was a bright pupil who went on to become a microbiologist and professor at the University of Leuven. His skill, passion and loyalty to the monks eventually earned him a place as a consultant at the Sint Stefanus monastery, helping the monks brew their speciality beer. When the Van Steenberge Brewery requested to take over the brewing of the beer, Jozef Van Steenberge hired Mr Jerumanus as a consultant and he brought with him the original recipe and a sample of the yeast strain.

     

    These advantages put the Van Steenberge Brewery out in front in the competition to brew this speciality Belgian abbey beer on behalf of the monastery. There was an element of luck too: yeast is temperamental and sensitive to stress. Luckily, the Jerumanus yeast seemed to like the Van Steenberge Brewery and thrived well there.

  • The Brewery Today

    Today, our St. Stefanus Belgian abbey beer is still brewed at the Van Steenberge Brewery by Jef Versele, Jozef's grandson. Jef began working in the brewery in 1998, learning the business from his uncle, who in turn had learned it from his father. Jozef Van Steenberge continued to advise the brewery right up until his passing at the age of 96.


    Discover more about the Van Steenberge family by visiting their website.

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