Brouwerij DE HOORN

The small village of Steenhuffel is located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant and was first mentioned in documents in 1112. Currently, around 2,950 people live in the municipality, whose coat of arms shows a double diamond in burgundy on a silver-gray background. A silver cat with magnificent fur sits enthroned on the coat of arms and holds a mouse in its mouth. The town has a church, a castle, several mills and an idyllic cycle path for its visitors, but much more important at this point is the mention of the village's own brewery, De Hoorn.

From the estate to the brewery

De Hoorn Brouwerij dates back to a small estate in Steenhuffel. The farm dates back to the early history of the town and belonged to a Peter Vander Smessen in 1380. The farm was given its later name De Hoorn sometime in the next 150 years, during which the property changed hands several times. At the end of the 16th century, the building was completely destroyed in the turmoil of the Eighty Years' War. The Mertens family took over the reconstruction and it was Joanna Van Accoleyen who finally started brewing beer on this site. Over the course of the town's turbulent history, there were countless owners who pursued all kinds of trades on the farm. In 2014, the company Palm Belgian Craft Brewers finally bought the property and restored the historic brewery. They opened a microbrewery and named it De Hoorn in honor of its centuries-old history.

Beers with a special touch

Today, this small but fine brewery produces exceptional beers that combine traditional Belgian brewing with young, fresh ideas. The range includes brews that are made using experimental techniques, are inspired by historical recipes or contain special ingredients. One of these beers with unconventional ingredients is Cornet Oaked : the classic Belgian blonde is brewed with oak chips. The toasted wood chips go into the brewing kettle to infiltrate the beer with their fine aroma. After the first fermentation, the brew is stored on the wood for some time before it undergoes a second fermentation. This special process conjures up spicy vanilla notes in the beer and also provides an earthy wood note. The creations of the De Hoorn brewery are subtly balanced beers that combine the familiar with the unusual and draw on Belgium's rich cultural treasure.