Bourgogne des Flandres

Bourgogne des Flandres is a Belgian beer brand with a history dating to 1911. The brand originated with brewing by the Van Houtryve family and subsequently passed through different Belgian brewing organizations. In 1957, production was undertaken by Verhaeghe Brewery, the brewery later associated with Duchesse de Bourgogne. Since the early 1990s, Bourgogne des Flandres has been brewed by Timmermans Brewery in Itterbeek, in the municipality of Dilbeek, Flemish Brabant. Timmermans is part of the John Martin Brewery group. The brand's best-known expression is Bourgogne des Flandres Brune, also called Bourgogne des Flandres Bruin. It is a dark or brown Belgian beer made through mixed fermentation. Its formulation combines selected lambic, produced through spontaneous fermentation, with a brown beer made using high fermentation. The beer is also associated with maturation in oak barrels, a process that contributes to its layered character and places it within the broader Belgian tradition of blending and wood-aged specialty beers. This production approach distinguishes the brand from a conventional single-fermentation brown ale. Bourgogne des Flandres also has a Blonde variant. Bourgogne des Flandres Blonde is a lighter-colored ale produced by high fermentation. It has a pronounced bitterness and an alcohol content of 6% by volume. Together, the Brune and Blonde expressions give the brand a portfolio spanning a traditional mixed-fermentation brown beer and a more straightforward, lighter high-fermentation ale. The brand's history reflects the movement of Belgian beer labels between family brewers, established breweries, and specialist brewing groups. Although the brand is rooted in Flanders and its name evokes the historic brewing culture of the region, its current production is centered at Timmermans Brewery rather than at the breweries that handled it during earlier periods. Bourgogne des Flandres therefore operates as a heritage-oriented Belgian beer brand within the John Martin Brewery group, with its identity built around regional tradition, mixed fermentation, and specialty-beer craftsmanship. Publicly documented recognition includes three stars at the International Taste & Quality Institute's Superior Taste Award in 2009 for Bourgogne des Flandres Brune. In 2012, the same beer received a bronze medal at the Brussels Beer Challenge in the Red Ale: Old Red category, which corresponds to the Flanders Red Ale style grouping used by that competition.

Bourgogne des Flandres is a Belgian beer brand whose documented history begins in 1911, when it was brewed by the Van Houtryve family. The early history places the brand within the family-brewing tradition of Belgium, where beer names and recipes could continue across changes in brewing ownership and production arrangements. In 1957, production moved to Verhaeghe Brewery. Verhaeghe would later become associated with Duchesse de Bourgogne, another recognized Belgian specialty beer. This period connected Bourgogne des Flandres to a brewery with experience in producing beers characterized by regional identity and distinctive fermentation or maturation profiles. Since the early 1990s, Bourgogne des Flandres has been brewed by Timmermans Brewery. Timmermans is located in Itterbeek, within the municipality of Dilbeek in Flemish Brabant, and is part of the John Martin Brewery group. The move to Timmermans represents the brand's current production phase and places it within a larger Belgian brewing group while retaining its established name and specialty-beer identity. The principal Bourgogne des Flandres beer is the Brune, a brown beer made through mixed fermentation. Its production combines a selection of lambic, made through spontaneous fermentation, with a high-fermentation brown beer. The blend is matured in oak barrels, giving the beer a production method rooted in Belgian blending and barrel-aging traditions. This process is central to the brand's differentiation and explains why the beer is generally presented as more than a conventional brown ale. A Blonde version extends the range into a lighter high-fermentation ale. Bourgogne des Flandres Blonde is described as having strong bitterness and an alcohol level of 6% by volume. The two expressions provide contrasting interpretations of the brand: the Brune emphasizes mixed fermentation, lambic, blending, and oak, while the Blonde offers a lighter and more bitter ale profile. The brand has also received external recognition. Bourgogne des Flandres Brune earned three stars in the International Taste & Quality Institute's Superior Taste Award in 2009. In 2012, it won a bronze medal at the Brussels Beer Challenge in the Red Ale: Old Red category, a classification connected with Flanders Red Ale. These awards provide documented evidence of specialist-beer recognition, although detailed information about the brand's sales, distribution scale, advertising, and corporate management is not established in the available reference material.

1. 2012Brussels Beer Challenge bronze medal

   Bourgogne des Flandres Brune won a bronze medal in the Red Ale: Old Red category at the Brussels Beer Challenge.

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2. 2009Superior Taste Award recognition

   Bourgogne des Flandres Brune received three stars at the International Taste & Quality Institute's Superior Taste Award.

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3. 1990Production shifts to Timmermans

   Since the early 1990s, Bourgogne des Flandres has been brewed by Timmermans Brewery, part of the John Martin Brewery group.

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4. 1957Production by Verhaeghe Brewery

   Verhaeghe Brewery took over production of Bourgogne des Flandres.

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5. 1911Brand history begins

   Bourgogne des Flandres was documented as being brewed by the Van Houtryve family.

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A heritage Belgian specialty-beer brand positioned around Flemish brewing tradition, mixed fermentation, lambic blending, oak maturation, and distinctive regional character.

• Bourgogne des Flandres BruneMixed-fermentation brown beer

  The brand's signature brown beer. It is made by combining selected lambic produced through spontaneous fermentation with a brown beer produced by high fermentation. The blend is aged in oak barrels, giving the beer a production profile associated with Belgian lambic blending and wood maturation. The Brune expression received three stars at the 2009 Superior Taste Award and a bronze medal at the 2012 Brussels Beer Challenge in the Red Ale: Old Red category.

• Bourgogne des Flandres BlondeBlonde high-fermentation ale

  A lighter ale made through high fermentation. It is described as having strong bitterness and an alcohol content of 6% by volume. The Blonde provides a contrasting, lighter expression within the Bourgogne des Flandres range alongside the mixed-fermentation Brune.

• 2012Bourgogne des Flandres Brune wins bronze at Brussels Beer Challenge

  The Brune expression received a bronze medal at the Brussels Beer Challenge in the Red Ale: Old Red category, associated with the Flanders Red Ale style.

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• 2009Bourgogne des Flandres Brune receives Superior Taste Award recognition

  Bourgogne des Flandres Brune was awarded three stars by the International Taste & Quality Institute's Superior Taste Award.

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1. Bourgogne des Flandres