Brasserie Lefebvre

Brasserie Lefebvre is a family-owned Belgian brewery established in 1876 in Quenast. Its official history describes the original business as a farm, brewery and malt house created by Jules Lefebvre. The brewery began by supplying cafés near the region’s stone quarries. It remains based at Chemin du Croly in Quenast, where it moved to avoid the annual flooding of the Senne. The company describes itself as independent and says its brewing draws on knowledge passed down through six generations. The brewery makes a range of Belgian beers, including traditional offerings and products presented under its “Unplugged by Lefebvre” range. Examples highlighted on its website include Hopus, a strong blonde beer; Barbãr Blonde, a special blonde beer made with Belgian honey; Blanche de Bruxelles Rosée, a light white beer flavoured with red fruits; Ana Hop, described as a hop-forward, almost alcohol-free beer; and Dikkenek Citra Hop, a dry-hopped beer. The portfolio therefore includes strong, flavoured, wheat-style and hop-focused beers, though the supplied evidence does not provide a complete catalogue or production figures. Brasserie Lefebvre began exporting in 1980. Its official site presents it as serving Belgian customers as well as export markets, and offers a brewery shop and event service for public and private occasions. The company reports a team of around fifty people. Céline Lefebvre and Paul Lefebvre are identified as administrators, and the site names Gilles as site director. The brewery also describes commitments to the long-term social and environmental impacts of its activities. Its website identifies the business as active and family-run; the supplied evidence does not specify a formal corporate parent or stock-market listing.

Brasserie Lefebvre traces its history to 1876, when Jules Lefebvre established a combined farm, brewery and malt house in Quenast. The brewery was located strategically to supply cafés near the area’s stone quarries. The official site presents the business as a family enterprise whose brewing knowledge has continued across six generations. At a later point in its history, the brewery moved to Chemin du Croly, its present location. The official account explains that the move was intended to avoid the annual floods of the Senne. The source does not give a date for this relocation. Subsequent named generations and stages in the brewery’s development are described on its history page: under Auguste, the relocation took place; under Gaston, the brewery was modernised through its first beer bottling; and under Pierre, the business focused more on retail sales and home delivery after acquiring its first motor trucks. These entries indicate changes in production and distribution, but the supplied material does not date them. Under Philippe, the brewery developed strong and special beers. It began exporting in 1980, a dated turning point in its commercial history. The company’s later history is associated with Paul and Céline Lefebvre and with the modernisation of the brewery’s infrastructure. Its current official site also describes the launch of “Unplugged by Lefebvre,” a beer range, though it does not specify a launch year in the supplied evidence. The brand’s present portfolio includes both traditional beers and products described as innovative, with examples ranging from strong blonde beer and Belgian-honey beer to light fruit-flavoured white beer and hop-focused beers. The brewery’s website describes a team of around fifty people and identifies Céline Lefebvre and Paul Lefebvre as administrators. It offers a brewery shop and an event service for public and private functions. The company says it has long worked to take account of the social and environmental impacts of its activities. Its official materials continue to frame the brewery as independent, family-run and rooted in Quenast. The official site also outlines elements of its brewing process. It says the malt and wheat come from Belgian or northern French agriculture and maltings. The described process includes crushing the malt and wheat, mashing the crushed grain with hot water to convert starch into fermentable sugars, and filtering the wort. The remaining solid grain material, called spent grain, is used to feed livestock at farms near the brewery. The supplied evidence does not give detailed dates for the generations’ individual changes, the Unplugged range launch, or other later corporate events.

• 1980

  Brasserie Lefebvre begins exporting.

• 1876

  Jules Lefebvre establishes a farm, brewery and malt house in Quenast.

• The brewery moves to Chemin du Croly to avoid annual flooding of the Senne; it remains at this location.

• The brewery makes its first bottled beer as part of its modernisation.

• The business develops retail sales and home delivery after acquiring its first motor trucks.

• The brewery modernises its infrastructure and launches the Unplugged by Lefebvre range.

An independent, multi-generational Belgian family brewery combining traditional brewing know-how with distinctive and innovative beers, and associating its products with celebrations.

• Hopus

  A strong blonde beer.

• Barbãr Blonde

  A special blonde beer made with Belgian honey.

• Blanche de Bruxelles Rosée

  A light white beer flavoured with red fruits.

• Ana Hop

  A hop-forward beer described as almost alcohol-free.

• Dikkenek Citra Hop

  A dry-hopped beer with a distinctly Belgian spirit.

• Unplugged by Lefebvre

  A beer range launched as part of the brewery’s development; the supplied evidence does not specify its full product list or launch date.

1. 1Brasserie Lefebvre - Notre Histoire & Nos Bièresbrasserielefebvre.be
2. 2La brasserie - Brasserie Lefebvrebrasserielefebvre.be
3. 3Histoire et savoir-faire - Brasserie Lefebvrebrasserielefebvre.be
4. 4Équipe - Brasserie Lefebvrebrasserielefebvre.be