Brouwerij De Fontein

Brouwerij De Fontein was a Belgian brewery based in Balegem, a submunicipality of Oosterzele in the province of East Flanders. It operated from 1887 until 1965 and is remembered chiefly for its Spitfire beer, an amber-coloured high-fermentation ale with an alcohol content of 8%. The brewery grew out of a weaving mill that had been converted into a mechanical steam-powered weaving factory in 1866; brewing is understood to have begun on the site in 1887. Ownership passed through several hands: Jef Vermeylen took over the brewery from the Robeyns family and later handed it to his brother-in-law Joseph Janssens when he left to teach at the brewing school in Ghent. Joseph Janssens, married to Hilda Baele, daughter of Adolf Baele, ran the brewery from 1927 to 1965, with an interruption during his captivity in the Second World War. After the war he developed the distinctive Oud Balegems beer, which according to tradition was named Spitfire after being tasted in one of the cafés in Balegem. In the early 1960s Janssens stopped brewing all other beers except Spitfire and began distributing beers from Brouwerij Van Roy in Wieze. Joseph Janssens died in 1965, which also brought the brewery to an end. Over its lifetime the brewery produced a wide range of beers, including Beste, Bock-Castar, Castar, Castar Export, Digest-Ale, Duvel, Export, Export-Castar, Faro, Speciaal Straf, Spitfire Beer Oud Balegems (in several categories), Stout and Straf Speciaal Ale. Today the name De Fontein is also associated with Gasterie de Fontein, a hospitality venue linked from the brewery's website, but the historic brewing operation itself is defunct.

Brouwerij De Fontein originated from a weaving mill that was converted into a mechanical weaving factory with steam engines in 1866. Brewing on the site is understood to have started in 1887. Jef Vermeylen took over the brewery from the Robeyns family and later passed it to his brother-in-law Joseph Janssens when he left to teach at the brewing school in Ghent. Joseph Janssens, married to Hilda Baele, daughter of Adolf Baele, continued the brewery from 1927 to 1965, with an interruption during his captivity in the Second World War. After the war he developed the specific Oud Balegems beer, which according to tradition was named Spitfire after being tasted in one of the cafés in Balegem. In the early 1960s Joseph Janssens stopped brewing all other beers except Spitfire and began distributing beers from Brouwerij Van Roy in Wieze. Joseph Janssens died in 1965, which also marked the end of the brewery. The brewery produced a variety of beers over its lifetime, including Beste, Bock-Castar, Castar, Castar Export, Digest-Ale, Duvel, Export, Export-Castar, Faro, Speciaal Straf, Spitfire Beer Oud Balegems (in several categories), Stout and Straf Speciaal Ale.

• 1965

  Joseph Janssens died, bringing the brewery to an end.

• 1927

  Joseph Janssens began running the brewery, continuing until 1965.

• 1887

  Brewing is understood to have started at the site.

• 1866

  A weaving mill on the site was converted into a mechanical weaving factory with steam engines.

A historic local Belgian brewery known for its Spitfire Oud Balegems amber ale; now defunct.

• Spitfire Beer Oud Balegems

  Amber-coloured high-fermentation beer with 8% alcohol, the brewery's best-known product.

• Castar

  One of the beers brewed by De Fontein.

• Castar Export

  Export version of Castar.

• Export

  A beer brewed by De Fontein.

• Export-Castar

  A beer brewed by De Fontein.

• Faro

  A traditional Belgian beer style brewed by De Fontein.

• Stout

  A stout brewed by De Fontein.

• Duvel

  A beer brewed by De Fontein.

• Digest-Ale

  A beer brewed by De Fontein.

• Beste

  A beer brewed by De Fontein.

• Bock-Castar

  A bock beer brewed by De Fontein.

• Speciaal Straf

  A beer brewed by De Fontein.

• Straf Speciaal Ale

  A beer brewed by De Fontein.

1. 1Landingspage - www.brouwerijdefontein.nlbrouwerijdefontein.nl
2. 2Brouwerij De Fonteinwikidata.org
3. 3Brouwerij De Fontein (België)nl.wikipedia.org