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. Around 2,950 people currently live in the community, whose coat of arms shows a double diamond in burgundy red on a silver-grey 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 what is much more important at this point is the mention of the village's own brewery, De Hoorn.

From the estate to the brewery

The De Hoorn Brouwerij goes back to a small estate in Steenhuffel. The farm dates back to the early history of the town and belonged to Peter Vander Smessen in 1380. The farm received its later name De Hoorn sometime over the next 150 years, as the property changed hands several times. At the end of the 16th century the building was completely destroyed in the hustle and bustle 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 place's turbulent history, there have been countless owners who ran all kinds of businesses on the farm. In 2014, the Palm Belgian Craft Brewers company finally purchased 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 art with young, fresh ideas. The range includes brews that are produced using experimental techniques, are inspired by historical recipes or contain special ingredients. For example, 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 delicate aroma. After the first fermentation, the brew sits on the wood for some time before undergoing a second fermentation. This special process conjures up spicy vanilla notes in the beer and also delivers an earthy, woody note. The creations of the De Hoorn brewery are delicately balanced beers that combine the familiar with the unfamiliar and draw on Belgium's rich cultural treasures.