Pierre DE BOECK, 1815–1875
HISTORY
On April 25, 1814, Pierre De Boeck established a brewery-distillery in a house he rented on Rue de Flandre in the center of Brussels. Having become the owner of the building in 1820, he gave up his distilling activities six years later, a specialty inherited from his father. From 1833 onwards, the brewery became known as La Treille. In 1843, various expansions carried out by Pierre De Boeck and his wife Catherine Loix, through the acquisition of neighboring houses, were combined to form a single building. They sold their production, primarily lambic and, to a lesser extent, its derivatives (mars and faro), through Brussels’ local shops.
On November 12, 1872, three of the couple’s children – Pierre, André, and François – formed a general partnership with the purpose of managing “the brewery trade.” On January 13, 1876, the De Boeck brothers purchased a large plot of land on the border of Molenbeek and Koekelberg to construct, between 1877 and 1897, the extensive buildings of the Brasserie-Malterie De Boeck Frères. The quality of their typically Brussels-style beers was recognized on multiple occasions at the numerous World Expositions in which they participated.
The De Boeck Frères general partnership was dissolved on April 3, 1907, following Pierre’s death. Having become the sole owner of the company on June 11, 1920, his son Pierre-Louis De Boeck partnered on May 26, 1937, with brothers Julien and Paul Goossens, owners of the Ancienne Brasserie Goossens Frères, to form the public limited company Les Brasseries Unies. More than half of the capital of the new company, amounting to 4 million francs, was allocated to the De Boeck family as compensation for the contribution of Brasserie De Boeck Pierre, successor to De Boeck Frères.
From 1950 onwards, the company embarked on an expansion strategy, gradually acquiring many traditional breweries still operating in the Brussels area. In 1955, the establishment of a new company led to a new distribution of shares between the Goossens and De Boeck families. At the same time, the management of Brasseries Réunies undertook a significant process of modernization and optimization of its operations and buildings.
On March 21, 1964, the De Boeck family purchased the remaining shares held by the Goossens family. This consolidation resulted in a change of name. On January 7, 1969, Brasseries Réunies reverted to Brasserie De Boeck S.A., while the company name was assigned to another company within the group, Ancienne Brasserie Louis et Emile De Coster, whose headquarters were at the same address as the parent company. However, the group’s brand controlled by Brasserie De Boeck was acquired by Brasserie Vandenstock (Belle-Vue) at the end of the 1970s. On December 20, 1989, the company was liquidated, and all its shares were transferred to Unibra.
But this was only temporary, as beer has always run through the veins of the family, particularly the new generation, who are now ready to take over and bring De Boeck beer back onto the map. It is the five children – Jérôme, Quentin, Jonas, Florian, and Odile – supported by Damien De Boeck, son of Michel De Boeck (the last owner of Brasserie De Boeck Frères), who have undertaken this revival.
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