Belgium has an almost unfair ability to make breweries that feel both deeply historic and casually brilliant at the same time, and De Brabandere is a perfect example. Founded back in 1894 in Bavikhove, the brewery has spent generations quietly building one of the most varied and impressive beer portfolios in the country, covering everything from crisp pilsner to world-class foeder-aged sour beer. Which is a fairly ridiculous range when you stop and think about it.

A lot of drinkers first encounter De Brabandere through Petrus, the brewery’s famous sour beer range. These beers are aged in huge oak foeders and blend sharp acidity with layers of cherry, oak, caramel and dark fruit in a way that feels distinctly Belgian. Sour beer fans absolutely adore them, largely because they deliver proper complexity without trying to remove the enamel from your teeth in the process.

At the same time, the brewery also produces Bavik Super Pils, a beautifully clean and traditional Belgian pilsner that has become something of a cult favourite among lager nerds who appreciate subtlety and balance over endless hop overload. The fact that the same brewery can produce elegant sour ales and razor-sharp pilsner equally well feels mildly unfair to the rest of the beer world.

What makes De Brabandere especially impressive is how grounded the brewery still feels despite its scale and reputation. This is still a family-run operation, now several generations deep, with a brewing philosophy that leans heavily on patience, consistency and traditional craftsmanship rather than flashy trends or gimmicks.

The beers themselves capture a lot of what makes Belgian brewing so respected globally. Characterful, balanced, occasionally a bit strange and always designed first and foremost to actually be enjoyed rather than simply collected and photographed.