Brasserie Impérial en Brasserie de Ghlin

Brasserie Impérial en Brasserie de Ghlin connects two chapters of Belgian brewing history: a Brussels brewery rooted in Anderlecht and the industrial consolidation that moved production toward Ghlin. Impérial was known for a broad portfolio that included Horse Ale, Exki Pils, Export, Bock and Stout. In the early 1960s, it became part of the larger Ghlin enterprise, reflecting the era when many independent Belgian breweries sought scale to survive. From Anderlecht to a brewing group The Impérial story began in Anderlecht, where two neighbouring breweries on Rue de la Clinique—Brasserie de l’Alliance and Brasserie Brabançonne—were brought together around 1923 under the Brasseries Impérial name. The brewery expanded during the interwar period, adding offices, garages and a dedicated bottling plant on Rue Bissé in 1936. The Ghlin consolidation During the early 1960s, Impérial joined with Caulier, Labor and other breweries in the enterprise that became Brasserie de Ghlin. A Belgian parliamentary record from February 1963 refers to the merger and the imminent transfer of the businesses to Ghlin; the brewery history records the move as taking place in 1964. The former Anderlecht site was subsequently reduced, although the 1936 bottling building survives. A Brussels brewing identity carried into Belgium’s postwar era of industrial consolidation. Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium; later associated with the Ghlin brewing complex in Hainaut. 1964 1880: Two neighbouring breweries on Rue de la Clinique in Anderlecht are established, forming the roots of the later Impérial brewery. 1923: The two breweries are brought together under the Brasseries Impérial name. 1936: A purpose-built Impérial bottling plant is established on Rue Bissé in Anderlecht. 1963: A Belgian parliamentary record discusses the merger of Impérial, Caulier and Labor with Brasserie de Ghlin and the planned transfer to Ghlin. 1964: Impérial’s production moves into the Brasserie de Ghlin consolidation.