Brouwerij Bockor

Brouwerij Bockor belongs to the long family history of Bellegem brewing, where the Vander Ghinste family built a regional brewery into a recognizable Belgian name. Founded in 1892, it became known as Brouwerij Bockor in 1977, when the success of its Bockor Pils was strong enough to lend the beer’s name to the brewery itself. The brewery later returned to its historic family name in 2014. From Bellegem beginnings On May 17, 1892, Remi Vander Ghinste bought a house and adjoining buildings in Bellegem for his 23-year-old son, Omer. That same year, the brewery produced its first barrels of Ouden Tripel, now identified by the brewery as Vanderghinste Roodbruin. Beer was initially delivered locally by horse and cart, establishing the brewery’s roots in the countryside around Kortrijk. The rise of Bockor Influenced by the growing popularity of Czech-style pilsner, the brewery developed its own bottom-fermented beer under the name Ghinst Pils. A low-fermentation tower was built in 1929, and the Bockor name was registered for the beer in 1934. The success of Bockor Pils eventually led the family to rename the brewery Brouwerij Bockor in 1977. A name that came full circle The brewery operated under the Bockor name for nearly four decades. In 2014, it became Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste again, a change intended to foreground the family identity that had defined the business since its beginning. Bockor remains among the brewery’s listed beers, linking the modern range to the period when the brewery carried its name. Bockor is the brewery name born from the success of a Bellegem pilsner. Bellegem, near Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium 1892 1892: Remi Vander Ghinste acquires the Bellegem brewery site for his son Omer; the first Ouden Tripel is produced. 1929: Construction begins on a low-fermentation tower for the brewery’s developing pilsner production. 1934: The brewery’s Ghinst Pils is identified under the Bockor name. 1977: The brewery changes its name to Brouwerij Bockor because of the success of Bockor Pils. 2014: The brewery is renamed Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste.