Brouwerij Bryggja

Brouwerij Bryggja grew from a winning homebrew into a working brewery in Moerkerke, near Damme. Its story begins with four brewing friends and a tripel that took Belgium’s 2012 Brouwland homebrew competition, then moves from externally brewed bottles to a self-operated installation. Today, Bryggja combines small-scale weekly production with a distinctly local emphasis on Belgian hops. From competition to brewery Bryggja’s origins are traced to 2012, when four brewing friends entered their tripel in the Brouwland Biercompetitie. The beer was selected as the best hobby beer in Belgium from more than 90 entries. Bryggja was launched at the Bruges Beer Festival in 2013, followed by the second beer, Amuse, in 2014. Both were initially brewed externally. A home in Moerkerke At the end of 2014, the founders decided to establish their own brewery. A suitable building in Moerkerke made the plan possible, and brewing equipment was installed there in spring 2015. The brewery now describes itself as brewing weekly, with a 500-litre brewhouse and fermentation vessels ranging from 600 to 2,500 litres. Belgian hops, local character Bryggja says its own beers use only hops grown in Belgium, including hops from the Poperinge region. Its range includes the original Bryggja Tripel alongside beers such as Bryggja Bruin, Amuse, Bryggja IPA and Sarepta. The brewery also avoids extracts and artificial flavour or foam enhancers in its own beers. A Moerkerke brewery built from an award-winning homebrew and grounded in Belgian-grown hops. Moerkerke, Damme, West Flanders, Belgium 2015 2012: Four brewing friends entered their tripel in the Brouwland Biercompetitie, where it was chosen as Belgium’s best hobby beer. 2013: Bryggja was launched at the Bruges Beer Festival. 2014: The second beer, Amuse, reached the market, and the founders decided to start their own brewery. 2015: Brewing equipment was installed at the brewery’s premises in Moerkerke.