Brouwerij De Rijck

In Herzele, Brouwerij De Rijck grew from a late-19th-century farm brewery into one of East Flanders’ recognizable family breweries. Its story is anchored by two names: De Gouden Arend, chosen by founder Gustaaf De Ryck after his brewing training in Bremen, and Special De Ryck, the amber Spéciale Belge that became the brewery’s enduring signature. The brewery’s beers remained closely tied to Herzele even as later generations expanded the range. From De Gouden Arend to De Ryck Gustaaf De Ryck founded the brewery in Herzele in 1886, establishing it under the name De Gouden Arend. The name honored the Brauerei zum goldenen Adler in Bremen, where he learned the brewing trade. During the First World War, brewing was forced to stop after equipment was requisitioned. Production resumed in 1920 under the family name, Brouwerij De Ryck. The amber local classic Special De Ryck belongs to the Spéciale Belge tradition: the amber, top-fermented Belgian ales developed as local alternatives to the rising popularity of pilsner. Belgian Family Brewers identifies it as having been created in 1920 and describes it as the brewery’s oldest surviving beer. Its identity is therefore not simply inherited from the brewery’s founding, but tied to a specifically documented postwar brewing chapter. A family brewery in transition The fourth generation, led by Anne De Ryck, broadened the range with bottled beers including Arend and Steenuilke, while retaining the older amber tradition. The municipality of Herzele records that the brewery closed in 2025 and that Brouwerij De Koperen Markies took over production of its beers, with the intention of preserving their taste and local character. A Herzele family brewery whose identity rests on the bridge between De Gouden Arend’s founding story and the enduring amber Special De Ryck. Herzele, East Flanders, Belgium 1886 1886: Gustaaf De Ryck founded the brewery in Herzele as De Gouden Arend. 1920: Brewing restarted after the First World War under the name Brouwerij De Ryck. 1920: Special De Ryck was created as an amber Spéciale Belge beer. 2025: The brewery closed, with Brouwerij De Koperen Markies taking over its beers.