Brouwerij Het Sas

Brouwerij Het Sas carries an unusually deep West Flemish lineage: its story begins beside the lock at Boezinge, where the local word sas means lock or sluice. War destroyed the original brewery in 1915, but the brewing identity returned in the village centre in 1924. Today, Het Sas survives within Leroy Breweries, whose range still preserves the Sas name through beers such as Sas Premium Pils. Born beside the Boezinge lock The brewery was established near the lock in Boezinge in 1572. That setting is more than an address: it explains the name Het Sas and ties the brewery to the waterways and working landscape of West Flanders. The brewery’s documented origin is therefore Boezinge, rather than Watou, the home of the related Van Eecke brewery. Destroyed, then rebuilt In 1915, during the First World War, Het Sas was razed by French troops. Brewing resumed in 1924 after the brewery was rebuilt in the centre of Boezinge. This gives the modern site a clear historical continuity with the earlier lock-side brewery, while avoiding the common mistake of treating the 1924 rebuilding as the brewery’s original founding. The Sas name within Leroy Breweries Het Sas and Brouwerij Van Eecke were formally brought together under Leroy Breweries in 2016. The combined group retains distinct identities in its portfolio, including Sas Premium Pils alongside Van Eecke-associated beers. The Belgian Beer Glass Museum also records a SAS Pilsner glass, linking the surviving Sas name to Belgian beer-glass culture without establishing a launch date for the beer itself. A lock-side brewery whose name and identity endured through wartime destruction, rebuilding and modern family consolidation. Boezinge, West Flanders, Belgium 1572 1572: Het Sas brewery was established near the lock in Boezinge. 1915: The brewery was razed during the First World War. 1924: Het Sas restarted in the centre of Boezinge. 1995: A large bottling plant was built in Boezinge, combining the bottling lines of the two Leroy breweries. 2016: Het Sas and Brouwerij Van Eecke were formally brought together as Leroy Breweries.