Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste

In Bellegem, just outside Kortrijk, Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste has kept its family name—and its brewing home—anchored since 1892. Its heritage is unusually visible: stained-glass pub signs helped shape the brewery’s identity, while successive generations carried on the name Omer. The brewery’s story moves from horse-drawn local deliveries to modern Belgian beers without losing that distinctive family signature. Born beneath the church tower On May 17, 1892, Remi Vander Ghinste bought a house and associated buildings in Bellegem for his 23-year-old son, Omer. That same year, the first barrels of Ouden Tripel were produced—the beer now known as Vanderghinste Roodbruin—and distributed by horse and carriage within roughly 15 kilometres. The brewery still identifies Bellegem as its place of origin. A name made to last Before modern brand names were common, Omer gave his beers his own name and promoted them with stained-glass signs reading “Bieren Omer Vander Ghinste” in pub windows. Because replacing those costly signs was impractical, the firstborn son was named Omer from one generation to the next. The OMER. beer and its tulip glass continue to echo that visual and family tradition. From Bockor and back again The brewery expanded with a low-fermentation tower in 1929 and a new copper-kettle brewhouse in 1947, responding especially to demand for Bockor Pils. In 1977 the company adopted the name Bockor Brewery, before returning to Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste in 2014 to foreground its original family heritage. A Bellegem family brewery whose enduring identity is brewed into its name, stained glass and place. Bellegem, Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium 1892 1892: Omer Vander Ghinste begins brewing in Bellegem; the first Ouden Tripel is produced. 1893: The brewery begins promoting its beers through stained-glass pub windows. 1929: A low-fermentation tower is built as the brewery develops Ghinst Pils. 1977: The brewery is renamed Bockor Brewery. 2014: The company returns to the name Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste.