Brouwerij Timmermans

In Itterbeek, just southwest of Brussels, Timmermans grew from a farm brewery and inn into one of Belgium’s enduring lambic houses. Its story is rooted in a real place: a village brewery once called ’t Molleken, surrounded by fields, orchards, maltings and a café. The surviving complex still carries layers of that evolution, from nineteenth-century rebuilding to the preserved brewing equipment and maturation spaces that define its heritage today. From ’t Molleken to Timmermans The earliest documented reference places a brewery at the Itterbeek site in 1702, operated by Jan Vandermeulen and Joanna Esselinckx. It functioned as part of a larger farmstead with an inn, orchard, hop garden and its own hop-drying facility. The brewery was rebuilt near the street in 1899, creating much of the complex that remains in use. A family name takes root Frans Timmermans bought the brewery from his father-in-law Paul Walravens on September 18, 1911. During the interwar period the site expanded with warehouses, a new brewers’ residence and additional brewing capacity. After Frans’s death, his son-in-law Paul Van Cutsem changed the brewery’s name to Timmermans, the identity by which it became known. Living lambic heritage Timmermans remains associated with gueuze and lambic brewing, while its historic buildings preserve a remarkable working landscape: a large koelschip, malt-house traces, brewing vessels, wooden maturation casks and installations dating from different periods. The brewery joined Martin’s Finest Drinks in 1993, linking the old Itterbeek site to a wider Belgian beer group without erasing its local character. A centuries-old Itterbeek farm brewery whose preserved buildings and lambic tradition make its heritage unusually tangible. Itterbeek, Dilbeek, Flemish Brabant, Belgium 1702 1702: The earliest documented reference to a brewery at the Itterbeek site appears; it was known as ’t Molleken. 1899: The old brewery was rebuilt at its present street-side location. 1911: Frans Timmermans purchased the brewery from Paul Walravens. 1933: A new upper level and koelschip were added to the brewery building. 1993: Timmermans was acquired by Martin’s Finest Drinks.