Dorpsbrouwerij Humulus

Dorpsbrouwerij Humulus emerged from Arendonk’s 800th-anniversary celebrations as a genuinely local brewing project. Established in 2011, the small brewery gave the Antwerp Kempen village its own beers, led by the dark, strong Arendonker Bruin and followed by Arendonker Tripel. Though the name later shortened to Brouwerij Humulus, its identity remains closely tied to Arendonk and its village-brewery beginnings. Born from an anniversary year The microbrewery began in Arendonk in 2011, in connection with celebrations marking 800 years of the village. It initially operated under the name Dorpsbrouwerij Humulus, later adopting the shorter name Brouwerij Humulus. Contemporary reporting identifies Dirk Vissers and Katrien De Proost as the couple behind the brewery and describes its first dark local beer as an official drink for the 2012 anniversary year. A local range takes shape The brewery’s official history places the launch of Arendonker Bruin in 2012, followed later that year by Arendonker Tripel. It added Pitbull ’88 in 2013, a beer connected to Arendonk’s Pitbulls rugby club. From 2015, production of the Arendonker beers moved to Brouwerij Anders in Halen under Humulus’s supervision, while Humulus continued making occasional beers including Vraaiplezant, Wildeman, Swizzle and Soufleurke. A village brewery whose beers turn Arendonk’s local identity into a continuing Belgian brewing story. Arendonk, Antwerp Province, Belgium 2011 2011: Dorpsbrouwerij Humulus begins brewing in Arendonk during the village’s 800th-anniversary celebrations. 2012: Arendonker Bruin is launched and presented as Arendonk’s official village beer; Arendonker Tripel follows later that year. 2013: The brewery begins producing Pitbull ’88 for Arendonk’s Pitbulls rugby club. 2015: Brouwerij Anders takes over production of the Arendonker beers under Humulus’s supervision. 2021: Dirk and Katrien Vissers pass the brewery on to the Boullart family.