Eupener Bierbrauerei, later Brouwerij Haacht

The Eupener Bierbrauerei belongs to Belgium’s borderland brewing history: founded through the 1897 merger of two older Eupen breweries, it brewed in a city whose national identity changed after the First World War. When Haacht acquired the brewery in 1998, brewing left Eupen, but the Eupener name and beers continued to carry the city’s German-speaking heritage into a new Belgian brewing home. A brewery born from two Eupen traditions The Eupener Bierbrauerei AG was formed in 1897 by the merger of the Körfer’sche Brauerei, associated with brewing in Eupen since about 1685, and the Delhougne’sche Brauerei, founded in 1834. Brewing continued at the Paveestraße site. Under director and brewing engineer Ernst Schmalenbeck, the brewery added a modern brewhouse in 1908 and expanded before the First World War. A borderland brewery in a changing country After the First World War, Eupen became part of Belgium and the brewery lost much of its former Aachen-area market. It rebuilt sales in the High Fens, the Ardennes and the Verviers region, becoming a Belgian company in 1923. The brewery again faced disruption during and after the Second World War, but gradually rebuilt its customer base. Haacht carries the Eupener name forward Haacht acquired the historic Eupener Bierbrauerei in 1998. Brewing subsequently moved away from Eupen to Boortmeerbeek, while Eupener Bier remained associated with its original city and continued to be made by Haacht. The museum’s Eupener Pils glass preserves that connection through the Eupen arms, the 1834 date and the phrase “Rein Malz und Edelhopfen.” A Eupen brewery whose identity survived a changing border, a difficult twentieth century and the move to Haacht. Eupen, Belgium 1897 1897: The Eupener Bierbrauerei was formed through the merger of the Körfer’sche and Delhougne’sche breweries. 1908: A modern brewhouse with new fermentation and storage capacity was installed. 1923: The brewery became a Belgian public limited company. 1984: The brewery marked its 150th anniversary. 1998: Brouwerij Haacht acquired the Eupener Bierbrauerei and brewing later moved to Boortmeerbeek.