Our History

Our story starts in Werken, where Amandus Vanhonsebrouck combines being Mayor with running a brewery. Emile would then inherit his father’s ‘hobby’ – one that certainly got out of hand, to say the least! In 1900, he and wife Louise open Brouwerij Sint Jozef in Ingelmunster.

Brothers Paul and Ernest continue their parents’ legacy, investing in growth, exports and brewing pils. Luc, son of Paul, in turn shifts the brewery’s focus from pils towards an oud bruin-style sour beer: Bacchus.

With lambic wort from Uccle, Luc becomes the first non-Brussels lambic brewer. After a few years, he succeeds in brewing St-Louis, a purely West Flemish produced beer. Brigand, our first Blonde specialty beer, honours the rebels during the Peasants’ War in 1798. The parallels with our rebellious stance when it comes to the traditional beer landscape are striking.

In 1986, the Vanhonsebrouck family would buy Ingelmunster Castle. The castle (or ‘kasteel’) would inspire brewer Luc to brew his first quadruple. Luc abandons the traditional recipe and opts for a more complex, sweet flavour profile. And thus, Kasteel was born, soon to become synonymous with innovation.

Son Xavier joins the family brewery. Thanks to his robust sales strategy, Kasteel has become a staple on the beer menu of today. In 2007, he would launch a new strong cherry beer: Kasteel Rouge. This invention would pave the way for establishing a new style of beer, testimony to our sheer entrepreneurial spirit.

In 2009, Xavier steps up to take the reins, pushing the brewery to the next level with innovative brews that are enjoyed the world over. With Filou, Xavier creates an easy-drinking, strong blond specialty beer. As we would later see, this would go on to prove a major hit in the world of sports.

As the brewery continued to grow, expansion in Ingelmunster was no longer an option. Together with wife Lindsey, Xavier signs off on plans to build the Bierkasteel (‘Beer Castle’) in Izegem. With a new building – and a new name – Kasteel Brouwerij Vanhonsebrouck doubles its production capacity, as well as opening its doors to visitors from all over the world.

Xavier is the first Belgian specialty beer brewer to invest in an in-house canning line. With canned beers, he is prioritising sustainable means of export packaging. As Europe’s most modern brewery, we will continue to invest and innovate going forward to ensure you can continue enjoying only the very best specialty beers. And that’s a promise!