De Hoorn brewery, home of the first Stella Artois, celebrates 100th anniversary
De Hoorn brewery in Leuven will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a week of festivities. De Hoorn was where the first Stella Artois was brewed in 1926.
There will be parties on Monday and Tuesday evening and guided factory tours for 1,600 people on Wednesday and Thursday. On Thursday evening, 100 residents of Leuven will be served a "beer pairing" dinner in the old brewery. The week will culminate in a party for 800 people on Friday.
To celebrate this milestone, parent company AB InBev is launching special editions of Stella Artois cans, and the drink will be servied in vintage glasses in more than 1,000 bars and cafés throughout Belgium.
"We wanted to pay tribute to the packaging of yesteryear, including the original logo from 1964 and the typical Stella Artois colours: red, white and gold,” says Olivier Maillet, director of the Stella Artois brewery in Leuven.
The brewing activities of AB InBev date back to the 14th century, but it was in the early 20th century that Stella was born. The De Hoorn brewery, on Vaartkom in Leuven, opened in 1923. Three years later, in 1926, the first Stella Artois was brewed. Until the mid-1980s, De Hoorn was the base for brewing Stella until production moved to its current location, Brewery Stella Artois, where the beer is made with the same recipe.
The De Hoorn buildings remained empty following the move until 2012 when seven Leuven residents reopened it. De Hoorn is now a well-known venue for parties and corporate events, among other things.
"AB InBev has gone from a small company to a globally known brewer," said city councillor Lalynn Wadera on Monday at the start of the festivities. "The company has always had the ambition to be innovative, in terms of techniques, collaborations and sustainability. For Leuven, this is very important."
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO BELGIAN FREELANCE
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