Kobbegem - Dilbeek cycling route 31.8 km

Beautiful cycling tour along Breweries

Brewery Mort Subite

Amidst the rolling landscape, the plowed fields and meadows of Kobbegem, lies Brewery Mort Subite. Old Geuze and Kriek are produced here in an artisanal way.

The first national business guide of this farm-brewery dates back to 1604, and the first mentioned brewer Joris Van Der Hasselt was recorded in 1686. Generations later, in 1869, Felix Jan De Keersmaeker (1840-1912) took over the brewery from Jan Baptist Bastaerts (1787-1869).

In 1970, Mort Subite, a well-known Brussels café and geuzestekerij, was taken over from the Vossen brothers. From then on, the beers were no longer named Den Hert but Mort Subite.

Since then, lambiek, geuze, and fruit beers have been the main products in the assortment, under the name Mort Subite. In 1989, the brewery Eylenbosch from Schepdaal was acquired.

The castle of Groot-Bijgaarden is a castle located in Groot-Bijgaarden, a part of Dilbeek

The tourist who discovered Belgium always admired the beauty of its historical buildings and castles. Brabant possesses several of these castles that bear witness to a glorious past. But the castle of Groot-Bijgaarden, the pride of this municipality and located 7 km from Brussels, is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the archaeological heritage in our country. The castle is surrounded by a wide moat. The deep and still water is bordered by the proud foliage of a series of ancient beeches. A bridge with five arches, guarded by two heraldic figures from the 17th century, leads the visitor to the drawbridge that provides access to the small castle, the central part of which dates back to the 15th century.

The castle, dated from the 17th century, is a large building constructed in a beautiful, pure Flemish Renaissance style. It consists of a long main building made of pink bricks and white sandstone window sills. They intersect each other, complementing the dark blue color of the slate roof beautifully. The left wing is dominated by a pear-shaped steeple. Leaning against the right wing is the chapel, which has undergone no changes for three centuries.

GIRADIN

Every brewery used to have its own hop fields. Now there are only a few left in the municipality. Along the way, you cycle past Brewery Girardin. Here they still brew Lambiek, Kriek, and Geuze.

Brewery Eylenbosch

Eylenbosch came back to life in 2019, after nearly 30 years of hibernation. Founded in 1886 by Emile Eylenbosch in Schepdaal, Brewery Eylenbosch grew in the last century to become one of the most important producers of lambiek and gueuze, with a peak at the world expo of 1958. Afterward, lambiek beers gradually lost popularity in favor of industrial pils, and Eylenbosch also closed its doors and ceased production in the early 90s.

But fortunately, that was not the end of the story for this historic brewery. In 2018, Erik De Keersmaeker decided to refocus on his passion after a number of other challenges.

As the fifth generation of a brewing family from Kobbegem, De Keersmaeker brings Brewery Eylenbosch and its iconic beer back to life. He does this together with young brewer engineer Klaas Vanderpoorten and study friend Jeroen Lettens.

The new Brewery Eylenbosch values tradition and authenticity highly, and will brew its lambiek according to the traditional method and recipes.

Brewery Angerik

The two brothers-in-law, Angelo Buyse and Erik De Cuyper, brewed their first high fermentation beer as a hobby in 1997. They produced their first beer with a focus on the best quality. This first beer was named 'Boerke'. Together with their beer, Brewery Angerik was born. The name Brewery Angerik is a combination of their first names.
Around 2002, Brewery Angerik moved to Dilbeek, where Erik ran the brewery alone. Erik converted his former garage body shop into a new brewery. It was here that his beer became an unexpected success. In 2010, the demand for the beer became too large, and production could no longer keep up. The success of the brewery could no longer be combined with a regular job. Erik decided to reduce beer production to a minimum.
At the end of 2015, Erik's son, Sam De Cuyper, took over the leadership and gave Brewery Angerik a second life. A new start also called for new beers.

At Brewery Angerik, only high fermentation beers are produced. We do this based on an authentic working method. Because our beers are not pasteurized, a natural taste evolution takes place in the bottle.

Happy cycling Emiel Peeters