The Old Brewery

Today you can eat and drink at Gasthof De Oude Brouwerij, but the name obviously refers to the brewing past of Affligem.

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The Abbey of Affligem had its own brewing tradition for centuries. Beer brewing has been done in monasteries and abbeys since the Middle Ages. The oldest mention of the brewery dates back to 1129. Hop poles can also be seen in an engraving of the abbey from 1685.

Affligem beer is no longer brewed in Affligem itself today. Because the German occupier requisitioned the brewing kettles during World War II, production continued in another brewery. Until 2022, the beer was brewed by Brewery De Smedt in Opwijk. Since that brewery was taken over by Alken-Maes, the Affligem beers fall under the umbrella of Brewery Heineken.

Today, not much remains of the original abbey brewery. The abbey beer was previously brewed in the Benedictuspoort. That building still stands. At a later stage, the brewery was transferred to the building that is now set up as a youth home. Until the 1960s, the tall brewery chimney was still here.

Erfgoedcel Denderland