Everything began in 1858 when Martin
BELOT, farmer in Purnode, started brewing a beer in
his farm. In the very beginning, the beer was only brewed in
the winter, when there was no work for his farmworkers on the
fields. The discovery of a well of water of outstanding
quality and quantity close to the farm was, of course, an
additional asset.
The brewery proposed a very wide range of products, going
from table-beer to strong beers, passing through a large mix
of densities, colours, bitterness and tastes. The brewer
distributed the beers itself to his customers, mostly within
a few kilometers around the brewery.
Brasserie du Bocq was a PLC since 1949. 100% family concern, the brewery still remains independent
of all Belgian or foreign brewing groups. All the
farmactivities and door-to-door deliveries were definitely
stopped in 1960. The delivery of the beers started through
supermarkets, drinkmarkets and beermerchants.
The Belot family decided at that
period to specialize in the production of special
top-fermented beers with refermentation in the bottle.
In 1983, Brasserie du Bocq stopped all
production at Brasserie Centrale de Marbaix-la-Tour in order
to concentrate the entire production of beers in Purnode where
the production equipment is being modernized
..
Taking advantage of the query for traditional beers,
Brasserie du Bocq started with the
exportation of its products. And this became a success.
Indeed, Belgian beers have an excellent reputation all over
the world. Brasserie du Bocq exports
mainly to France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy,
Great Britain, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Australia, Japan
and the U.S.A …
The production volume has doubled in seven years
and reached almost 60.000 hectolitres in 2000. With actual
sales of more than 6.250.000 Euros, Brasserie du
Bocq is considered as being one of the most important
independent breweries of Wallonia.
|