KRISTIAN BOELENS

Kris Boelens, today’s owner and brewer at Brewery Boelens, took over the beer distributorship from his dad in 1980. During the 1970’s and 1980’s a revival for new and authentic beers emerged. Kris started to put the family’s old brewery back together and upgraded it with some stainless steel tanks, as legislation in Belgium and in Europe guarantees a hygienic brewing process. It was in 1993 that Kris started brewing BIEKEN, his first commercial specialty beer. It was an ale sweetened with honey, following an old family recipe. Bieken is now a well sought after beer in many places around the world. The production is less than 2,000 barrels a year, which makes it a real boutique beer, “hand-made”.