De Dolle

Located in Esen, a small town in the West Flanders region of Belgium, the brewery of De Dolle Brouwers ("The Mad Brewers" in English) was founded in 1980 by brothers Kris and Jo Herteleer.

A closed and dilapidated brewery site with nearly 150 years of history came to the attention of the brothers Herteleer, one a medical student and the other an architectural student and award-winning home-brewer. Looking to take a chance and make a change, they purchased and rehabilitated the brewery. Friends and neighbors told them they were crazy to pursue such a venture (perhaps the reason they called themselves The Mad Brewers) but skill and persistence paid off.

Their very first commercial offering, Oerbier, was released to high acclaim both locally and internationally and remains to this day the brewery's flagship ale.

Relying on meticulous attention to quality, a tried and true application of brewer's savvy and innovation, and an irrepressible talent for witty and whimsical promotion, De Dolle Brouwers built (and maintains) a loyal and vocal following and remains a revered and formidably successful producer of the Belgian Strong Ale style with exports worldwide.