In 1821, the four Rodenbach brothers (Pedro, Alexander, Ferdinand and Constantijn) invested in a small brewery in Roeselare, In 1836 Pedro Rodenbach and his wife, Regina Wauters, bought the shares of the others, and Regina ran the business while Pedro served in the military.
Their grandson Eugene traveled to England to learn from master-brewers of porter the principles of maturing beer in oak casks (or foeders) as well as the process of properly blending the results. He returned to Roeselare and created masterful sour ales for which the family's brewery became famous.
Today the Rodenbach Brewery, since 1998 a part of the Palm Brewery Corporation of craft brewers, produces award-winning sour ales for distribution worldwide.