Palm Breweries

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Palm Breweries

Location	Steenhuffel, Belgium
Year opened	1597
Annual production	1200000 hL
Active beers
Palm Speciale
Dobbel Palm
Royal Van Roy Ale
Steendonck
Rodenbach beers

Palm Breweries is a brewery company. It owns several different Belgian breweries.

[edit] History

As early as 1597, records can be found in Steenhuffel's archives detailing a manor named Den Hoorn.

The first signs of brewing activity at Steenhuffel come in 1747. A deed of consensus mentions two breweries, De Hoorn and De Valck. De Hoorn, owned then by Jean-Baptiste De Mesmaecker, will later develop into the brewery we know today.

In 1908, Henriette De Mesmaecker, great-granddaughter of Jean-Baptiste De Mesmaecker, marries Arthur Van Roy. Arthur Van Roy oversees the running of the their pub and farm, and will eventually become the driving force behind the construction of the brewery as we know it today.

1914, and World War I begins. Unfortunately, the De Hoorn brewery is not spared the violence of the war, and it is completely destroyed. However, Van Roy decides to rebuild it, bigger and better than before. He does so, but still chooses to top-ferment his beer in the old Brabant style rather than brew it using newer methods, such as those used to brew Pilsner.

In 1929, Van Roy decides to give his beer a proper name, calling it Speciale Palm. Speciale refers to the style of beer "Special Belge".

1930, and Arthur Van Roy decides to teach his son, Alfred, how to brew beer. He is taught how to brew it just right, so that it is not only generous and tender, but full of taste and flavour as well. This, coupled with what Alfred learns at the Brussels brewing school, leads to the first copper brewing room with a mill being built. This brewing room is known simply as "Brewing Room 1" today.

[edit] The beers

Brewed in Steenhuffel :
- Palm Speciale (5,4% ABV) amber colored;
- Dobbel Palm stronger and darker, only sold in December replacing Palm Speciale;
- Palm Royale (formerly Royal Van Roy Ale) (7,5% ABV) brewed on the occasion of Alfred Van Roy's 90th birthday;
- Steendonck (5% ABV), a classical white beer.

Brewed in Roeselare : see Rodenbach

Brewed in Brugge :
- Brugge Tripel (8.2% ABV) amber colord;
- Brugge Blond (6.5% ABV);
- Steenbrugge Dubbel and Steenbrugge Tripel two abbey beers;