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Photos by Cliff Lucas
This editorially independent podcast has been supported by VISITFLANDERS as part of the “Straight Talk” series of podcasts.
In the past year, Belgian family breweries Het Anker and De Ryck have ended generations of family ownership.
Family breweries have always been an important element of Belgian beer culture, but the topic of generational handover in these breweries is rarely spoken about in much detail: what it means to inherit a brewery; to carry a family name forward; to take responsibility for something that existed long before any of us were born.
I sat down with three Belgian family brewers—Céline Lefebvre from Brasserie Lefebvre (sixth generation), Albert De Brabandere from Brouwerij De Brabandere (fifth generation), and Karel Boon from Brouwerij Boon (second generation)—to talk about what it takes to inherit a legacy, deal with succession, and navigate challenging economics.
It’s a longform, rich, and at times, quite personal conversation.
Thanks to Cliff Lucas for shooting photography and assisting with event preparation. And thanks to Louise-Marie Kerkhove and Mathijs Steels of Audiotheque for hosting, audio recording, and sound engineering.
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