20 years of Brugse Zot

Bruges – Twenty years ago, in the heart of Bruges, a new beer was born: Brugse Zot. What started as a bold relaunch of a historic city brewery has since grown into a national and international success story.

Brewing has taken place continuously for over five centuries on the current site of Brewery De Halve Maan. In 1856, the site was acquired by the Maes family. Over six generations, the family has built on its brewing tradition, continuously innovating and maintaining a strong focus on quality. Several generations of Henri Maes gave their names to iconic beers, with Straffe Hendrik still standing as a prime example.

In the 1980s, the brewery went through a difficult period. After the sale of the Straffe Hendrik beer brand, brewing activities in the city centre came to a near standstill. But in 2005, driven by Xavier Vanneste, the brewery found new life. Following major investments and renovations of the historical installations, De Halve Maan once again became an active brewery. Today, the only one still brewing in the Bruges city centre, where there were more than 30 between the two World Wars.

A city beer for Bruges
On June 29, 2005, Brugse Zot was launched: a blonde specialty beer, brewed in the heart of the city, born from craftsmanship, character, and a deep love for Bruges. From the very start, it was embraced by locals as the city's very own beer. With its playful name, recognisable identity, and refined flavour, Brugse Zot quickly became a success. A year later, Brugse Zot Dubbel followed. A darker, stronger counterpart.

International recognition soon followed. Brugse Zot was awarded multiple prizes at prestigious competitions such as the World Beer Awards, the Brussels Beer Challenge, and the European Beer Star. These distinctions put the beer firmly on the map, also outside of Belgium. Glowing reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations fuelled a rapid increase in demand both domestically and internationally. This sudden growth even surprised the brewery, which regularly hit its production limits in those early years. The success made further investment not only necessary but also possible.

The bond between city and beer remains essential. Mayor Dirk De fauw testifies:
"Brewery De Halve Maan is a wonderful example of what we, as a city council, want to encourage: high-quality entrepreneurship rooted in tradition, yet looking to the future. Bruges is proud of its history, but we are not an open-air museum. We honour the Flemish Primitives, while at the same time building BRUSK – an art site for the future. Like De Halve Maan, we are ambitious. With Bruges as our home base, we aim for world-class excellence."

Two decades of innovation and growth
The success of Brugse Zot turned De Halve Maan into one of Belgium’s fastest-growing breweries, achieving double-digit growth year after year. To support this growth, the brewery had to continuously invest. Not only in capacity, but also in sustainability and quality. Waves of investment followed one another in quick succession, each with its own financing needs.

Thanks to strong partnerships with banking institutions, support from the Flemish government and VLAIO, and innovative financing tools such as bonds and crowdfunding, De Halve Maan was able to achieve its sustainable ambitions. The Walplein has thus become not only the beating heart of Bruges' beer culture, but also a model of forward-looking brewing operations.

Flemish Deputy Prime Minister Hilde Crevits adds:
“Twenty years is a true milestone in the success story of Brewery De Halve Maan. Entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability… and of course, an excellent product—these are the ingredients that have enabled six generations to brew outstanding beers in the historic centre of Bruges. But this is more than just a drink; it is a symbol of our national and regional identity, putting Flanders on the map worldwide.”

A look back at two decades of Brugse Zot, and the key moments that paved the way from local city beer to international brand:

• 2005 Launch of Brugse Zot – Brewing returns to Bruges city centre
• 2006 150 years of Brewery De Halve Maan – Launch of Brugse Zot Dubbel – Brugse Zot wins gold at the World Beer Cup
• 2007 First exports: Netherlands, USA, and UK
• 2008 The Straffe Hendrik brand returns to Bruges – Brugse Zot wins World Beer Cup gold for a second time
• 2009 First exports to China – Brugse Zot Blond and Dubbel win European Beer Star medals
• 2010 Opening of first bottling plant at Waggelwater – Both Blond and Dubbel win gold again at the European Beer Star
• 2011 Production capacity doubles to 45,000 hl/year in the city centre
• 2012 First export contract with Japan during a royal trade mission led by Prince Filip
• 2013 Four medals at the International Australian Beer Awards
• 2014 Commissioning of a new high-tech brewhouse – Opening of Brugse Zot café in Tokyo
• 2015 First shovel in the ground for the underground beer pipeline. Crowdfunding campaign launched to involve fans in the project: a record €400,000 raised
• 2016 Pipeline inauguration makes global headlines: all beer is now brewed in the city centre and transported via the pipeline to the bottling site outside the city – First container of Brugse Zot shipped to Mexico
• 2017 Brugse Zot enters the Brazilian market with its own sales office
• 2018 Launch of Sportzot, Belgium’s first alcohol-free specialty beer with flavour – One of the first Belgian brewers to sign the Flemish Green Deal for Brewers – Brugse Zot enters the Canadian market
• 2019 Production and distribution of iconic "Brugs Tarwebier" return to Bruges – Construction begins on new bottling plant
• 2020 Partnership with Westhoek farmer Wout Desmyter to grow local hops for Brugse Zot
• 2021 Xavier and Anne Vanneste take over the visitor centre from 5th-generation Veronique Maes – Sportzot wins gold at the Best Beer Awards
• 2022 Opening of the new bottling plant by Flemish Vice Prime Minister Hilde Crevits and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo – Over €2 million raised in just 2 hours via crowdlending for green investments
• 2023 Launch of new water treatment facility and solar park, made possible by previous year’s crowdlending campaign
• 2024 Opening of renovated visitor centre on the historical site – Development of a residual heat network to heat the centre and offices using brewing heat – Brugse Zot becomes official partner of De Warmste Week, raising over €55,000 for charity – Sportzot wins gold again at the World Beer Awards

Firmly rooted in Bruges and facing the future
Today, Brugse Zot is available in more than 40 countries, yet the brewery remains firmly anchored in Bruges. The combination of tradition, innovation, and sustainability lies at the heart of its success. Thanks to the relentless dedication of a passionate team and the continued support of loyal customers, partners, and ambassadors around the world, De Halve Maan looks to the future with confidence.