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 Petrus
Winter beer is the creation of the Bavik Brewery in Bavikhove,
Belgium. Bavik also brews the legendary Wittekerke white ale and
Bavik Pils, but in many ways, the Bavik Brewery built their house
upon a rock with the Petrus brand. In Greek, Petrus means "rock" and
is the root word for many rock-related terms including "petroleum."
A special brew,
offering a 6.5 % alcohol by volume, with a unique taste that is
perfect for winter. This full bodied dark beer is only brewed from
September through the end of November. The first containers leave
Belgium around mid-September to arrive in the States around
mid-October. From early November on, start asking your quality beer
shops and bar-restaurants for it.
Once you discover Petrus Winter Ale, it is impossible to imagine the
warm glow of a winter evening without Petrus' full and hearty
flavor. Petrus
Winter Beer is a caramel-red beer of high fermentation. This
Christmas child of the Petrus family is only brewed through the
month of November. Its soft aroma is the perfect start for cozy
holiday season.
The Brewery
In
August 1894 Adolphe De Brabandere, farmer at the "Hof ter Koutere"
submitted an application with the town council of Bavikhove for
permission to “build a brewery”. One of his children, Joseph De
Brabandere, concocted that very same year his very first brew.
Joseph De Brabandere died in 1929 at the age of 54. After some
difficult years, his son Albert took the lead of the brewery and
under his guidance the company grew steadily.
 Before
1950 the beer was exclusively sold to cafés and individuals. After
1950 deliveries were made to beer merchants. This was also the time
that pils beer became popular. Till then, mainly table beer was
brewed in addition to the draughts beer that was supplied to cafés.
The sales network was extended and now it became possible to
purchase the Bavik and Bon-Val products through the beer traders and
the cafés in West- and East Flanders and in Hainaut. In the meantime
father Albert had been married for some time and he had 5 children
of which 2 sons: Ignace and Vincent. They both contributed to the
flourishing business of the Bavik Brewery. In the midst of the
seventies, the beer trade was in trouble because of the success of
the department stores. Therefore the brewery invested in another
market segment, the sector of restaurants and cafés. In 1975 they
had 150 customers and when they celebrated their centenary they
counted about thousands of clients.
It
was then that the ‘Petrus Oud Bruin’ was born and became a huge
success. As from 1982 Petrus had been for 10 years the principal
sponsor of KSV Waregem; they won three European tickets with that
team and a semi final in the UEFA-Cup. Now the team no longer exists
… is it true then that Petrus really is the rock to build on? But
thanks to the huge publicity of ‘Petrus Oud Bruin’, the ‘Petrus
Triple’ and the ‘Petrus Speciale’ was born. Vincent did not live to
see it. He died in 1986 at the age of 32. So Ignace De Brabandere,
was the only one left of the third generation to be on the managing
team of the brewery. They kept on growing and some years ago there
was the new success with Wittekerke.
 Today,
four generations since its establishment, Bavik Brewery is still a
family run business. Despite the many take-overs and the fusions in
the beer sector, we wish to safeguard our independency in order to
assure the quality and the regional identity. As one of the largest
independent breweries in Belgium, we wish to continue working in the
future to maintain our beer culture.
A Letter from the Brewery
In August 1894
my great-grandfather asked the township of Bavikhove, a small
village in the south of Western Flanders (Belgium), the
authorization “to build a brewery”.
Four generations later, the Brewery Bavik is still a family company.
Notwithstanding the many buying ups and mergers that have been going
on in the beer sector, we are determined to save our independence
and in so doing to guarantee the quality and the regional
specificity of our different kinds of beer.
Our efforts have been rewarded with the success of the “Petrus” and
of the “Wittekerke”. As one of the main independent family breweries
in Belgium, we will continue our efforts to preserve our cultural
Beer patrimony.
My collaborators and I thank you for the interest you take in our
brewery and hope you will enjoy many more happy moments while
savoring our products.
Ignace De Brabandere
Managing Director
Questions, complaints or compliments? Email me at:
beergeek@worldclassbeverages.com |
