Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Fire at De Dolle Brouwers.

Some troubling news from West Flanders this afternoon. A fuel tank exploded, causing a serious fire at the De Dolle brewery in Esen, wounding one brewery employee. According to initial local news reports, the fuel tank was apparently in the brewery's cellar.

That's all I know at the moment. I'll update this post later today if I can.

Just based on this scarce information: It is likely to be a severe blow to one of Belgium's most popular craft breweries. Opened in 1980, its Oerbier, Arabier and Stille Nacht are widely considered to be world classics. Meanwhile our thoughts are with brewer Kris Herteleer and his employees.

Big thanks to Darin for the tip.

By Joe on Wednesday, March 10, 2010

5 Comments:

  1. I read that earlier, terrible news! Let's hope it isn't that bad (for the injured person and for the brewery)...
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  2. What a horrible tragedy. It's always the freakish accidents that stand as a reminder to always keep safety in the forefront of our minds. Brewing can be a dangerous business.

    I hope the injured employee manages to pull through this, and the brewery gets back on its feet.
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  3. Melanie Knepp NOLA Brewing CoMar 10, 2010 12:47 PM
    Sincerest condolences for the brewery & its workers. This is a nightmare situation for all of us who work in breweries. I love their products & met Kris 2 year ago @ Zythos in St. Nikklaus Belgium. He is such a charming man & brilliant brewer. I vow to buy more DeDolle to help get the brewery back rolling strong. Such unique brews..good thoughts & prayers being sent towards Flanders way.
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  4. On their official website, De Dolle Brouwers have published relieving comments, telling that the 'severely injured' worker is already back home and that he'll be working again on Monday. Apparently the brewery itself and the bottling line are unharmed. Only the 'oershow' (would that be Kris' art exhibition in the Oerbar?) and the new roof have suffered fire damage. The Oerbar itself has been damaged byt he smoke and will be moved to the previous brewer's lodging. There will be delays in bottling Oerbier and Arabier but Boskeun and Oerbier Reserva are still on sale. Brewery tours are still on also.

    So there is damage, but not as bad as we could have feared...

    Anyway, good luck to Kris and his team! Hope they'll manage to get over this painful event quickly and continue to treat us with their excellent products!
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  5. Toine, many thanks for pointing that out.
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