On an early Wednesday morning, BeerSecret had the pleasure of visiting De Poes Brewery in Tielt, a small town in West Flanders. In 2014, founder Stijn David established De Poes, initially collaborating with brewery Deca to bring his unique beers to life. However, in 2016, he took a significant leap forward by installing his very own microbrewery. Interestingly enough, this means that De Poes shares the same age as BeerSecret! We are about to celebrate our 7-year anniversary this week! We were immediately captivated by Stijn’s passion for brewing and the brand he established. What makes De Poes extra special is that Stijn does all the work by himself, from brewing to bottling and labelling. He strongly believes that you have to be present at every stage of a beer’s life to feel a deeper connection with the beer you brewed. 😺
You can spot De Poes instantly by the huge sign welcoming you at the façade of Stijn’s brewery. It turns out that this is the second-largest enamel plate in Belgium! Entering the brewery itself, we spotted a wonderful collection of old enamel signs from breweries all around Belgium. Even though the brewery is only 10 years old, they love old brewery items and memorabilia. Besides Stijn’s enormous enamel sign collection, he also collects old brewing machinery in order to restore them to their most beloved form.
Another cool object that stands out in the degustation area of his brewery is the magnificent, hand craft statue of Saint Arnoldus. Saint Arnoldus is the patron saint of all brewers and makes sure that the brewer will succeed in creating a delicious beer. It turns out that Stijn’s father is a retired sculptor and that he made this beautiful woodwork. If you look closely, you can spot De Poes’ logo on the cup he is holding!
The story behind the name of the brewery is as charming as the brewery itself. When Stijn was tasting the first batch of his flagship beer, De Poes Blond(e), his cat was demanding continuous attention. So he decided to name the brewery after his cat: De Poes, which is Dutch for cat. As we toured the brewery, we couldn’t help but marvel at the vast variety of beer on offer. Let’s carefully break down some of their fantastic beers. 🍻
As said already, De Poes started with a blond beer: De Poes Blond(e), a full bodied fruity beer with a slight alcohol note at the back of the tongue. No wonder this is his most famous beer, it is simply delicious. The runner up when it comes to most famous beer is De Poes Bruin, which won several awards such as the trophy for best ale above 5% and gold medal at the International Beer Challenge in London.🏅With De Poes Foncee Whiskey Infused, Stijn created an absolute diamond, the infused Belgian Whiskey in the dark beer creates a very accessible but special beer.
Did you know that Whiskey is written with an ‘e’ when it is a Belgian or Irish version? De Poes’ wide range also consists of a Special Belge, a Stout, an Export, a Table Beer and Houblon. He also collaborated with the local monastery to finance their new roof by creating Tielts Kloosterbier, a beer that comes in a brown and a blond version and is now becoming a local favorite. ⛪
All of De Poes’ beers are produced with Belgian Hops, when you take a closer look at the bottle, you can spot the ‘Belgian Hops Label’. Stijn’s dedication to brewing was evident in the quality of his beers. One notable aspect of his brewing process is the use of horizontal lager tanks. Unlike the conventional vertical tanks used by 99% of breweries, Stijn opts for horizontal tanks.
He demonstrated his innovative approach by using special bags in these tanks to speed up the cleaning process, which allowed him to produce more beers without compromising on quality. He loves trying out new styles of beers, which led him to create an exclusive Stout Cognac Barrel Aged, coming soon! 🆕
Our visit to De Poes Brewery was an unforgettable experience, and we left feeling inspired and energized by Stijn’s passion for brewing. It’s not just the beer that’s exceptional; it’s the story behind it and the dedication of its maker that make it truly special. If you’re looking for a unique and authentic beer experience in Belgium, make sure to visit De Poes Brewery in Tielt. You can visit the brewery once a month on Sunday, check De Poes’ website for the exact dates.
Why did we visit this brewery in particular? Well, we have an exciting announcement to make! We partnered with De Poes and 2 other breweries to create a special Taste Adventure Box. 🤩 This box contains 6 unique and exclusive beers from 3 West Flemish breweries, but it isn’t a regular beer box! The Taste Adventure Box comes with taste profile cards in order to rank the beers on color, aroma, and flavor, as well as sweetness, sourness, maltiness, fruitiness, bitterness, and herbiness. When you’ve filled in your observations, it’s time to compare them with BeerSecret’s taste profile cards. It is also accompanied by a helpful leaflet, showing you how to correctly taste and serve beer . To even further enhance your tasting experience, we created 3-course food pairing suggestions for every beer! 🍽️🍻
What are you waiting for?
Order your Taste Adventure Box today or discover more about our box on this page.
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Cheers,
By intern Jef De Merlier for BeerSecret
