It makes a load more sense if you follow what has been happening at the old parent company Riva, now rebadged as Liefmans Breweries – a symbolically English name.

LIEFMANS
Liefmans Breweries
Wontergemstraat 42
8720 Dentergem
T 051 63 36 81
E info@liefmans.be
www.liefmans.be

Where to begin? Well originally Liefmans was an old East Flanders brewery, founded in Oudenaarde in 1679. In 1990 it was taken over by Riva, the brewery of the De Splenter family in Dentergem, just over the West Flanders border, who had recently formed a partnership with the Henri Maes / Straffe Hendrik brewery in Bruges. Sadly it all went horribly wrong and by the end of 2002, with Liefmans’ famous brands being made at Dentergem and sales falling fast. Then enter Gino Vantieghem, the Belgian brewer responsible for much of the success of top Canadian micro Unibroue, and his business partner Renaldo Delabie, with a brave investment of cash and new ideas. In 2003 fermentation of the Liefmans brown ales returned to open fermenting vessels at Oudenaarde, with a noticeable improvement, though all brewing for the group remains at Dentergem. Unsweetened draught Liefmans Kriek (6.5% ****/*), a sharp and striking beer that helps you understand why fruit beers originally caught on, suddenly started to leak into the trade. Even in bottle the Kriekbier has reverted to using whole cherries only and is blended from beers of between six months and three years of age. Recipes and brewing standards for the other key brands have been noticeably improved. As a result production has more than doubled since the takeover. A vintage version of Gouden Band, conditioned in the bottle for several years, is planned as an annual release. They bandwagoned with a grim new range of light (3.5%), fruit-flavoured beer drinks called Fruitesse that are found in tins. A new abbey-style beer called Capucine is better. Brand value is still added to some beers by wrapping corked bottles in paper. The company also imports beers from Unibroue and McAuslan in Canada and Château de Moulinsard in France. There is an industrial museum of brewing with dining facilities for tour groups.

Annual output: 20,000-100,000 hl per annum.

Regular beers:
Liefmans Odnar (4%: ***/*)
Oudenaarde’s slightly sour local brown ale, improved following transfer of fermentation.

Liefmans Frambozen Bier (4.5%: ***)
Brown ale with sweet raspberry something added to hike the price.

Dentergems (5%: ***)
A cloudy, lightly spiced dryish wheat beer, that also comes in Biological.

Liefmans Oud Bruin (5%: ***)
A sweet ‘n’ dry tangy brown ale made by long lagering in steel.

Liefmans Jan van Gent (5.5%: ***/*)
A sweetish copper-coloured ale with a fruity, grainy character.

Brugse Straffe Hendrik Blond (6%: ***/*)
A blondish pale ale that has lost its hop panache in recent years but still drinks well.

Liefmans Kriekbier (6%: ***/*)
A sweetish medium-brown ale with a strong cherry presence.

Liefmans Capucine Blond (6.4%)
The new abbey blond ale.

Liefmans Capucine Brune (6.4%: ***/*)
A middle-of-the road brown ale with a touch of the dubbels to it.

St. Arnoldus Triple (7.4%: **)
A copper-coloured filtered pale ale that we doubt will survive long.

Liefmans Capucine Blond (7.8%)
The new strong blonde abbey ale.

Liefmans Goudenband (8%: ***/*)
A once great brown ale that now manages an aged quality without tannin. Fur coat, no knickers.

Vondel (8%: ***/*)
A sweet, slightly spicy, chestnut ale, possibly spiced, like a less lagered Goudenband.

Brugse Straffe Hendrik Bruin (8.5%: ***/*)
A deep, rich, strong clear brown ale.

Lucifer (8.4%: ****)
A double for Duvel.

Seasonal beers:
4Liefmans Glühkriek (6%: ***/*)
Sweet, cherried brown ale with spices, supposed to be drunk warm.