My fellow lovers of fermented hops, let me tell you a story to warm the heart of anyone who loves authentic beer. North of Brussels, in Jette, gueuze is coming back to life: Brasserie Taymans has been relaunched by six brothers, the great-grandsons of its founder. After fifty years of silence, Taymans is brewing again.
An Extraordinary Family Resurrection
After fifty years of inactivity, Brasserie Taymans brews once more. Six brothers, all grandsons of the last brewer, have brought the family brewery back. This is no marketing stunt, my friends — it is the pure and simple resurrection of a brewing heritage that seemed lost forever to the tide of industrialisation.
A family saga to bring a tear to the eye of even the most stoic beer sommelier.
The Glorious Origins (1906–1970)
The original brewery, the Brasserie-Malterie Taymans, was born from the union of Adolphe-Philippe Taymans, a brewer from Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and his father-in-law Pierre Belien, a beer merchant established in Jette-Saint-Pierre. That is how the great brewing adventures begin: from the sacred marriage of the art of brewing and the sense of trade. The key dates tell the story — in 1906 the warehouse went up to mature the lambic; by 1911 the brewery on Rue Van Huyneghem was ready; in 1970, after decades of glory, it closed; and in our own time the fourth generation has brought it back to life.
The architecture of a brewing genius
The brewery at 35 Rue Van Huyneghem was a four-vessel system with a brewing capacity of 120 hl per batch. To put that in perspective, my dear readers, that was a considerable output for the era: a serious installation, not a mere artisan’s workshop.
The traditional nocturnal process
The beer brewed at no. 35 was cooled all night long in a coolship, then transferred to oak barrels that were rolled across the road to the warehouse at no. 32. Picture the daily spectacle: those oak casks trundling across the street, laden with precious lambic in the making. That was the very soul of Belgian brewing tradition in action.
The golden age and the trials
The main market was Brussels, and the brewery survived even the hardest of times, including the two world wars. Pierre Taymans took the helm in 1936 and kept it running despite the limited room for development the site allowed. Holding a lambic production through two world wars was nothing short of brewing heroism. The brewery finally ceased trading in 1970, when our grandfather Pierre Taymans retired. A page turned in the history of Brussels lambic, leaving behind a void that only a family resurrection could ever fill.
The Modern Resurrection: Six Brothers for a Rebirth
This renewal is carried by six grandsons of the brewer Pierre Taymans. The buildings of the old brewery were demolished following an expropriation; happily, the beer shop and the workshop were preserved. The new brewery occupies that historic Taymans beer shop and workshop, and there is something deeply moving in that continuity of place. Brussels has, since 2021, a new active brewery once more. The installation runs at 10 hl, one twelfth of the original’s capacity.
Rather than chasing the volumes of old, the Taymans brothers have chosen quality and authenticity first — a measured approach that speaks of genuine craft.
A Modern Brewing Philosophy: Tradition and Innovation
The aim is to brew the historic beer, the lambic that serves as the base for blending gueuze and kriek, alongside special beers such as an IPA and a Saison, all with organic ingredients. This organic approach is no passing fashion: it is a return to the roots of traditional brewing, before the age of industrial additives. The range spans IPA, Saison, lambic, gueuze and kriek.
The contemporary creations
1906 IPA, brewed in 2022, takes its name from the year the old Taymans beer warehouse was built, today home to the Rayon Vert cultural centre. It pays homage to the family heritage while speaking to contemporary tastes. The Jetse Saison Jettoise, a refreshing saison, is the second beer in the regular line-up; its very name roots the brewery in its soil — Jettoise for Jette, a fine example of local identity.
Back to the source of lambic
From its earliest days, Taymans married two kinds of expertise: the brewing art for the lambic itself, with its own brewery from 1911, and the art of maturing and blending gueuze, with its own maturation warehouse from 1906. That historic command of blending and brewing is the key to understanding the brewery’s approach today. To bring the brewery and the gueuzerie back to life independently is a great pride for the present generation.
Their most distinctive beer is the lambic, built on the ancient method of spontaneous fermentation — a natural microbiological ambush for inoculation, fermentation and maturation.
A Visual Identity: The Symbols of a Tradition
This crest is the last logo of the original Brasserie Taymans Brouwerij, which closed in 1970. At the top sit two keys — the keys of Saint Peter, which open the gate of paradise. Naturally so: we are in Jette-Saint-Pierre, and the brewery stands close to the church of Saint Peter on Place Cardinal Mercier. Below the dividing chevron lie two solid wooden logs — the noble oak, symbolising the use of timber in beer-making, above all the oak casks in which the lambic rests. A rich symbolism that roots the brewery in faith, in place and in craft.
A Civic Brewery: A Social Commitment
The story is a fine one: a share of the net profit is given to youth projects in Molenbeek, where the family has its roots. That is what sets a true artisan brewery apart from a mere commercial enterprise — a commitment to the community that reaches well beyond profit, in the great tradition of Belgian family breweries that have always been pillars of their neighbourhoods.
The Brussels Lambic in Context
These figures show, starkly, the decline of the urban lambic. At the end of the eighteenth century, more than a hundred lambic producers once flourished in the old heart of Brussels. By 1900, only fifty remained within the city limits. Before the First World War there were many lambic blenders: close to three hundred merchants bought young and old lambic for blending, most often serving it in their own cafés.
That lambic economy was a complex and thriving ecosystem, and its rarity today makes the Taymans resurrection all the more precious.
A Promising Future
This brewery was renowned for its gueuze and kriek, Belgian sour beers that have stood the test of time, and that historic recognition is a solid foundation for what comes next. The strategy of the six brothers is clear: rebuild the family heritage step by step while adapting to contemporary tastes. That balance of tradition and modernity is the key to the survival of today’s artisan breweries.
Conclusion: A Model for Artisan Brewing
The rebirth of Brasserie Taymans is far more than the reopening of a business. It is a perfect model of what twenty-first-century craft brewing can be: rooted in history, socially engaged, technically masterful and commercially viable. In a historic place, six brothers, all grandsons of the last brewer, are bringing the family brewery back to life — that single sentence captures the whole beauty of this human adventure.
My dear readers, if you pass through Jette, do not hesitate to call on this pearl of Brussels brewing. You will find not only excellent beers, but the authentic soul of the Belgian lambic tradition, resurrected by the passion of six determined brothers. A beer without a story is just fermented liquid; a beer charged with history and passion is living heritage in your glass. If this rebirth moves you, it echoes another I have written about: the rescue of Oud Beersel, another pearl of the lambic saved from oblivion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brasserie Taymans?
Brasserie Taymans is a historic brewery founded in 1906 in Jette-Saint-Pierre, Brussels, specialising in lambic, gueuze and kriek. After fifty years of inactivity (1970–2023), it was relaunched by six brothers, great-grandsons of the founder, carrying on the family tradition of spontaneously fermented lambic, a technique inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Where is Brasserie Taymans, and can you visit?
It sits on Rue Van Huyneghem in Jette, north of Brussels, in the historic buildings of the old brewery. Yes, it runs guided visits where you can discover the spontaneous fermentation process and the historic oak casks, and taste the organic creations. Book your visit with Doctor Beer for a complete experience with expert commentary and tastings.
Which beers does Taymans make?
Taymans makes two ranges of 100% organic artisan beers. The traditional range covers spontaneously fermented lambic (the base for gueuze and kriek), gueuze blended in the traditional way, and a kriek with cherries. The modern creations are the 1906 IPA (a homage to the historic 1906 warehouse) and the Jetse Saison Jettoise, a refreshing beer of local identity. Every ingredient is organic, marking the new generation’s environmental commitment.
What is the spontaneous fermentation of lambic?
Spontaneous fermentation is an ancestral method in which the wort is exposed to the open air in a coolship overnight. The wild yeasts and bacteria naturally present in the air of the Senne valley inoculate the beer without any added cultured yeast. The lambic then matures for six months to three years in oak casks, developing its complex, tart aromas. The technique is inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
What is the new brewery’s production capacity?
The new installation has a capacity of 10 hectolitres per batch, one twelfth of the original 120 hl in 1911. This measured approach reflects a genuine artisan philosophy that puts quality and mastery before industrial volume. The six brothers chose to start modestly and grow step by step, in line with the demands of traditional lambic.
How are the six brothers connected to the Taymans story?
The six Taymans brothers are the great-grandsons of the founder and the grandsons of Pierre Taymans, the last brewer of the original brewery, which closed in 1970. They grew up on the family tales of the brewery and decided to carry the heritage forward by relaunching it. This family rebirth symbolises the intergenerational handing-down of Belgian brewing know-how and a deep attachment to the local heritage of Jette.
Where can you buy Taymans beers?
Taymans beers are available directly at the brewery during visits, at specialist artisan-beer outlets in Brussels, and at Belgian brewing events. For a complete experience with tasting notes from a certified sommelier, book a guided visit with Doctor Beer, which includes the discovery of Taymans and other landmark breweries of the Brussels lambic.
— Dimitri Ratkovic, Doctor Beer Brussels, November 2024
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