Who owns HOEGAARDEN BEER?

HOEGAARDEN BEER is owned by

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV

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Hoegaarden was originally created in the year 1966 by Pierre Celis, who sought to revive the tradition of witbier in the town of Hoegaarden, Belgium. The last remaining brewer of witbier before Celis, Brouwerij Tomsin, had closed in 1957, leaving a space for it the market. Celis, a former dairyman, had worked in the Tomsin brewery, and bought some brewing equipment and began experimenting with recipes for making white beer again. He originally named the brewery Brouwerij de Kluis (which means “Cloiser Brewery” in Flemish), and named its main beer – Hoegaarden – after his hometown.

The brewery expanded throughout Belgium and brought back witbier from the brink of death, and by 1980 he had to buy a former lemonade factory to keep up with demand. But in 1985 disaster struck. A fire burned down much of the brewing facility, and the cost to rebuild forced him to sell 45% of the company to Brouwerij Artois to help rebuild. In 1988, Brouwerij Artois joined with Piedboeuf Brewery to form Interbrew, and two years later Celis, who was growing frustrated with the conglomerations attempts to change his recipe, sold Interbrew the rest of his shares. In 2004, Interbrew merged with Brazilian brewer AmBev to become InBev. In 2008, Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired InBev, forming Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Celis, meanwhile, moved to the United States and started a new brewery in Austin, Texas called Celis Brewery. That brewery also ended up in a major brewery’s hands, this time Miller. Miller later sold the brand to Michigan Brewing Company, and when that brewery closed in 2012, Celis’ daughter Christine Celis purchased the rights and reopened the brewery.

Popular Beers by this Brand

• White Ale
• Soft Brew Rosee
• Soft Brew Citrus
• Cherry Blossom Wheat
• Hoegaarden Grand Cru
• Julius
• Forbidden Fruit
• Spéciale

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