laurent affel
THE LEGEND OF LAURENT D'AFFEL
FROM ERTVELDE

In the 16th century, when Flanders was a hub of trade and
craftsmanship, the small village of Ertvelde was renowned for its inns and breweries.

Among them was a brewery founded by a brewer Laurent d’Affel.

It was said that he knew the secret of a special yeast that made his
beer light yet rich, with fruity notes. He didn’t find this yeast in
ordinary hop fields, but in ancient oak groves.

However, when wars broke out in Belgium between Spain and the
Protestant rebels (16th–17th centuries), the Affel brewery was
destroyed, and its recipes lost. Locals would tell stories that on foggy evenings, in the ruins of the old brewery, one could still catch the scent of hops and sweet malt - as if the spirit of Laurent d’Affel was still brewing his legendary beer.