Duvel Moortgat

In 1871, Jan-Leonard Moortgart founded the Moortgart farm-brewery in Belgium. The First World War brought Belgium into contact with England and in particular with English ales, which soon became popular in Belgium, too. This inspired Albert Moortgart, one of the sons of Jan-Leonhard, to develop a beer based on the English model. In order to get the best ingredients, Albert traveled to England and Scotland to get the ingredients he needed there. (The yeast from this same source is still being used today!). After the end of the war, Albert and his brother Victor finally had found the perfect recipe and also the pefect ingredients for their own ale. To commemorate the end of World War I, the Moortgarts named their main beer Victory Ale. In 1923, an avid drinker and friend of the family described the beer as “”nen echten duvel” (“a real devil” in Brabantian Dutch) - perhaps in reference to its formidable alcohol content (8.5% ABV) – and the name of the beer was changed to “Duvel”. It has become the brewery's flagship beer.