 | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1856 |
| Founder | Leon "Henri" Maes |
| Headquarters | Bruges , Belgium |
Key people | Xavier Vanneste |
| Products | Beer |
De Halve Maan (The Half Moon) is a beer brewery in Bruges, Belgium.[1] De Halve Maan brews Brugse Zot ("Bruges Fool"[2]), Straffe Hendrik ("Strong Henri"), Blanche de Bruges/Brugs Tarwebier and other beers. The Straffe Hendrik and Blanche de Bruges/Brugs Tarwebier brands had been sold to other breweries, but De Halve Maan has recently[when?] bought them back and is returning production to Bruges.
Beer has been brewed at De Halve Maan's location for approximately 500 years.[3] The current brewery has been operating since 1856.[4] The brewery has been in the same family for five generations.[5] The brewery was called Henri Maes until the late 1990s. Henri Maes brewery offered home delivery by horse, and later by truck, after World War II.[6]
In 2016 De Halve Maan completed a 3,276-metre long (2 mi) beer pipeline from its brewery to its bottling plant to avoid having to send trucks through the narrow, cobbled streets of Bruges.[7] At its deepest point, the pipeline runs 34 metres (112 ft) below the surface. The pipeline was partially crowdsourced, and those who contributed received free beer from the brewery.[8]
