Traditional Witbier Brewing Disappears from Hoegaarden

In 1957, Brouwerij Tomsin, the last brewery in Hoegaarden still producing the town’s traditional white beer, ceased production. Hoegaarden had been closely associated with witbier for centuries, but the local tradition declined during the twentieth century as changing consumer preferences favored pilsner and other beer styles. The closure left Hoegaarden without a locally brewed witbier and brought the town’s historic white-beer tradition to a temporary end. Pierre Celis, who had worked at Tomsin in his youth, later revived the style in Hoegaarden during the 1960s.