Pierre Celis
Encyclopedia
Pierre Celis was a Belgian brewer who opened his first brewery in 1966 to revive the wit beer style in his hometown of Hoegaarden.
. His first batch of Hoegaarden beer was made on 19 March 1966 and he opened Brouwerij Celis (Celis Brewery). In 1980 he opened Brouwerij de Kluis as he transferred the production to new buildings. In the late 1980s his brewery burned down. Because the buildings were not insured, he was forced to sell his company to Interbrew
, now AB Inbev
. He then founded the Celis
Brewery in the USA, which was managed by his daughter Christine. After Celis was acquired by Michigan Brewing Company
, he went to work for them to maintain quality of their beer.
Early life
Celis was born on 21 March 1925 in his family home on the edge of the Hoegaarden town square. He grew up working on his father's cattle farm, but also helped out in the brewery of his neighbour Louis Tomsin. Tomsin brewed wit beer, which was a speciality in the region around Celis' home town.Becoming a brewer
After Tomsin closed his brewery in 1955, wit beer disappeared from Hoegaarden. Celis, who became a milkman after he married, took up beer making in 1965. The first year he started out with a wash tub in the barn of his father. With a loan from his father he bought equipment that came from an abandoned brewery in ZolderZolder
The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlaemen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1980 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix. The F1 circus...
. His first batch of Hoegaarden beer was made on 19 March 1966 and he opened Brouwerij Celis (Celis Brewery). In 1980 he opened Brouwerij de Kluis as he transferred the production to new buildings. In the late 1980s his brewery burned down. Because the buildings were not insured, he was forced to sell his company to Interbrew
Interbrew
Interbrew was a large Belgium-based brewing company which owned many internationally known beers, as well as some smaller local beers. In 2004 Interbrew merged with Brazilian brewer AmBev to form InBev, which is the now largest brewer in the world by volume, with a 13% global market share now...
, now AB Inbev
Anheuser-Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev N.V. is a Belgian-Brazilian publicly-traded company, based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest global brewer with nearly 25% global market share and one of the world's top five consumer products companies by EBITA....
. He then founded the Celis
Celis
Celis is a beer brand. Originally an independent based in Austin, Texas, it is now owned by Michigan Brewing Company.HistoryIn 1966, a milkman named Pierre Celis in the town of Hoegaarden decided to revive witbier, a regional beer style that had become extinct almost a decade earlier when the...
Brewery in the USA, which was managed by his daughter Christine. After Celis was acquired by Michigan Brewing Company
Michigan Brewing Company
The Michigan Brewing Company is a brewery operating in Webberville, Michigan. It produces craft beers.-History:The brewery started in 1996. Celis was purchased by Michigan Brewing in 2002...
, he went to work for them to maintain quality of their beer.