Hengelosche Brewery
A Dutch lager brewery closed after a lost supermarket contract.
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The Hengelosche Brewery, also known as the Hengelosche Bierbrouwerij, operated in Hengelo, located in the Twente region of the Netherlands. Its beer, Hengelo Bier, was last produced in 1988. That year, the brewery’s owner, Stella Artois, lost a major contract with a supermarket chain to the Bavaria Brewery. In response, Stella Artois closed the Hengelosche facility and chose to focus on promoting its Dommelsch brand within the Dutch market.
The brewery was founded on 1 June 1879 by Herman Meijling and J.H. Bartelink under the name Hengelosche Stoom Beiersch Bierbrouwerij, meaning "Hengelo Steam Bavarian Beer Brewery." The term "Beiersch Bier" referred to Bavaria, where a new method of brewing lager had been developed. Like other Dutch brewers in the 1800s, Meijling and Bartelink adopted this Bavarian process, which used bottom fermentation and cellar storage to mature beer for several weeks. This technique produced a clear lager with a longer shelf life and a smooth taste, allowing early adopters to expand their sales territory and market share.
After World War I, Bartelink left the company, and the brewery was renamed Hengelosche Bierbrouwerij, becoming a family-owned business. In the years surrounding World War II, it ranked among the largest breweries in the Netherlands—larger, for instance, than its local rival Grolsch. In 1974, the Meijling family sold the brewery to the Belgian company Stella Artois. This expansion into the Netherlands contributed to the formation of InterBrew and later InBev, which eventually merged into Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewery group.
Quick Facts
- Established
- 1 June 1879
- Founders
- Herman Meijling and J.H. Bartelink
- Original name
- Hengelosche Stoom Beiersch Bierbrouwerij
- Location
- Hengelo, Twente region, Netherlands
- Owner at closure
- Stella Artois
- Closure year
- 1988
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Hengelosche brewery was established on 1 June 1879 by Herman Meijling and J.H. Bartelink as the Hengelosche Stoom Beiersch Bierbrouwerij, meaning Hengelo Steam Bavarian Beer Brewery. Beiersch Bier refers to the German state of Bavaria, home of an innovative method of brewing that soon became the standard in brewing lager beers.
Like other Dutch brewers in the 19th century, Meijling and Bartelink adapted the Bavarian brewing process of lager beer, using bottom fermentation and cellar storages to mature the beer for several weeks. This approach resulted in typical clear lager, increased preservation and a smooth taste. The early adapters of this technology were able to increase their territory and market share, taking advantage of the extended sell by date.
After the First World War Bartelink left and the brewery name was changed to Hengelosche Bierbrouwerij, a family-owned company. In the years before and after WWII the brewery was one of the largest in the Netherlands, for example bigger than local rival Grolsch. The company was bought from the Meijling family in 1974 by Stella Artois from Belgium. The expansion from the Belgian brewer into the Netherlands was at the root of the creation of InterBrew and later InBev, which merged into Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewery group.
Reader's Guide
The Hengelosche Brewery is significant as a once-dominant Dutch regional brewery that was absorbed into the corporate expansion that eventually formed the world's largest brewery group, Anheuser-Busch InBev. Its purchase by Stella Artois in 1974 marked a step in the Belgian brewer's move into the Netherlands, which contributed to the creation of InterBrew and later InBev.
The brewery's closure in 1988, after Stella Artois lost a major supermarket contract to Bavaria Brewery, illustrates how corporate brand strategy can erase local beer traditions. The decision to promote Dommelsch instead of Hengelo Bier ended a lineage that began in 1879 with the adoption of Bavarian lager methods. The brewery's legacy is preserved by collectors of Hengelo Bier memorabilia, and its story serves as an example of the consolidation that reshaped European brewing in the late 20th century.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Hengelosche Brewery (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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