De Halve Maan

De Halve Maan is a brewery with a very long history of coming along to produce the famous beer of Bruges: Brugse Zot. The brewing shop was registered back in 1954 under the name as Die Maene by Henri Maes. He was supported by his uncle when he learned to produce a high fermented beer which tasted sour and turbid. He renamed the brewery to De Halve Maan. After his death, his two sons - Archie and Henri - took up the brewery. Henri II visited England to learn up new ways of brewing during the Industrial Revolution. He learned to make pale-ale and stout by bringing in new equipment such as a malt house and an oest. In 1905, after their deaths, their spouses struggled to keep the brewery alive through the world war. In 1919, Henri III took up the responsibility of the brewery. He learned the art of low fermentation to produce beers from Germany, which was a leader in brewing. This led to the production of Bock - a light lager which helped in the growth of sales.

Henri IV also showed great interest in the brewery. The brewery grew from home distribution and was sold through horses and carts, and later with trucks across West Flanders. In 1981. Henri IV, along with his daughter Veronique Maes, discovered a new beer, named Straffe Hendrik which was a huge success. This beer also underwent huge issues: the beer ‘s production was taken over by some other firm in 1988 and in 2002, De Halve Maan began to fail. Veronique Maes refurbished the entire brewery: special museum, lounges and dining rooms were added. Xavier Vanneste, son of Veronique Maes, takes up a new project and produces Brugse  Zot which becomes world-famous. He is also able to bring back the long lost Straffe Hendrick back to De Halve Maan, in 2008.