20 years of Vicaris!
The brewery wants to keep evolving in a changing market, and wants to focus more on sustainability. Things it will continue to work on in 2025.
To kick off the celebration year, the brewery is coming out with a new Lustrum edition. A 10% sparkling blonde beer. The combined fermentation of grape juice and beer gives the Lustrum Brut a unique character.
In the spring of 2025, the brewery will also launch Vicaris Nano° on draught and a second alcohol-free beer. To be continued…
Keep innovating
The brewery continues to respond to the ever-changing market, and in early 2023 will launch a new assortment under the name “Creatives by Vicaris”, each with unique and original recipes, as well as gluten-free! In September the first non-alcoholic beer, Vicaris Nano, was also launched, which has already received several awards at national and international competitions.
In 2024 Vicaris Tripel received the recognition of Belgian Regional Product as the only Tripel in Belgium.
Post corona
After two years of corona, it is finally time for the Ros Carillon to come down from its stable. On May 29, 2022, the postponed Ros Beiaard Ommegang will take place. To mark the occasion, the brewery launches a celebration beer with flax, later, due to its success, this beer will enter the range permanently under the name Lino.
Meanwhile, Kristof, Claire’s husband, joined the team. The brewery also received recognition for its artisanal brewing method through the ‘Handmade In Belgium’ label from Unizo.
A new look
Meanwhile, the brewery has already taken many steps forward in the commercialization of its beers. However, one thing that has remained the same are the labels and the glass.
Time to change that now! After fifteen years, Vicaris needs a refreshment, a new look! Of course with the same top quality, respecting all the good things that make Vicaris unique. Thus Vicaris remains an unfiltered and unpasteurized beer that needs 3 months to obtain its delicious taste.
Brewery Dilewyns went looking for an innovation that does not move too far away from the current style, so that existing customers will still find their Vicaris.
In addition to the label, the Vicaris glass will also be refreshed. The current classic chalice will be replaced by an elegant and contemporary variant that will do more justice to the beers.
Brewery Dilewyns 2017…
Meanwhile, brewery Dilewyns continues to work towards the future by initiating new projects, developing new products and expanding its production capacity. Quality and service are and remain central.
Throughout the years, the Vicaris team has been reinforced by a second brewing engineer, a sales representative and an administrative employee, who all work under the management of Claire and Vincent Dilewyns.
Pure, authentic, familial… the values of our brewery.
A dream come true
In March 2010, a new piece of history was written that laid the foundation for the future. We bought a property on the industrial estate in Dendermonde. After a year of much sweat and hard work to reconvert the property into a first-class brewery, we were able to make our first brew in the new installations in February 2011: Quinto was introduced as a festive beer for the opening of our new brewery.
From that moment on, sisters Anne-Catherine and Claire, together with their father and team, could take on the challenge and make the transition from beer merchant to independent family brewery.
The beginning of Vicaris
At first, we did not have the intention to sell the home-brewed beers of Vincent, they were meant for personal use only. When the heritage society of Grembergen asked to be allowed to serve Vicaris during their exhibition highlighting the brewing history of Grembergen, Vincent went with his recipe to the Proefbrouwerij to have the Vicaris beers brewed under a license. The crates of beer that were still remaining after the reception were sold to interested villagers and acquaintances.
As such, Vincent revived the rich beer history of Grembergen which at that time appeared having been lost forever.
Some of the remaining beer crates ended up with beer association Zythos. This resulted in an invitation to the Dilewyns family to join the Zythos beer festival in Sint-Niklaas in 2006, where its beers won the hearts of the consumer, with the Vicaris Triple winning the Consumer Trophy. In 2007, at the same festival, the Vicardin ended first and the Vicaris Triple second. Finally, the beer was also awarded with the ‘Golden Glass’ of Zwevegem. All this appreciation and awards set the ball rolling.
From dental technician to hobby brewer
Vincent Dilewyns is the founder of Brewery Dilewyns. As a descendant from a brewer’s family, brewing is in his blood. After having followed the right courses and having purchased the necessary equipment and raw materials, he could start brewing. His first beer was brewed on 11 December 1999.
The many experiments with various yeasts, malts and hops resulted pretty quickly in a brilliant result. First, the Vicaris Triple was brought to perfection, then came the Vicaris Generaal.
How it all started…
Anne-Coleta Wauman with her children in about 1885 in the gardens of Grembergen (left to right: Josephine, Florent, Prosper, Octaaf and Gabrielle de Waepenaert and, sitting, Caroline en Constance de Waepenaert).
The oil mill in Grembergen (Dendermonde) was converted into a beer brewery by Anne-Coleta Wauman (seated in the middle), wife of Knight Raymond de Waepenaert (+1873).
At the start, the eldest son, Prosper de Waepenaert, took the lead of the brewery, later his brother Octaaf took over and led the brewery up to 1943. They were the children from the marriage between Knight Raymond de Waepenaert and Anne-Coleta Wauman. Later on, Raymond Cubbens and his brother Leon led the brewery.
During both world wars, the copper kettles were confiscated to make ammunition, which brought an abrupt end to this rich brewery history.
