Palm Breweries

Palm Breweries is a Belgian brewing company based in Steenhuffel and associated with a portfolio of Belgian beer businesses and regional brewery traditions. Its best-known beer is Palm Speciale, an amber-colored top-fermented ale in the Belgian Special Belge tradition. The company also has links to breweries and brands in Roeselare and Bruges, including the Rodenbach and Brugge-related ranges described in reference material. The company's historical roots reach back to Steenhuffel, where archival records mention the manor of Den Hoorn in 1597. Brewing activity is documented there from 1747, when the De Hoorn and De Valck breweries were recorded. De Hoorn later became the foundation of the brewery developed by the De Mesmaecker and Van Roy families. In 1908, Henriette De Mesmaecker married Arthur Van Roy. Van Roy subsequently became the principal force behind the modern brewery's development. The brewery was destroyed during the First World War in 1914. Rather than rebuild around the increasingly popular Pilsner method, Van Roy restored the operation around the traditional Brabant approach of top fermentation. This decision became central to the company's later identity. In 1929, he named the principal beer Speciale Palm, using Speciale to identify its Special Belge style. In 1930, his son Alfred began formal brewing development, combining practical instruction with training at the Brussels brewing school. The resulting copper brewhouse and mill are known as Brewing Room 1. Palm expanded beyond a single beer through stronger seasonal and celebratory variants, white beer, blond ales, hop-focused products, and beers connected with other Belgian brewing sites. In 2013, Palm Hop Select was introduced as a blonde beer using hops grown in the brewery's own garden. In 2014, the Steenhuffel site added a small 1,000-liter experimental brewing installation, supporting limited and experimental production. That year the brewery announced the name Palm Belgian Craft Brewers, abbreviated as PALM nv-sa. The company faced a changing Belgian beer market as consumers increasingly favored heavier specialty beers. Palm-branded beers represented approximately 80 percent of production in 2006 but less than half by 2016, according to the cited reference material. Palm was also a member of the Belgian Family Brewers society until 2016. On May 10, 2016, Dutch Bavaria Brewery acquired Palm Belgian Craft Brewers. The acquisition placed the historic Belgian brewer within a larger international brewing group while preserving its association with traditional Belgian ales and the Steenhuffel brewery heritage.

Palm Breweries developed from a long brewing tradition in Steenhuffel, a village in Flemish Brabant. The site's documentary history includes a 1597 reference to a manor called Den Hoorn. More direct evidence of brewing appears in 1747, when a census deed identified two breweries, De Hoorn and De Valck. De Hoorn, then associated with Jean-Baptiste De Mesmaecker, became the line from which the later Palm brewery emerged. A decisive family transition occurred in 1908, when Henriette De Mesmaecker, Jean-Baptiste's great-granddaughter, married Arthur Van Roy. Van Roy managed the family's pub and farm and gradually assumed the leading role in developing a modern brewery. The De Hoorn plant was destroyed during the First World War in 1914. Van Roy rebuilt it, but chose to preserve the old Brabant top-fermentation method instead of following the industry's movement toward Pilsner-style brewing. This choice gave the brewery a distinctive technical and cultural identity. In 1929, Van Roy gave the brewery's principal beer a formal commercial name: Speciale Palm. The term Speciale referred to the Belgian Special Belge style, a category associated with amber-colored, top-fermented beers. In 1930, Van Roy began teaching brewing to his son Alfred. Alfred also studied at the Brussels brewing school, and this combination of family experience and formal education led to the construction of a copper brewing room with a mill. The room, later known as Brewing Room 1, became part of the site's brewing heritage. The business subsequently developed into more than a single brewery and beer label. Palm's portfolio included beers brewed in Steenhuffel and products connected with brewery operations in Roeselare and Bruges. The range included the core Palm Speciale, a stronger and darker December variant called Dobbel Palm, Palm Royale, white beer, hop-focused blond beer, and the Brugge and Steenbrugge lines. The company also became associated with Rodenbach through its Roeselare brewing operations. Product development continued in the twenty-first century. Palm Hop Select was launched in 2013 as a blonde beer made with hops cultivated in the brewery's own garden. In August 2014, the Steenhuffel site installed a small 1,000-liter brewing system for experimental beers. The installation was named after the former village brewery, and the company announced that the Steenhuffel brewery would henceforth be known as Palm Belgian Craft Brewers, or PALM nv-sa. Palm operated in a difficult market environment during the 2010s. The increasing popularity of stronger specialty beers reduced the relative share of Palm beers in the company's production, from roughly 80 percent in 2006 to below 50 percent in 2016. The company had previously participated in the Belgian Family Brewers society, but its membership ended by 2016. On May 10, 2016, Dutch Bavaria Brewery purchased Palm Belgian Craft Brewers. The transaction marked the end of the brewery's period as an independent Belgian family-linked brewing business and placed its historic brands and sites within a larger brewing group.

1. 2016Acquired by Bavaria Brewery

   Bavaria Brewery acquired Palm Belgian Craft Brewers on May 10, 2016.

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2. 2014Experimental brewing installation added

   A 1,000-liter pilot brewing installation was opened at Steenhuffel for experimental beers, and the company adopted the Palm Belgian Craft Brewers name.

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3. 2013Palm Hop Select launched

   Palm introduced Palm Hop Select, a blond beer using hops grown in the brewery's own garden.

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4. 1930Brewing Room 1 developed

   Alfred Van Roy began brewing training, and the first copper brewing room with a mill was built after his practical and formal education.

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5. 1929Speciale Palm named

   Arthur Van Roy gave the brewery's principal beer the name Speciale Palm.

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6. 1914Brewery destroyed and rebuilt

   The De Hoorn brewery was destroyed during the First World War; Arthur Van Roy chose to rebuild it around traditional Brabant top fermentation.

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7. 1908Van Roy family connection

   Henriette De Mesmaecker married Arthur Van Roy, who later drove the development of the modern brewery.

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8. 1747Brewing activity documented

   A deed identifies two breweries in Steenhuffel, De Hoorn and De Valck.

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9. 1597Early Steenhuffel reference

   Steenhuffel archives record a manor called Den Hoorn, an early historical reference associated with the later brewery site.

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A traditional Belgian specialty-beer company centered on top-fermented Brabant brewing, heritage brewery sites, and a portfolio of amber, blond, strong, white, dubbel, and tripel beers.

• Palm SpecialeBelgian amber specialty ale1929

  Palm Speciale is the brewery's signature amber-colored beer and the product most closely associated with its identity. It represents the Belgian Special Belge tradition and reflects the company's decision to maintain top fermentation in the Brabant style rather than shift entirely toward Pilsner methods. The beer is listed at 5.4% ABV in the reference material.

• Dobbel PalmStrong seasonal ale

  Dobbel Palm is a stronger and darker interpretation of Palm's core beer. It is associated with seasonal December availability, when it replaces Palm Speciale in the cited product presentation. The beer extends the brewery's amber-ale profile into a richer seasonal format.

• Palm RoyaleStrong Belgian ale

  Palm Royale, formerly called Royal Van Roy Ale, was brewed to mark Alfred Van Roy's ninetieth birthday. It is a stronger beer than Palm Speciale and is listed at 7.5% ABV in the reference material, positioning it as a celebratory member of the Palm range.

• SteendonckBelgian white beer

  Steendonck is described as a classical white beer brewed at Steenhuffel. At 5% ABV, it broadens the portfolio beyond amber specialty ale and connects the brand with Belgium's established wheat-beer and blanche traditions.

• Palm Hop SelectBlond hop beer2013

  Palm Hop Select is a blond beer introduced in 2013. Its distinguishing feature is the use of hops grown in the brewery's own garden, linking the product to the Steenhuffel site and presenting a more hop-led expression within the company's Belgian specialty-beer portfolio. It is listed at 6.0% ABV.

• Brugge TripelBelgian tripel

  Brugge Tripel is an amber-colored tripel associated with Palm's Bruges brewing activities. At 8.7% ABV in the reference material, it represents the stronger end of the portfolio and follows the Belgian tripel tradition of high-strength, top-fermented ale.

• Brugge BlondBelgian blond ale

  Brugge Blond is a blond Belgian ale brewed in connection with the Bruges operation. The cited reference lists it at 6.5% ABV. It complements Brugge Tripel by offering a lighter-strength expression within the same regional brewery-linked family.

• Steenbrugge DubbelBelgian dubbel

  Steenbrugge Dubbel is a Belgian dubbel in Palm's broader regional portfolio. It represents the darker, malt-focused side of Belgian abbey-inspired ale styles and is listed among the beers associated with the company's Bruges brewing activities.

• Steenbrugge TripelBelgian tripel

  Steenbrugge Tripel is a stronger Belgian ale in the tripel style. It forms part of the Steenbrugge range and illustrates Palm's participation in several recognized Belgian specialty-beer categories beyond the core Palm amber ale.

• 2016Sale to Bavaria BreweryM&A

  Palm faced a market shift toward heavier specialty beers and had seen Palm-branded beers decline as a share of total production.

  What changed. Dutch Bavaria Brewery acquired Palm Belgian Craft Brewers on May 10, 2016.

  Aftermath. Palm became part of a larger brewing group while retaining its association with Belgian brewery heritage and specialty ales.

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• 2014Adopt Palm Belgian Craft Brewers identityStrategy

  The Steenhuffel brewery added a small installation for experimental production and sought to present its operations under a broader craft-brewing identity.

  What changed. The company announced the name Palm Belgian Craft Brewers, also referred to as PALM nv-sa.

  Aftermath. The naming emphasized the company's Belgian brewing portfolio and its continued product experimentation.

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• 1914Rebuild around traditional top fermentationStrategy

  After the De Hoorn brewery was destroyed during the First World War, newer Pilsner brewing methods were becoming influential in the market.

  What changed. Arthur Van Roy rebuilt the brewery while retaining the traditional Brabant top-fermentation method.

  Aftermath. The choice became a defining part of the brewery's historical identity and its specialty-ale positioning.

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• 2016Bavaria Brewery acquires Palm Belgian Craft Brewers

  Dutch Bavaria Brewery acquired Palm Belgian Craft Brewers on May 10, bringing the Belgian brewer and its associated brewery interests into the Bavaria group.

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• 2016Palm leaves Belgian Family Brewers society

  Palm Breweries was reported as having ended its membership of the Belgian Family Brewers society by 2016.

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• 2014Palm Belgian Craft Brewers adopts new company name

  The Steenhuffel brewery announced that it would operate under the name Palm Belgian Craft Brewers, also using the abbreviated legal-style designation PALM nv-sa.

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1. Palm Breweries