Brouwerij Corsendonk

From its foundation in 1398 the Priory of Corsendonk comprised a rather important brewery and malt-house. This can be seen on the plate by Lucas Vosterman from 1659, which was included in Sanderus’ Corographia Sacra Brabantiae. One can clearly see the windmills, the granary, the malt-house and the brewery with the water-well next to it.
In 1784 the Austrian Emperor Jozef II ordered that the monastery and the brewery had to be closed.
From 1906 onwards the brewing tradition of Old Turnhout was continued by Antonius Keersmaekers and in his brewery the famous Pater beer was brewed.
It was particularly from 1982 onwards that Corsendonk beer became famous.
Corsendonk beer became famous. The beer itself and the bottles were made a registered trademark. The simplicity of the design of the bottles recalls the early Middle Ages. The sales went from 840.000 bottles in 1982 to 9 million in 1990.