Petre Devos

So many innovative and exciting things are happening in the world of beer, but Petre Devos finds passion in reviving a forgotten classic. The new generation of this historical brewery brings back a recipe recovered from beer that was made over half a century ago. The story starts back in 1899, when Emmanuel Petre’s great-grandfather August started Petre Devos, a brewery known for its dark ales. Now, Emmanuel is bringing new life into the business, with childhood friends Edward and Karel Vandermeersch by his side. “We want to restore the heritage,” Edward explains. With their fathers and uncles growing up around the brewery in the Belgian town of Oudenaarde, they know the original beer better than anyone. No wonder they discovered the original recipe (with a little help). “We found some old bottles that still contained active yeast and asked the University to analyse it. We know the product inside out.”