During the great War (1914 - 1918) only a very small part of Belgium was not occupied by the German army. The opening of the sluices of Nieuwpoort had flooded a vast territory and halted the German army. Both sides were stuck in the mud for about 4 years until the armistice.
In the small Belgian territory behind the lines, four industrial maltings and over 100 breweries were brewing day and night to deliver a healthy drink to all the soldiers of the allied forces: Belgium, France, Britain, USA. All these breweries stood under control of the army, or were run by the army. More beer was needed, since it was the only thing the soldiers drank, and thus beer was imported from England, France and even Switzerland.

On the German side, the vast majority of the Belgian breweries was fallen intact into the hands of the Germans. Their policy would change the Belgian brewery world for ever. First of all, they forced all the breweries in a certain city or area to work together by the creation of Central breweries. This decision allowed the Germans to control the brewing more efficiently, and they could take away the copper brewkettles from the closed breweries to make shells for the army. The number of independent Belgian breweries after the war was only a fraction of what it was before the war.

A second major result of the German occupation was the replacement of top-fermented ales by the German style bottom fermented lagers and pilsners. The Central Breweries were forced to brew German style. The population of the occupied territory, which was about 95 % of Belgium, learned to drink and appreciate the pilsner. In the second half of the war, the shortage of barley was felt very seriously, and the quality of the beer suffered tremendously. All kind of substitute ingredients were tried and tested. There was even a fermented product available near the end of the war, named "Houblonnette". It was a 'virtual' beer wherein no grain was used, but boiled water, a little sugar, a little alcohol and hops. It was only drinkable when fresh made. Within 10 days the 'drink' was a waste.

One can say that the Great War in Belgium and Prohibition in the USA, had somewhat the same effect on the local brewery scene, although Belgium was better off after the disaster than the USA. Both countries had fewer breweries, and fewer different beers left, and the people had learned to drink beer from lesser quality. As always, the USA wins in good or in bad: almost no breweries left, and the taste for good beer almost completely disappeared. It must be said that the disaster of Prohibition lasted longer than WW I.

More of these historical stories in "Belgium by Beer, Beer by Belgium",
the 200 pages colorful book about the history of Belgian Breweries.

(Newsletter April 1998)