VISITFLANDERS Shines a Light on Brewing Mastery: Dimitri Staelens' Adept Brewery joins the BGBW Awards 2025

VISITFLANDERS announces Adept Brewery as one of the three guest breweries we are showcasing at the annual British Guild of Beer Writers Awards Dinner on 27 November 2025 at Big Penny Social in London..  As part of its ongoing commitment to promoting the rich heritage and innovative spirit of Belgian beer culture, VISITFLANDERS will be sponsoring the Best Communication about Beer and Travel award. This year, attendees are invited to sample a range of Belgian craft beers, including those of Dimitri Staelens' Adept Brewery, an inspiring project that brings together decades of global brewing experience with a renewed local focus.

A Master Brewer’s Dream Realised

Adept Brewery is the result of nearly 30 years of brewing experience. Founder Dimitri Staelens began his career in the mid-1990s at the  Catholic University of Leuven  in its Malting and Brewing Lab, later working in product development at Interbrew/InBev and serving as Quality Director at Duvel-Moortgat. His long-held ambition to open a local brewery took shape in the village of Winksele, just outside of Leuven, leading to the 2020 launch of ‘De Smederij’ and ‘Brouwerij Adept’. Until 2025, Adept remained a weekend project, but after scaling back his role at Duvel-Moortgat, Dimitri is now focusing fully on growing the brewery and developing advanced techniques such as raw ale and mixed or spontaneous fermentation, while keeping a strong local focus.

International outlook                 

Adept is part of ‘Strangers to Friends’ a collective of four breweries from in and around the city of Leuven who’ve joined forces with four breweries from the Norwich area to share skills, knowledge and passion for brewing, in order to create exciting, innovative brews, and to bring beer lovers in both communities closer together. In 2023, Adept collaborated with Moon Gazer Brewery to develop ‘Donkere Haas’ (Dark Hare), launched at the Leuven Innovation Beer Festival and the Norwich City of Ale Festival, and contributed to the development of ‘Strangers’ Red Ale’ in 2024. Look out for another great new beer to be launched by the collective in 2026!

The Taste of Adept: Three Beers served at the BGBW Awards:

VISITFLANDERS is delighted to present a selection of three diverse beers from Adept, showcasing both quality and exciting experimental styles:

Adept (7.5% ABV): The brewery's flagship beer and namesake. Originally created as a fundraising beer, it has since become the brewery's "calling card" in the Leuven area. This blond, easy-drinking ale offers a classic profile characterised by a pleasant bitterness and a balanced nose of fruity hop and authentic Belgian yeast aromas, making it the perfect introduction to Adept’s quality standards.

GOEDZAKKEN EN VETZAKKEN (8.5% ABV) A Collaboration Ale:  A modern 'raw saison' created in collaboration with the De Kroon and De Vlier breweries (both hailing from the Leuven area). This bold brew is inspired by Scandinavian no-boil 'raw ale' techniques and historical Leuven brewing recipes from  the 1900’s. The resulting straw-yellow beer presents a vibrant, funky saison yeast aroma. The flavour is fruity and smooth, balanced by spicy notes of clove and black pepper, before finishing with a crisp dryness. A delicious thirst-quenching beer, and dangerously easy to consume quickly!

ADEPT BLACK JACK (7% ABV): A unique and complex porter style beer, this is the Jack Daniel's Bourbon-infused, bottle-refermented version of the brewery’s house porter, WinXXel, which is normally only available on draught at De Smederij bar. Adept Black Jack enhances the original dark malt profile (featuring mocha, coffee, dark chocolate, raisins, and caramel) with light, complementary notes of wood and vanilla from the bourbon ageing, resulting in a complex and highly drinkable ale.

For your chance to meet the talented Dimitri in person and try his selection of beers, come and visit the VISITFLANDERS bar at the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards dinner on 27th November 2025. We hope it’s an opportunity to learn more about these special craft beers and connect with one of Flanders’ most exciting brewers.

24 November 2025

Notes to Editors:

2026  marks the 10th anniversary of Belgian Beer Culture being inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, keep in touch with us for news about events and promotions to celebrate this special milestone via our press releases and newsletters.

About Adept Brewery is a microbrewery operating out of De Smederij in the Leuven area, a historic university city renowned for its brewing heritage , most famously as the birthplace of Stella Artois, whose origins date back to the Den Hoorn brewery in 1366 and now home to a vibrant craft beer scene.

Strangers To Friends was founded in 2022 by Leuven-based breweries Adept, De Coureur, Braxatorium Parcencis and Hof ten Dormaal, and Norwich-based breweries Moon Gazer, Tindall, Poppyland and Grain, with support from VISITFLANDERS. The name Strangers to Friends derives from the medieval term given to immigrants from Flanders and the Low Countries that arrived in Norwich by the city’s inhabitants; the new ‘strangers’ brought skills and knowledge that contributed to the development of the city and the region, the history of which is celebrated at Norwich’s Strangers’ Hall. The concept behind Strangers to Friends is to share and build knowledge and passion in beer and brewing between the two communities. www.strangerstofriends.org       

About VISITFLANDERS This Flemish government agency is the official tourist organisation for Flanders.  The organisation strives for the sustainable development and promotion of tourism to and within Flanders, with a view to boosting the economic return, employment and the well-being of its inhabitants. www.visitflanders.com

Flanders House

1A Cavendish Square

London

W1G 0LD

For more information please contact: 

Anita Rampall

anita.rampall@visitflanders.com 

0207 299 3594

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