After the First World War, Belgium was introduced to several English ales, which quickly grew in popularity with the locals. Inspired by the success of English ales, Albert decided to create a very special beer using only the best ingredients he could get his hands on. Albert travelled to the UK to acquire the specific type of yeast strain that he wanted but faced initial resistance from the local brewers.

Unwilling to give up, Albert continued his arduous voyage across England and finally managed to get his hands on a precious sample of yeast from a Scottish brewery. Thanks to Albert’s persistence, the brewery is able to churn out unique and flavourful beers using that very yeast strain even to this day!

In the 1920s, a local shoemaker named Van De Wouwer exclaimed that the Victory Ale was “nen echten Duvel” - which meant “a real Devil” - after he tried it. Inspired by the humble shoemaker’s words, the Moortgats rechristened the beer with a new name - Duvel - that endowed the ale with a dangerous but alluring brand which helped build its reputation into what it is today.

The idea behind Vedett was to go against conformist traditions and see life from a different, more casual, perspective. As such, the marketing team created a 3-part video series featuring a unique protagonist in each part. The protagonists, or “sttupids”, all go against the grain and make sense of the world in their own distinctive ways.

This creative way of presenting Vedett to the world resonated with Duvel Moortgat’s target audiences of party-goers, as well as creative and young Belgian beer drinkers that were in search for something different. By leveraging on the fun and quirky aspects of Vedett, the brewery was able to fully express the deeper meaning behind Vedett, of embracing idiosyncrasies and individuality!

Vedett beers have not only been popular amongst beer enthusiasts, but also with the judges at several beer competitions. Many of Vedett beers are award-winners, including the Vedett Extra White, which won a gold medal at the World Beer Awards in 2017 for the category of “World’s Best Belgian Style Wit Beer”!

In addition to its iconic Duvel ale and the innovative Duvel glass, the brewery is also committed to producing its beers while keeping the environment in mind. Duvel not only fully runs on renewable energy, but it also recycles 94% of its waste. The brewery is also actively involved in reforestation projects in Belgium (and the equatorial region) and supports beekeeping activities on the brewery site. Besides the environment, Duvel also looks to empower individuals and support communities at large by embracing a wide variety of projects!

Today, Duvel is still a family-run brewery, with Michel Moortgat - the fourth generation of the Moortgat family - at the helm of the thriving ship. Duvel Moortgat Brewery had a humble beginning - with production at a mere few crates. However, Duvel has grown to become one of the most respected breweries in Belgium that brews sustainably, with its beers enjoyed literally all over the world!