Bio-engineer with a Czech other half
Why did I enter into the beer business?
Out of love for the product and the technique. In 1998, I graduated as a bio-engineer; I’ve always worked in the process and chemical sector.
Also: out of love for my Czech wife. Czechs and beer are like the French and wine. The country is full of breweries and it would be more than fair to say they go through quite a few litres of beer every day. My wife challenged me to combine the best of our two beer cultures. It was a challenge I fully committed myself to.
Beer brewer with a weakness for rolling landscapes
Why the name Viridis Vallis – or ‘Green Valley’? I have an attraction to green hills, rolling landscapes and valleys with charming little villages. I love Austria. And while Flanders is not so mountainous, I still lost my heart to the Hoeilaart region of the Flemish Brabant province.
Mission: to give Hoeilaart back its own brewery
Hoeilaart once had two breweries of its own: L’Aigle and Vanlier-Groenendael. The latter closed its doors in 1962. And ever since, Hoeilaart has had to make do without a brewery. A situation I decided to change. Today, Viridis Vallis is still brewed in Halen bij Diest. But I dream of a brewery in Hoeilaart itself.
Find a Viridis Vallis sales point in your neighbourhood and enjoy the taste of summer.
The best part about brewing beer is in developing the ultimate taste. Endlessly tinkering with your recipe, with absolute patience and an eye for quality, until you finally reach perfection. Although the end result may actually be even more satisfying: seeing people coming together to raise a glass, drink and enjoy the product of your labour.