Catalogue no. BBG167

Wiel's

Brewery: Brasserie Wielemans-Ceuppens
Beer style: Pils
Glass style: Pilsner
Capacity: 25cl
Place: Brussels (Brussels)

Curator’s Notes

This simple 25 cl pilsner glass belonged to Wiel’s, once one of the best-known beers of Brussels. Its tall, gently tapering form is characteristic of the style often known in Flanders as a boerke.*

The decoration gives an otherwise functional glass considerable elegance. A gold rim is echoed by the fine gold border surrounding the red-and-white Wiel’s name, while above it sits the brewery’s heraldic emblem, with two stylised horses supporting a crowned shield.

Wiel’s began life during the Second World War as an exceptionally weak beer, but was reformulated after the war and became the flagship pils of Brasserie Wielemans-Ceuppens. By then, bottom-fermented beer had transformed drinking habits in Brussels, replacing much of the city’s older tradition of lambic and other local beer styles.

The last Wiel’s was brewed at Forest in September 1988. The brewery itself has not entirely disappeared: its landmark 1930 brewhouse survives as WIELS, a contemporary art centre whose name preserves that of the beer.

I found this glass at the Marolles flea market in Brussels for just €1. Its survival in the city where Wiel’s was once an everyday beer seems particularly appropriate.

* Boerke, literally “little farmer”, is a Flemish name for a simple, smooth-sided pils glass, typically with sides tapering towards the base. The origin of the name itself is uncertain.

Wiel's

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