Brouwerij Rodenbach
Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium · Est. 1821
Tally's Take
Why this matters
The reference point for Flanders red-brown ale, brewing in Roeselare since 1821 and ageing beer in nearly three hundred oak foeders, some of them well over a century old and tended by a dedicated cooper. The sourness comes from time and wood rather than anything added, which means the cellar itself is the recipe — you could copy the process exactly and still not make this beer anywhere else.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2016To Swinkels with Palm
Rodenbach was sold to Palm Breweries in 1998; in 2016 Palm, De Hoorn and Rodenbach all passed to Bavaria — now Swinkels Family Brewers — putting Belgium's defining sour-red house under Dutch family ownership.
The Beer Library
Beers
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Year-RoundFlanders Red Ale
Two thirds beer aged two years in enormous oak foeders, blended with young beer. Rodenbach maintains close to three hundred standing foeders — an inventory no new brewery could ever build.
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How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1821Founded
- 2016To Swinkels with Palm
Rodenbach was sold to Palm Breweries in 1998; in 2016 Palm, De Hoorn and Rodenbach all passed to Bavaria — now Swinkels Family Brewers — putting Belgium's defining sour-red house under Dutch family ownership.
Today the chain tops out at Swinkels Family Brewers.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Brouwerij Rodenbach is controlled by Founder / family.
Royal Swinkels Annual Report 2025 · Royal Swinkels Family Brewers · 2026
BreweryHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-05Reviewed 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Brouwerij Rodenbach
- Who owns Brouwerij Rodenbach?
- Brouwerij Rodenbach is owned by Swinkels Family Brewers. Brouwerij Rodenbach is based in Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium.
- Is Brouwerij Rodenbach still independent?
- No. Brouwerij Rodenbach is owned by Swinkels Family Brewers and is no longer independent.
- When was Brouwerij Rodenbach acquired?
- 2016. Rodenbach was sold to Palm Breweries in 1998; in 2016 Palm, De Hoorn and Rodenbach all passed to Bavaria — now Swinkels Family Brewers — putting Belgium's defining sour-red house under Dutch family ownership.
- When was Brouwerij Rodenbach founded?
- Brouwerij Rodenbach was founded in 1821 in Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium.
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