The city of Ypres was reduced to rubble by German artillery in the First World War. But underground kazematten (casemates) survived below the ancient ramparts built by Vauban in the 17th century. The Kazematten Brewery moved into one of these hidden cellars in 2014.
Launched in 2014 as a joint venture by the Sint-Bernardus and Rodenbach breweries, the microbrewery produces a golden ale called Grotten Santé and a light beer called Wipers Times Blond.
The Wipers Times beer is named after a satirical war newspaper published in the cellars in 1915 by British troops sent to defend Ypres.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
