A Traditional Industry Switches Gears, ca. 1850–1914

Several inventions completely transformed and revolutionized the ancient craft of brewing in the nineteenth century. Among the most important ones: the introduction of steam in the brewing process, a better understanding of yeast and its working, the invention of artificial refrigeration, the breakthrough of glass production, and the scientification and academization of brewing. Lager, a beer style hitherto confined to central Europe, started to spread and supersede traditional ales, creating opportunities which were grasped by several companies, old and new. One was the Artois brewery from Leuven, an already well-established brewery, with a brewing lineage going back to the 1700s. The Piedboeuf brewery from Jupille, on the other hand, was a newcomer in a brewing business in full transformation. This chapter discusses the roots of the two families and their companies that would come to dominate the Belgian and global beer market.