Like many others of its kind, this brewery originated from a ploughland farm, that was also engaged in brewing beer for its own consumption. The first time this brewery was mentioned on paper was in 1784 under the name of “Brouwerij De Peer”. It is very likely however, that there had been a brewery long before that time but that the farmer, John Baptist De Bruin, a native of the village ‘St. Kruis Winkel’ which is located not too far from the brewery, did not leave any written documents behind until that point in time.

Gradually, brewing became the farm’s main pursuit and eventually all agricultural activities were abandoned between the two World Wars. After John Baptist’s death, his widow, Angelina Petronella Schelfout, continued the business. From 1876 on, her nephew Jozef Schelfout gave her a helping hand. The brewery was extended with a malting house and a hops field. Indeed, many inhabitants of Ertvelde, the village where the brewery is located, can remember the two-acres field that belonged to the brewery.