De Proefbrouwerij
De Proefbrouwerij is a Flemish brewery founded in 1996 by Dirk Naudts and his wife Saskia Waerniers. The brewery is located in the village of Lochristi, near Ghent. They operate as a rental brewery, creating beers for third party brewers, as well as producing their own beers. They also operate a research and development department focused on the science of brewing.
The “proef” brewery is specifically equipped for the development and production of beers for third parties.
We brew on a relatively small scale: most often between 10 and 140 hectoliters per order. Our customers include beer architects (who most often contribute their own recipe), start-up or existing breweries (who have their own recipe or a recipe that is jointly developed), and individual initiatives.
Author: Caroline Porsiel
Caroline Porsiel is a master distiller and liqueurist based in East Ellijay, Georgia. She founded House of Applejay, a fine spirits and liqueur distillery, in 2022 with her mother, Sabine, crafting award-winning products like Applejay from Ellijay, Mt. Frozen Knob Vodka, and Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. The distillery won a 2024 Best of Georgia Award and a 2025 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. As a founding member of the AMBRU Campaign, launched in 2020, Porsiel advocates for the global recognition of American Brandy and Rum. She continues to drive innovation in the craft spirits industry from her active distillery in the heart of Georgia’s apple country.
