In 2015, a new generation has risen and so has the brewery. The Verbeeck-Back family bloodline was reinforced by the De Cock family. Together, they have formed the formidable, reassuringly Belgian-sounding name Verbeeck – Back – De Cock. VBDCK. This new crop of VBDCK heirs to the family tradition of Belgian quality and craft has literally been digging up history by its roots. They are ripping through the nostalgic silence with KEREL, the beer that says it all, and the transformation of the original brewery and family residence into a new place to stay.
IpaPils (12224) reviewed Kerel Kaishaku from VBDCK Brewery 4 months ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7
Lys gul klar med hvitt skum. Lukter karamell og alkohol. Fyldig. Smaker alkohol, fløtekaramell og brød.
Koelschtrinker (42542) reviewed Kerel Rye High from VBDCK Brewery 5 months ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Dunkler, karamellig röstiger Beginn mit alkoholischen Tendenzen. Malz, Rosinen, etwas Whiskey, cremig. Würzig, holzig, langer karamelliger Abgang. 9/11/12/12/8/11
Fredis23 (989) reviewed Kerel Saison from VBDCK Brewery 5 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
7574 17
Clear, Slight Cold Haze Cloudiness, Yellow Straw Color, Huge White Foam Head, Wet Cream Top, Good Retention, Thin Soapy Rings and Dashes of Lacing. Slightly Fruity, Citrus, Lemongrass, Faint Belgian Yeast Aroma. Juicy, Lightly Sweet, Fruity, Citrus, Lemongrass, Mellow Belgian Yeast, Dusty Hops. Juicy, Lightly Sweet, Fruity, Citrus, Lemongrass, Belgian Yeast, Light Spiciness, Dusty Hops Aftertaste. Light And Easy Going. Good. Enjoyed It. Recommended...
beerhunter111 (50581) reviewed Kerel Rye High from VBDCK Brewery 5 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7
A slightly hazy orange golden beer with an off white head. Aroma of dried fruits, caramel, raisins, wood. Taste of dried fruits, boozy malt, caramel, rye, raisins. Strong body.
tderoeck (22711) reviewed Kerel 'Pintje' from VBDCK Brewery 9 months ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
16/IV/25 - 33cl can from Albert Heijn supermarket (Oostakker), shared @ holiday in France, BB: 12/II/26, L4256B5? 10:02 (2025-362)
Clear light blond to yellow beer, big aery irregular white head, unstable, dissipates quickly. Aroma: malty, grains, hay, cow fodder. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: gentle bitterness, grains, a bit sourish, bitter hops, some sweet malts, grains, corn flakes. Aftertaste: sweet malts, grains, a bit yeasty, some banana. Weak excuse for a lager.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed Kerel Blonde from VBDCK Brewery 9 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5
VBDCK, self-described craft brewery which came onto the market in 2015 with their slogan "untouched by monks", has increasingly chosen the path of commercialism lately, producing a Pilsener-like blonde before this one, a 'true' Belgian blonde, which ironically does have a certain link to the tradition of monastic brewing in this country - it almost seems Kerel is forsaking its own principles now, but I guess this is a way to survive in a time when the craft beer hype has sadly passed its peak, an evolution which has already lead to the closure of several innovative 'postmodern' breweries (Atrium is one example). I think this brewery, which I have been following from even before it was officially launched, would be well advised to return to its original state of mind and come up with a more 'internationally' oriented beer soon, but that is just me being nostalgic. Anyway: an ordinary Belgian blonde literally named Blonde is what we have here today, sold in those typical 'pharmaceutical' bottles, but - at least for now - only through the Colruyt supermarket chain, which does present an exclusive brew of their own every now and then (see e.g. a few excluvise Liefmans editions - but do not get me started on that annoying Cara Pils). From the Colruyt in Zele. Medium thick, off-white, very regular, tiny-bubbled and tightly knit yet slowly breaking head on a completely crystal clear, very pure 'old gold' coloured robe with disparate strings of visible sparkling. Aroma of cold French fries, crackers, dried peach, pear, withering kitchen herbs, leftover brioche dough, baked banana, dried apple peel, something oddly smoky or sulphuric (freshly lit match - maybe DMTS?), vague (natural but old) rubber, half-cooked kale, chamomile and that cooked smell of pasteurisation faraway in the background. Sweetish onset, a layer of honeyish sugars over impressions of dried banana slices, pear and apricot, with a moderate minerality from active (even slightly stingy) carbonation; smooth, slick body. Cereally-sweetish pale maltiness in the middle, under ongoing residual sweetness and a trace of that dried banana continuing, towards a rather brief finish with a dash of floral hop bitterness sticking a bit to the root of the tongue, paired with clove-like phenolic spiciness and some of that kale and sulphur returning retronasally (could be DMS and DMTS, respectively, but pasteurisation could also be at work here). I can even feel the alcohol, in a wry, 'jenever'-like way, and that of course should not at all be the case at this ABV... By far the most mass-oriented, simplistic and 'empty' Kerel beer I had to date - and I dare say I had literally all of them, even every test brew leading up to the official opening of the brewery. Why is this filtered and pasteurised, and deliberately made sweeter than I am used to from this brand? Because Colruyt said so? Well, f*ck Colruyt then (excusez le mot). It is very obvious that Kerel is trying to address the lowest common denominator here with yet another meaningless blonde - do we not already have enough of those in this country? Instead of trying to imitate blonde Leffe or Grimbergen, which do belong to a tradition of being "touched by monks" whether you like it or not, VBDCK better stays true to itself. Granted, after swallowing, that typically Kerel yeast strain breadiness does pleasantly linger in the aftertaste and that is the one thing that withholds me from giving me this a really low score, but that white sugar sweetness, unusually badly hidden alcohol and those 'cooked' aromas should never have appeared in this altogether proud brand. Sorry Charlotte, but I am still looking forward to the next one, hoping it will not be a tripel - so that once again, your output can become a tad more 'agressive' towards the sleepy average-Belgian palate!
MountDad (102) ticked Kerel Dark IPA from VBDCK Brewery 9 months ago
Weird taste but looked fine. Avoid.
MountDad (102) reviewed Kerel Stout from VBDCK Brewery 10 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
330ml squat bottle. Pours a thin black with dark brown edges and a small tan head. Aroma is dark roast malts and some semi sweet chocolate. Beer is slightly thin, medium bitter and off dry with the slightly sweet chocolate flavours over burnt malts.
OK but a bit thin and the mix of bitter & sweet doesn't work for me. Not a stout I'd buy again.
Nisse666 (17733) reviewed Kerel Bière de Garde from VBDCK Brewery 11 months ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7
Bottle Can Het Biermeisje 2025-02-21 Göteborg - First from this brewery
AR: farmhouse yeasty funk, wee cheese, roasted malt, light rich carbonated, grapes (white)
AP: pale brown, thin beige lid
F: farmhouse yeasty funk, wee cheese, roasted malt, light rich carbonated, grapes (white)