In 2003, Tony Traen, took over Kapel van Viven from Willy De Lobel (the founder of Kapel van Viven) Since then, chapel of Viven has undergone several changes: a brand new look, an improved recipe for the Monastery of Viven and a new name. Chapel and Monastry of Viven were baptized Viven Blond and Viven Brown.
The idea to apply our Flemish brewing art to non-Flemish beers haunted Tony and together with Dirk Naudts (owner of the Proef brewery), he developed the recipes of the promising Viven Ale, Viven Porter, Viven Imperial IPA and Viven Master IPA. These exceptional beers, that would truly tempt any beer connoisseur, have been successfully launched onto the beer market in 2010, making them accessible to a wider audience of beer lovers.
For Tony and Krystle Traen, the driving forces behind the brewery, Viven has been a passion for over twenty years.
Krystle, one of the few female brewers in Belgium, is responsible for the taste of the different beers in the range. She composes the recipes and brews the first test batches in the kettles in Damme. When a new beer is tasted and approved by Krystle, the production moves to the Proefbrouwerij in Lochristi to be able to brew higher volumes. Tony is responsible for the administration, transport and sales. He started the Viven story, more than twenty years ago, in the little town of Vivenkapelle and turned it into an international brand.
Cloudy amber with a large beige head. Hoppy aroma with pine, grapefruits and toasted malt. Flavour had plenty of hops, pine, grapefruits, lemons, toasted malt and almost no signs of belgian yeast. Hope this one marks a turnover for belgian hoppy beers. Finished dry and bitter. Solid stuff!
Bottle 33 cl. Courtesy of yespr. Pours deep golden with a slight haze and a dense off-white head. Juicy and peachy American aroma hops. Medium body, very very fruity, some leathery and peachy accents and an almost astringent bitterness. A good IPA - if not exactly an IIPA. 150610
Bottled. A hazy golden beer with a lazing yellowish head. The aroma has notes of eggs, malt, yeast, and straw. The flavor is sweet with notes of lemon, malt, yeast, hay, and eggs, leading to a bitter finish.
Clear amber with a medium off white head. Slightly hoppy aroma with yeasty and fruity notes. Flavour had fairly many hops, pine, grapefruits, toasted malt, yeast and caramel. Finished dry and bitter. Finally a hoppy belgian ale.
33 cL bottle. Pours cloudy to hazy orange with a small off-white head. Aroma is yeasty and fruity. Smooth citrusy and slight herbal hops fruity flavoured mixed with a mild yeasty note. Ends slight herbal and fruity.
Bottle 33 cl. Courtesy of yespr. Pours golden with a slight haze and a dense off-white head. Sweet candy-like aroma. Medium body, fruity and surprisingly bitter. 150610
Bottle at Banbury Beer Festival, May 2010 (used my staff tokens to take a couple home with me) Pours amber with huge billowing white head. Wonderful hoppy aroma I get citrus, with tangerine showing and then there is some soft fruits also. Taste is really hoppy but nicely balanced with a good layer of sweetness, very American in style but also with some Belgian characteristics, I’m not sure that I could identify what they are but there are some I’m sure. Lovely stuff, alcohol is well hidden. A8 A4 F8 P4 Ov16 4.0 Had this again On tap at Klein Deugniet, Alkmaar, Nord Holland, Netherlands 28th September 2016 Still a fab beer.
Bottle from Beermerchants.com. Pale yellow pour with a white head. Aromas of honey, passionfruit, pears, peaches. Plenty of fruit. Flavours of ginger, baked apple, sweet spices. Hoppy and sweet. Quite nice.
Bottle at the CASK Pub & Kitchen, London on 16th April 2010. Pours hazy gold with white head. Richly spicy with slight ginger notes and a lemony citric hop kick. Zingy mouthfeel and a hoppy grassy finish.
Very good brown-beige head, stable, leaving lacerings over near-black beer with some red-brown reflections. Soft smoked-woody notes, wet wood, lightly phenolic, not salty. Coffee, cigarashes, smoked with just a touch of sweet maple syrup in the background. Medium bodied, very slick, ever so slight alcoholwarming. Easy drinkable, smooth as it is. Nice smoked porter, maybe just a tad too timid, but obviously sporting very good balance. But - "Art of Flemish brewing"...porter...IPA...??