Samuel Languy was a video game producer in India before he was a brewer in Brussels.
It wasn’t the expected career trajectory, but five years ago, he opened a brewery with his childhood friend, archeologist Denys Van Elewyck. Their mission was to create Belgian Ales “with a twist” in a small, glass-fronted space in the heart of Brussels’ Marolles district. They called themselves “En Stoemelings,” Brussels dialect for “in secret” or “under the table.” Now they’re located in the Tour & Taxis district, and when COVID-19 struck, they were selling 95% of their beer to bars and restaurants in the city.
When those bars and restaurants closed during lockdown, Languy showed leadership by building a webshop completely from scratch for direct sales, and arranging deliveries by bicycle to individual customers in Brussels. He and Van Elewyck decided to call their webshop En Stoemelivery.
Importantly, Languy also offered support to colleagues in the Belgian capital, selling beers on the webshop from other breweries in the city, including Brasserie De La Senne, Brussels Beer Project, No Science Brasserie, Nanobrasserie L’Ermitage, and La Source Beer Co.
The box of 24 33cl bottles cost €50 (about $61) and was named “Le bac des amis”—“the case of friends.” It was a small gesture that strengthened the resolve of the beer community in the city during its darkest hours.
Words,Breandán Kearney