In the past year, Belgian family breweries Het Anker and De Ryck have ended generations of family ownership. Family breweries sit at the heart of Belgian beer but the topic of generational handover in these breweries is rarely spoken about in much detail: what it means to inherit a brewery, to carry a family name forward, and to take responsibility for something that existed long before any of us were born.

Three family brewers—Céline Lefebvre from Brasserie Lefebvre (sixth generation), Albert De Brabandere from Brouwerij De Brabandere (fifth generation), and Karel Boon from Brouwerij Boon (second generation)—sit down with Breandán Kearney to talk about what it takes to inherit a legacy, deal with succession, and decide how to navigate challenging economics.