A FEW WORDS ABOUT US
Gino Vantieghem - Brew Master
With a long and passionate carreer in the brewing of the frotty stuff...
Gino started his brewing carreer with an internship at Brouwerij
Riva in Dentergem right after his studies at the University of Leuven
(BioEngineer ).
As brewmaster at Unibroue in Quebec he created a wide range of
hugely successful beers. Gino was one of only two Belgian brewers
who helped to jumpstart the Craftbeer movement in the US and Canada
in the early 1990's. (the other one being legendary brewer white beer
brewer Pierre Celis (Hoegaarden, Celis White).
After the takeover of Unibroue by Sleemans Breweries Gino returned
to Belgium where he rekindled the now defunct Riva brewery and turned
it into Liefmans Breweries. By the age of 37 he received the prestigious
Master of the Barley Lifetime Achievement Award out of the hands of
Legendary beerwriter Michael 'the beerhunter' Jackson (not sure about
his moonwalking skills though).
Gino until today remains the most awarded Belgian Brewer in the
World Beer Championships with the most different (types of) beers.
Gino our Master Wizard has created many award winning beers and
he will do so again for De Feniks !
Jasper Candaele - Yeast Whisperer
Jasper is a very talented BioEngineer and Brewer. Having studied in
Gent and having worked at Flemish Institure for BioTechnology VIB
he has a keen knowledge of brewing technology.
An accomplished brewer in his own right he was the creator of our
Jazz' Black Oatmeal Delight stout. Next to doing most of the
operational work in the brewery (hard labour) he helps to fine tune
our recipes.
Kurt Decoene - Barrel Master & Apprentice wizard euh....
Beer, wine & Single Malt Whisk(e)y drinker with a long and passionate
carreer in drinking the stuff. It's the only thing he's good at really.
Well that and a modest talent in Problem Solving, a talent honed by a
quarter century of fixing computer problems and project management.
Currently Kurt still works 4/5 at a multinational company as a Regulatory
IT Specialist.
Kurt and his wife Angela (Wang) have almost a decade of experience
doing business in and with China.
Kurt loves good food and drink. A course of Artisanal brewing was
a good start. It not only was a great way to learn more about brewing
beer but also introduced him to a number of other people who are
passionate about beer and brewing.
Angela Wang - Queen of Ales
A force of nature with an established career (18 years) in management,
TV, purchasing and sales both in China and in Europe. Angela
studied International Business Management at VIVES.
She speaks Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese & Hunan), English, Dutch
and basic French. She has a background in Classic Chinese Dance and
is a prominent member of the Chinese community in Belgium and she
is also actively involved in numerous Cultural events.
Angela increasingly helps to develop additional business for De Feniks
both in the domestic market as abroad.
Article number: FBBPW035