History

Gentse Strop honours the proud in heart.
The beer owes its name to the ‘Gentenaars’, the citizens of Ghent, who were in rebellion against Emperor Charles between 1540 and 1545. This legendary event earned the citizens of Ghent the sobriquet the “noose-bearers”. Even now, some 500 years later, the Gentenaars are still justifiably proud of their nickname …

 …By all accounts, when the Gentenaars refused to pay yet another war tax and staged an uprising against their bellicose ruler, Emperor Charles had the Ghent notables paraded through the city to humiliate them, dressed in tabards and with nooses around their necks, as a sign that they deserved to hang.

When they arrived at the Prinsenhof they were made to kneel and beg loudly for mercy from the Emperor and his sister.

 Today, the noose still symbolises proud resistance against any form of tyranny and misplaced authority. Renowned for welcoming different views, Gentenaars are characterised by their healthy headstrong attitude and sense of pride.

 Brouwerij Roman is based in Mater, a suburb of Oudenaarde. And, sure enough, Emperor Charles too had a thing with the city of Oudenaarde. It is, in fact, the birthplace of Margaretha van Parma, his illegitimate daughter.