Mechelse Felle: Celebrate Together
Mechelse Felle is brewed at Batteliek and breathes the atmosphere of Battel. Just as festive banquets with long tables full of friends and family were organized during the Burgundian Renaissance, we celebrate this now at Batteliek. Batteliek is a meeting place for cyclists, hikers, locals of Battel, and everyone who loves conviviality, good food, and refreshing beers, lemonades, and elixirs. The label of Mechelse Felle depicts the Burgundian Renaissance in all its glory with the festive table, the coat of arms of Margaret of Austria, and the used ingredients.
Timeless Flavor adventure
Fel beer used to be a stronger beer with a higher alcohol content. With its 6.3%, Mechelse Felle is less strong today, but in the time of the Burgundian dukes, it was a powerful beer.
Mechelse Felle is brewed with red rye, just like in the Burgundian Renaissance. This cheap grain was grown everywhere in our region back then. Het Anker chooses borage and juniper as herbs, plants that could be found in almost every garden during the Renaissance. Citrus is added as a symbol of the Italian and Spanish influences and the exotic products that came through the ports.
This results in a smooth blonde beer that catapults you back to the vibrant Burgundian Renaissance with every sip
Het Anker and the Burgundian Renaissance
Het Anker is one of the oldest breweries in Belgium, with roots in the 15th century. On the same site, the Mechelen beguines brewed beer, also for Margaret of Austria. The beguines have disappeared, but the beer remains, and gin has made way for whisky.
In 1872, the Van Breedam family bought the brewery and turned it into a modern brewery. Today, Charles Leclef leads the family brewery as the fifth generation. The Gouden Carolus beers and whiskies have found their way to more than 40 countries and have received international awards and recognitions. Het Anker has three locations: the brewery and distillery on Guido Gezellelaan, the bottling and logistics center in Mechelen North, and the microbrewery, distillery, and lemonade factory Batteliek in Battel.
