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The devil of Antwerp

Jan Olieslagers (1883-1942) was known as the ‘Devil of Antwerp’. He began his meteoric career with building bicycles, but by the age of 17 he started selling motorbikes and set a world speed record by reaching 80 km/h in a motorbike race. This was the period when Olieslagers earned his diabolical nickname. A few years later, he was said to be the first person to break the 100 km/h limit.

Since 1909, Olieslagers has taken an interest in the emerging aviation industry. He became a pilot in France where, faithful to himself, he took part in many air rallies and broke other records. He became rich and famous. In those days, a rather gloomy ditty was circulating about him, translated from the Dutch as follows: ‘If Olieslagers crashes, we'll buy scissors / To cut off his curls and zero him out / If Olieslagers crashes, we'll certainly pick up / His flying machine and half his money / Olieslagers, Olieslagers, what are you waiting for to crash?’

During the World War I, Jan Olieslagers carried out hundreds of dangerous flights and took part in dozens of air battles. He was responsible for the opening of Deurne airport after the war (1923). Olieslagers died in 1942 as a veteran and hero of the nation, in the middle of the war. He had already been unable to fly or compete for some time. (Source: MAS Museum)

Why not combine these two devils?

The Moortgat brewery was founded in 1871 by Jan-Leonard Moortgat. After the World War I, the Moortgats named their beer Victory Ale to commemorate the end of the war. But during the 1920s, the beer was nicknamed nen echten duvel (‘a real devil’) and was eventually renamed ‘Duvel’. It became the brewery's star beer.

It brews and markets Duvel beers, Bel Pils luxury lager (launched in 1930), Vedett (created in 1945 by Albert Moortgat, Jan's son) and Maredsous abbey beer (since 1963).

Today, the fourth generation of the Moortgat family runs the brewery, which has taken the name of its main beer, Duvel.

The brewery is part of the Belgian Family Brewers association. (Source: Wikipedia)