Austin’s original craft brewery, Celis Brewery, is gracing us with its beer yet again.

Celis Brewery was the creation of Pierre Celis, a man who is credited with saving the Witbier style in Belgium in the 1960s.  His hometown of Hoegaarden was the site of many witbier breweries until the style was nearly wiped out.  Eventually he was forced to sell his brewery, Hoegaarden, to the company Interbrew, who would go on to become Anheuser-Busch InBev.  He then opened up his award-winning brewery in Austin, saying that he chose Texas because we have a drawl and talk slowly so he can understand our English.  Celis went on to win a number of awards for his lineup, until he was forced to sell, yet again, and subsequently close for good in 2000.  The rights to brew his beers were purchased by Michigan Brewing Company, who continued his legacy until they went bankrupt in 2012.  Since Pierre Celis’s death in 2011, his family has been vying for the rights to brew his prized beers again.  Lucky for us, they won and are relaunching his labor of love where it began, Austin, TX.  Look for the original lineup across the state in the weeks to come.