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Unique plan brews in Hernando
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
© St. Petersburg Times, SPRING HILL -- Rarely do family life and devotion to beer spell success and happiness. But for almost 300 years, yeast and malt have been a staple of the Sterkens family, which runs nine breweries throughout Europe and Asia. And now, for the first time since 1731, when it was first linked to making "liquid bread," the Belgian family is taking a leap across the ocean -- to Spring Hill. In February, the family expects to open the St. Sebastiaan Belgian Microbrewery, complete with a 320-seat restaurant serving French, Belgian and American cuisine. The $2.5-million project will eventually employ between 80 and 90 people. What is to be Hernando County's first microbrewery, the 10,000-square-foot establishment will focus on beermaking. The copper and stainless steel equipment will be visible through glass panes from U.S. 19, on property just south of the Hampton Inn, as well as from inside the restaurant. But this will be no place to get hammered, says Serge Van Limbergen, co-owner with his girlfriend, Leen Sterkens. The couple bought a house in Spring Hill seven months ago and have been working out of their home through the design and permitting phase of the microbrewery. In line with Belgian tradition, the two hope to create a family atmosphere where clients can savor the three beers brewed on-site. A fourth, seasonal beer will be offered, too. "Here, beer is considered a beverage," Van Limbergen, 28, said from behind a desk in the couple's spacious home. "But there (in Belgium), beer is an art." For instance, you will not find frosted mugs in the microbrewery, they said. Very cold temperatures break down the foam. Foam is good for the beer because it blocks air pockets and preserves the taste. The microbrewery also will carry specially designed glasses to identify each of the brewed beers, part of the Belgian tradition. Place mats and tours will provide information on how the beer is made. Samples will be given. With initial help from her uncle, who will fly in from Belgium, Sterkens, 24, will be in charge of brewing the beer and will use recipes not used at the family's other breweries. The arduous process lasts eight hours as the liquid filters through the malt, cooks and then cools. "You always have to stay with your beer," Sterkens said. Though her brother is positioned to take over the family business, Sterkens is the first female brewmaster of her family, whose roots date back to 1654. The first record of beermaking by the Sterkens clan traces to 1731. Sterkens remembers waking as a small child to the dry, sweet aroma of malt and the rumbling of the brewery's generator in her family's back yard. She began working in the brewery at about the age of 14, packing and labeling beer. She and Van Limbergen met in college in Belgium, when she was studying business management and he was studying marketing. She invited him to a beer-sampling party where she had brought her family's goods. They have worked together in the family business for four years now. The two found Hernando County because friends had moved here and opened a restaurant. Before Van Limbergen and Sterkens could join them in their business, the friends retired. But while visiting Hernando County, Sterkens and Van Limbergen had fallen in love with the area. The name St. Sebastiaan was the original name of the family's brewing company as well as the patron saint for help during the plague in Europe. Priests were some of the original beer brewers because water was contaminated and spread illnesses, Van Limbergen said. "With our identity, I think we have a much better chance to stand out," Van Limbergen said. Chris King, general manager of Hops Restaurant Bar & Brewery in Port Richey, said the market for microbreweries on the North Suncoast is growing, along with most other things. Many Hops customers drive down U.S. 19 from Hernando County, King said. Hops promotes a sampler platter to introduce its customers to the beer it brews on-site. "It's more for the beer connoisseur," King said. "But there are ways of getting to the general market." Vince Vanni, who is offering consulting services for the St. Sebastiaan microbrewery, said he thinks second- and third-generation Americans living in Spring Hill will appreciate the concept of a family business and tradition. "There's pride in the family," Van Limbergen said. "It's your life, and the life of your father and grandfather."
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