Brouwerij Roman Alcohol-Free Beers

Brouwerij Roman is a family brewery in Mater, Oudenaarde, in East Flanders, whose history begins in 1545, it says. Its Gentse Strop Alcoholvrij, a 0.4% blond, won bronze at the World Alcohol-Free Awards in 2025.

Who are Brouwerij Roman?

Brouwerij Roman’s story “begins in 1545 with Joos Roman”, it says, and it calls itself “Belgium’s oldest family brewery”. It’s in Mater, “a sub-municipality of Oudenaarde”, and “Carlo and Lode Roman (14th generation) are at the helm of the brewery”. The Belgian company register lists the company from 1927, with Carlo, Lode and Natalie Roman as its directors.

The register lists no linked companies, and shareholdings aren’t public, but we found no drinks group involved, so we list it as independent. In June 2026 Roman and Liefmans, its Oudenaarde neighbour, brewed a one-off beer together, Brouwers Blend, for the Adriaen Brouwer Bierfeesten; VRT described the two as independent competitors.

What Brouwerij Roman brews

Its timeline lists Ename Abbey Beers from 1990, Mater Witbier from 1993, Black Hole from 2005 and Gentse Strop from 2011. Gentse Strop, a 6.9% blond, won bronze in the pale beer category at the World Beer Awards 2024, the awards’ own site shows. Its name recalls the noose-bearers of Ghent: citizens whom Emperor Charles V made wear a noose, a strop, around their necks, the brewer explains.

Installation of a new, fully automated brewhouse began in July 2024, and its first brew was in late November 2024, according to GEA, which supplied it. It had 58.4 full-time staff in 2025 and turnover of €17.4 million (€17.5 million in 2024), with a loss of about €178,000 in 2025, according to Companyweb.

Brouwerij Roman’s alcohol-free beers

Gentse Strop Alcoholvrij is the 0.4% version of Gentse Strop, in 33cl bottles. The brewer says you can enjoy its proud blonde at any moment, with alcohol or without, and it describes a fruity aroma, refreshing taste and light bitterness. It won bronze at the World Alcohol-Free Awards 2025 and was commended in 2026, on the awards’ own results pages. Roman doesn’t say how it’s made, and doesn’t sell it in its own web shop.

Its other alcohol-free beer, Ramon, is “only 0.3% alcohol by volume”, brewed with “a unique yeast” that gives “next to no alcohol production”, Roman says; we don’t know whether Gentse Strop Alcoholvrij is made the same way. Ramon won gold at the World Alcohol-Free Awards 2024, silver in 2025 and bronze in 2026. Roman sells it in 33cl cans in its own web shop.

How Gentse Strop Alcoholvrij compares

Belgian alcohol-free blonds in our directory. Calories as published; checked 31 October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

The Brouwerij Roman beer in our directory

Checked 31 October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

Where to buy Brouwerij Roman

On 31 October 2026 The Alcohol Free Co had single bottles of Gentse Strop Alcoholvrij at £3.70 (an affiliate link), though its cases had sold out. Dry Drinker had sold out, and Wise Bartender doesn’t list it. More in our guide to Belgian alcohol-free beer.

Facts checked against Brouwerij Roman’s own website, the Belgian company register (KBO), Companyweb, GEA, VRT, the World Beer Awards, the World Alcohol-Free Awards, The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker, 31 October 2026.