DYNAMICS & EVOLUTION

The story of beer as the signboard of Belgian tradition, dynamics and craftsmanship, is one of passion and evolution. But no brewery in Belgium has such an interesting and surprising history as Alken-Maes. This brewery, which once arose from two local town breweries, has entered the new millennium as part of the second largest brewer’s group of Europe.

It was as if it was written in the stars. While brick maker Egied Maes bought a brewery in Waarloos in 1880 in order to breathe new life into it, Arthur Boes started a brewery in Limburg, some 100 km further on. At that time breweries were shooting up like mushrooms. At the turn of the century Belgium counted 2576 breweries, which delivered their divine beverage in 140000 cafes.

Although a lot of breweries experienced some hard times during and after the first World War, the breweries of Alken and Waarloos stood the test of time through quality technical inventiveness. In Waarloos the family Maes reached a new milestone and in 1928 launched plans to triple the capacity. Afterwards both breweries continued to progress steadily.

In 1969 the brewery Maes passed into the English hands of Watney Mann but a successful management buy-out attempt ensured a steady anchoring in 1985. In 1988 the fusion between the plant of Alken and Waarloos was a fact, a cooperation that immediately yielded.

In 1978 Maes expanded with the purchase of the brewery l’Union in Jumet. L’Union, a capital beer producer, helps Alken-Maes with its production of special beers such as Grimbergen. Whereas Waarloos and Alken Maes are specialised in lager, the plant in Jumet masters the production of high fermentation beer.

For a company with solid ambitions though, the range of products was still insufficient. Through its participation in the brewery De Keersmaeker in 1989 the Belgian brewer’s group set foot ashore in the range of spontaneous fermentation beer. The brewery brews Geuze and fruit beers using the name Mort Subite.

And still the appetite is not yet satisfied. Experts will immediately notice that one product is still missing in the list, namely the white beer. The brewer’s group acquired the "Brugs" beer, a strong beer from West Flanders, which is brewed in Belgium’s most authentic town Bruges. At the same time the delicious beer Ciney is also included in the list of drinks. Thanks to this broad product range Alken-Maes earns a strong reputation in Belgium and the Netherlands. And the brewery moreover also scores on an international level.

Alken-Maes is very popular in the British Isles, not only with the British consumer but also with Scottish & Newcastle, the largest British brewer, which eventually even leads to an amalgamation of the two breweries in March 2000.

In 2002, Alken-Maes takes over the Louwaege Brewery from Kortemark, well-known for its Hapkin beer.

The future plans that the brewery established in 2001 promised an ambitious challenger role thus offering Alken-Maes some promising perspectives for the future.