Alken-Maes
Encyclopedia
Alken-Maes is a Belgian
brewery
created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes, located in Waarloos and Alken
. It was bought by Scottish & Newcastle
in 2000, who were taken over by Carlsberg and Heineken in 2007.
. Both had specialized in pils (Maes was producing Maes pils
and Alken Cristal pils) until Maes purchased the Union brewery (based in Jumet
) in 1978, which produced Grimbergen
beer among others.
After the merger, the group continued to purchase other breweries to expand their offer to a larger panel of beers. In 1989, the new brewery purchased a 50% stake in De Keersmaeker brewery, which specialized in spontaneous fermentation beers such as Mort Subite. In 2000, it bought Ciney
and Brugs Witbier as well as the other 50% of De Keersmaeker.
In the same year, the brewery was bought by British
company Scottish & Newcastle
, which in turn was bought by the Carlsberg/Heineken consortium in 2007. In 2002, it took over the Louwaege brewery from Kortemark
(producing Louwaeges Kriek and high fermentation Hapkin). Alken-Maes has now become the number two on the Belgian market. Its headquarters are in Waarloos.
Mort Subite is the brand name for a number of lambic
beers brewed by the Belgian brewery Keersmaeker. The beers take their name from a café in Brussels, A La Mort Subite. Mort subite means "sudden death" in French
, but can also be used to refer to the final throw in a dice game. Underground trading once took place within A La Mort Subite - it was named after the speed at which one could lose one's money.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes, located in Waarloos and Alken
Alken
Alken is a Hesbayen municipality located in Belgian province of Limburg. The community lies just south of the provincial capital of Hasselt. Alken has about 11,000 residents, which gives the village a larger population than the nearby small cities of Borgloon and Herk-de-Stad.- History :Alken...
. It was bought by Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle plc was a "long alcoholic drinks" company with positions in 15 countries, including UK, France and Russia. It was headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the last 20 years, S&N expanded significantly from its home base to become an international business with beer...
in 2000, who were taken over by Carlsberg and Heineken in 2007.
History
Alken-Maes was created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes, located in Waarloos and AlkenAlken
Alken is a Hesbayen municipality located in Belgian province of Limburg. The community lies just south of the provincial capital of Hasselt. Alken has about 11,000 residents, which gives the village a larger population than the nearby small cities of Borgloon and Herk-de-Stad.- History :Alken...
. Both had specialized in pils (Maes was producing Maes pils
Maes pils
Maes pils is a brand of Belgian pils brewed by Alken-Maes. The beer finds its origins in the beer produced in 1930 for Antwerp Universal Exposition called Prima Maezenbier...
and Alken Cristal pils) until Maes purchased the Union brewery (based in Jumet
Jumet
Jumet is a section of the Belgian town of Charleroi within the Walloon region in the Province of Hainaut. It was a commune of its own before the merger of the communes in 1977....
) in 1978, which produced Grimbergen
Grimbergen (beer)
Grimbergen is a group of Belgian abbey beers first brewed in 1128 at the abbey that Saint Norbert of Xanten built for the Premonstratensian canons regular in Grimbergen. They became famous for providing hospitality and their home-brewed beer to visitors, and handed down the recipe over the...
beer among others.
After the merger, the group continued to purchase other breweries to expand their offer to a larger panel of beers. In 1989, the new brewery purchased a 50% stake in De Keersmaeker brewery, which specialized in spontaneous fermentation beers such as Mort Subite. In 2000, it bought Ciney
Ciney (beer)
The Ciney is a Belgian beer native to town of Ciney.Ciney is brewed in the brewery Alken-Maes.-References:...
and Brugs Witbier as well as the other 50% of De Keersmaeker.
In the same year, the brewery was bought by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
company Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle plc was a "long alcoholic drinks" company with positions in 15 countries, including UK, France and Russia. It was headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the last 20 years, S&N expanded significantly from its home base to become an international business with beer...
, which in turn was bought by the Carlsberg/Heineken consortium in 2007. In 2002, it took over the Louwaege brewery from Kortemark
Kortemark
Kortemark is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Handzame, Kortemark Werken and Zarren. On January 1, 2006 Kortemark had a total population of 11,976...
(producing Louwaeges Kriek and high fermentation Hapkin). Alken-Maes has now become the number two on the Belgian market. Its headquarters are in Waarloos.
Products
- Pils: Maes pilsMaes pilsMaes pils is a brand of Belgian pils brewed by Alken-Maes. The beer finds its origins in the beer produced in 1930 for Antwerp Universal Exposition called Prima Maezenbier...
, Cristal and KronenbourgKronenbourgKronenbourg Brewery is a brewery founded in 1664 by Geronimus Hatt in Strasbourg, France as the Hatt Brewery. The name comes from the area where the brewery relocated in 1850. The company is owned by the Carlsberg Group...
1664 - Brown beers: Zulte, Judas, Brown CineyCiney (beer)The Ciney is a Belgian beer native to town of Ciney.Ciney is brewed in the brewery Alken-Maes.-References:...
and Special CineyCiney (beer)The Ciney is a Belgian beer native to town of Ciney.Ciney is brewed in the brewery Alken-Maes.-References:... - Blond beers: Blond CineyCiney (beer)The Ciney is a Belgian beer native to town of Ciney.Ciney is brewed in the brewery Alken-Maes.-References:...
, Hapkin - Abbey beers: Grimbergen (blond, Trippel, Optimo Bruno, Dubbel and Cuvée de l'Ermitage)
- Wheat beerWheat beerWheat beer is a beer that is brewed with a large proportion of wheat. Wheat beers often also contain a significant proportion of malted barley. Wheat beers are usually top-fermented...
: BrugsBrugsBrugs is a white beer from Bruges, Belgium, based on a traditional Brabant brew.The name comes from Dutch "Brugs tarwebier", which means "wheat beer of Bruges". Brugs was first brewed in Bruges, capital of West-Flanders... - Spontaneous fermentation (lambicLambicLambic is a very distinctive type of beer brewed only in the Pajottenland region of Belgium and in Brussels itself at the Cantillon Brewery and museum...
) beers: Mort Subite (gueuze and fruit lambics, including cherry (kriek) and raspberry (framboise/frambozen), Louwaeges Kriek - LagerLagerLager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
: Foster's - Beers with a low alcoholic content: Maes Nature and Tourtel (alcohol-free).
Mort Subite
Lambic
Lambic is a very distinctive type of beer brewed only in the Pajottenland region of Belgium and in Brussels itself at the Cantillon Brewery and museum...
beers brewed by the Belgian brewery Keersmaeker. The beers take their name from a café in Brussels, A La Mort Subite. Mort subite means "sudden death" in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, but can also be used to refer to the final throw in a dice game. Underground trading once took place within A La Mort Subite - it was named after the speed at which one could lose one's money.