Sustainability

Towards the end of 2019, our fully automated canning line became fully operational – a first for the Belgian specialty beer industry. Aluminium cans require less transport than traditional beer bottles. What’s more, they are infinitely recyclable! Our canning line also eliminates the need for disposable plastic, as we only use FSC paper boxes as packaging.

On the roof of our Bierkasteel, we have 4,529 solar panels, generating an annual output of 2,150 MWh. Thanks to this substantial investment, our brewery now runs 30% on green energy, which means a saving of 1,072 tonnes of CO2 per year. We are also preparing for a future where electric vehicles are set to become the norm, installing charging stations for both electric cars and e-bikes on site.

In our brewing hall, we capture the fumes from the boiled wort in a water tank. These vapours serve to heat the water from 75°C to 95°C. To allow the wort to cool again, we use a similar heat exchanger. The wort is cooled to 20°C and releases the remaining 80°C to the water, which we then reuse within brewing process. This way, hot water is never wasted.

We hold Feed Chain Alliance (FCA) certification, allowing us to legally sell off by-products from the brewing process, such as draff and yeast. Dairy farmers give draff directly to their animals or use it for silage. Surplus yeast, which is rich in many vitamins, can also be used as pig feed.

At our site, we have our own plant to treat wastewater back to surface water quality. Once the water meets discharge standards, it is allowed to flow directly into the stream that flows behind the brewery. Each week, our plant purifies up to 1,700 m³ of water.