Brouwerijen Alken-Maes

Commercial Brewery in Alken, Limburg, Belgium 🇧🇪
Owned by Brouwerijen Alken-Maes NV/SA - Heineken Belgium

Established in 1988

Contact
Stationsstraat 2, Alken, 3570, Belgium
Subsidiaries
Brouwerijen Alken-Maes owns 3 breweries/brands:
Description
Winning innovator on the Belgian beer market with brands such as Maes, Cristal, Desperados, Grimbergen, Affligem, Strongbow and Mort Subite.

De “Brouwerijen Alken-Maes NV” ontstond officieel in 1988, als gevolg van de fusie van de brouwerijen Maes en Cristal Alken. Maar de roots van beide entiteiten gaat terug tot omstreeks 1880. In Waarloos kocht Egied Maes toen nl. de brouwerij Sint-Michaël, terwijl korte tijd later Arthur Boes een brouwerij startte in Alken, zo’n 100 km verderop.

Beide brouwerijen ontwikkelen zich stelselmatig, met bv. Cristal dat in 1928 als eerste Belgische pils het licht ziet. Maes Pils volgt in 1946. Nadien vervoegen Grimbergen, Ciney en andere bieren de portfolio, tot aan de fusie in 1988. Na onderdeel te hebben uitgemaakt van Danone en Scottish & Newcastle, wordt Alken-Maes in 2008 eigendom van Heineken.

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3.3/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 3 Flavor 3 Texture 4 Overall 3
Can. Sour vegetable/new hay aroma. Light yellow with small head. Mild sour vegetable flavor. With so many choices in Belgium, this is one to avoid unless you have no choice - then drink very, very cold.
Tried from Can on 05 Jun 2005 at 11:38

3.4/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 4 Flavor 3 Texture 2 Overall 3.5
(Bottle 25 cl) 5,1% ABV in my version - although it doesn’t really help this beer. No head, no colour, but most important: no flavour. Coming close to being completely anonymous, this is more like drinking carbonated tap-water. 020797
Tried from Bottle on 05 Jun 2005 at 07:35

3.8/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 4 Flavor 3 Texture 4 Overall 4
(Bottle 25 cl) Pale golden, decent head. I had expected a pils with all flavours removed. Instead I get a rather strong lager with lots of sweetness. They forgot the hops in this. Not very well made. 310397
Tried from Bottle on 04 Jun 2005 at 14:21

6.1/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
(Bottle 25 cl) In my original version brewed by "De Gouden Boom" in Bruges. Pale, hazy yellow with a small white ale. Very typical witbier look. Has all the nice spicy and citrusy flavours but is more bitter and pilsner-like than most wits. Less wheat malt perhaps. A bit flat but nice indeed. 181096 and 280499
Tried from Bottle on 03 Jun 2005 at 16:25

6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
(Bottle 33 cl) My version with 7% ABV. Golden with a huge, fluffy head. Some bittersweet notes of malt with the hops most pronounced in the finish. Lightly burned malt in this according to the label. Nice and rather classical tripel. 280196
Tried from Bottle on 28 May 2005 at 17:10

5.6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 4 Overall 5.5
(Bottle 33 cl) Dark golden beer, extremely full-bodied. Sweet, very sweet - no sickeningly sweet with some late hoppiness to prevent me from spewing. If you consider this as a dessert-beer it might have some raison d’etre. 300695
Tried from Bottle on 24 May 2005 at 15:38

8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 8
(Bottle 25 cl) Golden, very hazy with lots of floating yeast in the bottle. Very sophisticated - almost perfumy - spices. Looks innocent but has loads of alcohol. A nice surprise. 101094
Tried from Bottle on 24 May 2005 at 13:06

7/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Bottled (BB 11/2006)
Golden color with big white head. Fruity and yeasty nose with notes of leather. Carbonated, medium-bodied - finishes thin. Citrusy bitter flavor. Aftertaste is bitterish with some alcohol bite. Balanced straightforward blonde.
Tried from Bottle on 17 May 2005 at 10:47

6.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7
(Bottle 33 cl) Golden, nice and pretty stable head. Very full-bodied with quite some sweetness and a very dominating alcohol. Not the most sophisticated of strong, golden Belgians but this will do... 150893
Tried from Bottle on 12 May 2005 at 17:02

6.8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7
(Bottle 25 cl) Dark brown, pretty tall head that collapses though. Very malty notes. Both fruity and spicy in a good balance between sweetness and bitterness. A very decent dubbel indeed. 040893
Tried from Bottle on 12 May 2005 at 15:44