Alken-Maes is launching the non-alcoholic version of Maes and Cristal lager beers on tap. During the initial phase, the brewery is focusing on some 100 customers, including the Ghent football club, the Trix concert halls, and Pukkelpop.
Alken-Maes is the first to roll out non-alcoholic beer on a large scale, according to catering director, Kenny Willems. "For us, 0.0% on tap on a large scale is a first. There are already other non-alcohol varieties available, but no one had really cracked the code on how to bring this to scale, from cafés to sporting events or festivals," he said.
The most difficult aspect of non-alcoholic beer is to avoid the formation of alcohol. Alken-Maes found the method in collaboration with its parent company Heineken. The line of barrels and cleaning procedures were adjusted in the brewery in Alken, and after brewing, Alken-Maes keeps the barrels in stock for two weeks to monitor whether alcohol has formed.
Credit: Belga/Nicolas Maeterlinck
Customers can then choose between mobile tapping installations, a kind of 'barrel refrigerator', or a modified existing installation, in which the beer is 100% cooled and does not come into contact with other substances.
"The non-alcoholic beer must be 100% cooled throughout the circuit and continuously in a very clean, hygienic pipe. This is not possible in a traditional installation," explained quality manager for tapping techniques, Jan Deveux.
The brewing process is the same as for regular beer, so there are fermentable sugars in it, Deveux explained. As soon as something comes into contact with the beer that causes the sugars to ferment, alcohol forms.
Despite the difficulties with scaling up non-alcoholic beer on tap, this is needed to meet the growing consumer interest. "In recent years, we have seen an enormous growth in the sale of 0.0% beer," added Leander Coorevits from Trix, which will make use of the newly launched product.
