Gembloux.beer S.A. brews its beer on the Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech campus
Brewed in Charleroi until 2022, Gembloux.Beer S.A. was looking forward to finish the transformation of a former research laboratory located on campus to produce its beer. To mark this change, an inauguration evening was held on April 28, 2023.
After a speech by the Rector of the ULiège Anne-Sophie Nyssen and Willy Borsus, Vice-President of the Walloon Region, it was the turn of Éric Haubruge and Luc Minne, respectively President and Managing Director of Gembloux.beer S.A. to answer questions during a panel discussion with Benoît Dispa, Mayor of the City of Gembloux, Frédéric Francis, Dean of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech ULiège and Timothy Deben, President of the General Association of Gembloux Students.
Brewed in Charleroi for 40 years, Gembloux Abbey Beer is now produced in the city that bears its name thanks to the ambitious project of Gembloux.beer S.A. and its various investors. The latter have made it possible to allocate a budget of 3 million euros to this project, which includes the costs of studies, the renovation of an old laboratory, the construction of a cellar and a production hall, the development of the surroundings and the production equipment. It is also worth noting that the materials were specially chosen to be sustainable and energy efficient.
According to Luc Minne, what is also interesting in this project is the community character of the association of investors who run Gembloux.Beer and its brewery: Agro Gembloux Invest (34.4%), Gesval, the ULiège valorisation company (18.6%), Noshaq Spin-Offs (18.6%), Namur Invest Préface (18.6%), the Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech Students' Association (6.3%), the Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech Engineers' Association (2%), three professors and two members of the management (1.6%).
The setting was also well chosen because the idea behind Gembloux.Beer is not only to welcome the curious and hop lovers in its taproom, but also to offer the possibility to students and researchers to take advantage of the advanced equipment of the place to realize their TFE and their research, notably in psychology, microbiology and around alcohol addiction.
The current production of the university brewery is 3200 Hl/year and it is expected that this number will reach 7000 Hl/year in the next three years. The brewery already offers a wide range of beers to satisfy all tastes: Abbaye de Gembloux, a triple lager (8°), Splash, an IPA session (2.9°), Brouette, a Pilsner (5.5°), Fresh Hops, a lager with fresh hops (5°), Dans les bois, a fruity beer (6°), Kilt, a Scotch Ale (9°), Spirit and a blend of barrel-aged beers (10°). An apple beer and a range of matured beers are also on the program.
