Lindemans Brewery celebrates double centenary and introduces new production site

New Lindemans Satellite Brewery is in the works

Lindemans Brewery is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. For six generations, the Lindemans family has been brewing lambic beers. This is still done in Vlezenbeek, where Joos Frans Lindemans married the brewer's daughter Francisca Josina Vandersmissen in 1822. With that, the farming family entered the beer world for good. 2022 will also be an important milestone in the history of the brewery, because in the fall, the Lindemans family will open a second production site in Ruisbroek, called Lindemans Satellite Brewery. With this investment project, cousins Dirk and Geert Lindemans want to support future growth and bring the family business into the third century. The total investment amounts to over 28 million euros.

In recent years, exports of Lindemans beers have increased significantly. Due to the increased production, the company also needs additional storage space. The historic brewery site in Vlezenbeek is almost impossible to expand. Moreover, Lindemans wants to further diversify its product portfolio.

"In the future, we want to continue working creatively and innovatively with lambic. This may soon be combined with high-fermentation beers, which we will in the new Lindemans Satellite Brewery will brew in Ruisbroek", says Dirk Lindemans, CEO of Lindemans Brewery. "In the new brewery site on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal, there will be no lambic. In fact, we don't have a cooling vessel there. So lambic production will remain in Vlezenbeek. Only top-fermented beers will be brewed in Ruisbroek. In an oversaturated market we are not going to come up with already existing beer types. We are looking for new types of beers and products based on mixed fermentation. So as an end product, we will make blends with lambic."

At the Lindemans Satellite Brewery–site was built a brand new brewing hall with milling and fermentation room and storage area. The brewing hall can also serve as a reception area for events. The building also includes space for offices, meeting rooms and a laboratory.

120 hectoliters per brew

Geert Lindemans, CEO of Lindemans: "In the new brewing hall, we can produce up to 12,000 liters per brew. In time, we can go up to six brews per day. With the current fermentation and lagering capacity, the annual production volume is about 150,000 hectoliters. That capacity can even be scaled up."

He added: "The system consists of two mash tuns, a filtering tun, a boiling kettle and a whirlpool. The two identical mash kettles offer greater flexibility and more brewing options. The brewing system is equipped with dryhopping technology. This allows special hops or spices to be added to the brew without increasing the oxygen content in the beer, which improves quality."

The fermentation room houses 10 cylindrical conical tanks (CCTs) with a net capacity of 720 hectoliters and 6 CCTs with a net capacity of 120 hectoliters.

Also inside are three yeast propagation tanks, three yeast storage tanks, a yeast waste tank, and a plant for treating both well and tap water. Next to the building are two more malt silos and a wheat silo of 70 cubic meters each, a marc silo, and a weighbridge.

Additional storage capacity of lambic

Geert Lindemans: "Part of our lambic stock will be stored in the new building in Ruisbroek. A total of 16,500 hectoliters of lambic will be able to be stored in 33 lambic storage tanks of 500 hectoliters each. This will free up space in Vlezenbeek."

At the Vlezenbeek site, in addition to 70,000 hectoliters of lambic maturing in lambic storage tanks, 200,000 liters of lambic also mature in 20 large wooden casks. Following the renovation of the historic site in Vlezenbeek, Lindemans plans to purchase additional casks.

Official opening in fall

Work on the Lindemans Satellite Brewery in Ruisbroek began in December 2020. The building is expected to be delivered in April 2022.

In November 2021, the brewing equipment was tested for the first time. Brewery manager Jan Verzelen: "We are still in the process of trial and error. That will take some time. It is expected that the first beer produced with the new brewing equipment will not be on the market until the fourth quarter of 2022."

The official inauguration of the building will also take place in the second half of this year. 

Focus on sustainability and energy recovery

In the design of the brewing plant, several energy recovery technologies were integrated into the concept.

Jan Verzelen: "For example, we allow the water vapor released during cooking to condense in two stages and the heat is stored in an EST (energy storage tank). That heat, in turn, can be used to preheat wort from the next brew. The last water used in trot rinsing is recovered in the mash of the next brew."

The building is heated (partially) with the residual heat from the gases of the steam boiler. In addition, heat from the cooling and compressed air compressors is also used to create hot water and building heating.

Wastewater is treated in a specially constructed wastewater treatment plant.

Employment

Lindemans currently has 70 employees. With the commissioning of the new site in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw and the associated increase in capacity, 7 additional jobs were created.

With a view to expanding operations, Lindemans is still looking for additional employees for both the Ruisbroek and Vlezenbeek sites. It is mainly technicians, operators and logistics staff that we are looking for. In time, a number of people will also be recruited in support services such as administration, marketing and sales.