Bertinchamps

About

Owners: the Humblet family
Brewer: Benoît Humblet
Ingredient sourcing: Regeneratively-farmed local malted barley, water from their own farm, hops from Germany and the Czech Republic
Beer styles: Classic Belgian styles, including Blonde, Brune, Triple, and Blanche, plus modern twists like Pamplemousse
Annual production: 10,000 hl

Quick facts:

• Benoît Humblet, patriarch of the family, has been brewing for more than 35 years.
• The Bertinchamps farm dates back more than seven centuries–they installed a modern brewing system in 2013 and have been working to restore the abandoned but beautiful property since.
• Environmental sustainability is one of their most important values: they source their malts locally, transform their brewing waste into green energy, and are installing solar panels on the roof.

Benoît Humblet has been brewing beer for almost forty years: after getting his brewing engineer diploma in 1975, he worked in breweries in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Centrafrica, Cameroon, and France. His dream was always to start his own brewery with his family in his native Belgium, and when they found the Bertinchamps farm in 2011, they knew it was the perfect place. The site dates back to 1343, but when they took it over, it had been abandoned for many years and was essentially in ruins. After two years of intensive renovations, they installed an ultra-modern, eco-friendly brewing system in the old barns and began brewing Benoît’s long roster of classic Belgian ales.

The barley that makes up the main ingredient in their beers is grown in the fields around the brewery and malted at Belgomalt in the same village. From the field, to the malting company, to the brewery, the grain only travels about 10km in total. The farming practices are certified regenerative, which involves reducing the use of pesticides, protecting the soil with cover crops, and promoting biodiversity. The spent grains are sent to a biorecycling plant where they are used to produce green energy. Water is sourced from their own farm, 67m below the surface. Barley, water, and hops (sourced from Germany and the Czech Republic) are the only ingredients in most of their beers. With the exception of the Blanche and Pamplemousse they eschew all spices and aromatics–the complex flavors of their beers come solely from the fermentation process.

Bertinchamps is a true family project: while patriarch Benoît is the master brewer, his wife Geneviève manages hospitality at the brewery; daughter Anne-Claire is responsible for PR & administration; daughter Marie-Laure oversees the renovation of the farm; son Jean-Philippe is in charge of retail & export; and son Marc-Edouard works with his father in production.