One such farmhouse brewery is the Brasserie Dupont, in the small village of Tourpes , province of Hainaut. The brewery was founded in 1850, and was purchased by the Dupont family in 1920. The story goes something like this: Shortly after WWI, Louis Dupont saw greater opportunity and stability overseas, and began making plans to move to Canada. His father was distressed by this, and sought ways to entice him to stay in the homeland. Knowing that Louis had an interest in brewing, his father bought him the brewery and several local cafes. The ploy worked, and Louis stayed in Belgium. The Dupont brewery is still family owned and operated to this day.
The brewery was never very large; its output hovered around 3000 hectoliters annually until 1986. At that time there was a large government sponsored program called Belgian Beer Year, and the Brasserie Dupont has been growing steadily ever since. Production in 1992 was 5500 hectoliters, and 93's was 6000. Production can grow to 9000 hectoliters with their present equipment. There are currently seven employees.
The brew house holds a 55 hectoliter system with three vessels - a mash tun, lauter tun, and brew kettle. A typical brew session goes as follows : The temperature in the mash tun is raised slowly from 45C to 72C, followed by sparging and a 1 1/2 hour boil. Generous amounts of Styrian Goldings and Kent Goldings pellets are added at the beginning of the boil, and 15 minutes before completion. Wort is then centrifuged and force cooled down to a 12C pitching temperature. After primary fermentation, the temperature is dropped down to 50C for secondary. The cool temperature also promotes yeast flocculation. The beer is bottled before fermentation is complete, so that the unfermented sugars provide carbonation. There is a certain amount of variability in the fermentation, and some batches are dosed with sugar to reestablish consistency before bottling. A different strain of yeast is pitched at bottling time. The beer is then warm conditioned at 25C for six to eight weeks. It may be consumed immediately upon release, but will improve with age.
There are seven beers produced, ranging from the very light Bio legere, to a rich hearty Christmas beer. At only 3.5% alcohol by volume (2.8% by weight), Bio legere is Dupont's entrant into the light beer market. Given the limitations of that style, it is an exceptional beer with a strong yeasty/estery aroma and a sharp hoppiness.
In the middle of the range is Saison Dupont, which is now being exported to the US. The Saison style is making a bit of a comeback in Belgium, and much of Dupont's growth is attributed to the success of this beer. The key to this style is a balance which is difficult to achieve, and exemplified by Dupont. This beer was originally produced in the winter for consumption throughout the summer. As such, it must be hearty enough to age gracefully, yet still remain refreshing on a hot day. Saison Dupont has the same yeasty and hoppy character Bio legere, with a substantial base of malt.
Near the high end of the scale is my personal favorite, Moinette Blond. Weighing in at a hefty 8.5 % alcohol by volume, Moinette Blond is a big, full, and round beer with Dupont's signature yeasty estery character. The generous hop charge is more subdued in the presence of a pronounced malt sweetness.
The Christmas beer has the rather unwieldy name of Avec les Bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont. It's a dark, rich and malty beer at 9.5% alcohol by volume, which will keep for a long time. The sample I tasted had been in the bottle for three months. It was delicious, but still quite young. This beer was first brewed 10 years ago as a gift for the Dupont family's friends and customers. It was so well liked that it appeared on many wish lists the following year, and is now an annual tradition.
In addition to these four beers, there is a Moinette dark, and two all organic beers. Achieving consistency in the organic beers has proven difficult, largely because of limited hop availability. Brasserie Dupont plans to address this in the true spirit of a farmhouse brewery by growing their own hops.
The future of Brasserie Dupont is personified in the young and energetic Mr. Dedeycjer, a direct descendant of Louis Dupont. Mr. Dedeycjer began working in the brewery at the age of 10, scrubbing out the interior of tanks which he was the only one small enough to fit into. Perhaps this is why the brewery now has a modern clean-in-place system.
Mr. Dedeycjer has five years of formal education in chemical engineering, and two years in brewing science. This strong academic background coupled with the practical experience of growing up in a brewery gives him a precocious understanding of all aspects of brewing operations. When he eventually takes the helm of the brewery from his uncle, it will surely continue to prosper.
In early 1994, Brasserie Dupont will take on its eighth employee, an even younger member of the family who is trained in microbiology. He will begin by working with their yeast strain, attempting to realize more consistent fermentations.
The future of Brasserie Dupont looks very promising. With a growing demand for their exceptional products, and a new generation of talented brewers, this is one traditional brewery with a future as bright as its past.