Malt & Grain

Which grain is used to brew beer in Limburg? Mainly barley, which becomes malt before brewing: the grains are allowed to germinate and are then dried in a kiln so that the starch later becomes soluble. Lighter kilning produces pale beers, while darker kilning adds color and roasted flavors.

Gulpener leans heavily on regional sourcing. For its Bio Pils, the brewery states that all ingredients come from within roughly 25 miles. According to a 2008 report, it worked with around 60 suppliers across roughly 500 hectares of land, farmed as sustainably as possible.

The hilly soil isn't easy for grain farming. On the steep loess slopes, farmers rotate barley with other crops. Brewers like to say they know their farmers personally. Some might call that marketing, but it's easy to verify—ask around locally, and you'll get names.

Alongside barley malt, wheat also appears in Limburg's beers. Gulpener's Korenwolf witbier is a Belgian-style wheat beer, brewed with the spices that belong to the style. Its name recalls the hamster known locally as the korenwolf, a rare animal in South Limburg.

Anyone brewing a Dubbel and a Tripel, as Gulpener does with its Gerardus range, uses darker malts for the Dubbel and plenty of pale malt for the Tripel, often with a touch of sugar. Mestreechs Aajt, meanwhile, is a dark beer with low alcohol, its color and malty character coming from dark malt.