History:

Picobrouwerij Alvinne is a small brewery in the small hamlet of Moen near the Belgian city of Zwevegem. The name of the brewery derives from a female spirit of local folk tales, who can be seen depicted on the brewery's logo and labels.

The brewery creates a wide range of beers, including versions of 'traditional' Belgian styles such as Strong Golden Ales, Abbey-style beers and Saison, as well as original creations that cross stylistic boundaries and beers inspired by styles from outside their home country like Imperial Stout. Although quite small and a newcomer to the Belgian brewing world, being founded in 2002, Alvinne has gained international attention, no small feat in this brewery-intensive nation.

The use of the term "Picobrouwerij" is a play on the scientific terminology for very small objects. It is based on the fact that the brewery's production is smaller by several orders of magnitude than that of a typical microbrewery. The prefix Pico- is playfully combined with "brouwerij", the Dutch and Flemish term for brewery.

At the beginning of Alvinne's existence in 2002, they brewed their beers at the De Graal brewery premises in Brakel, East Flanders, later moving to their own premises in the town of Ingelmunster proper in 2003. In 2006 they relocated again to their current facility in Heule.

 

The new brewery at Moen

 

The tiny brewery makes beer about 3 times per week to make up the annual volume. A brew kettle of 600 liter capacity is used, but batch volume is restricted to 300 liters for the stronger beers due to the limited size of the mash/lauter tun. There are four 1000 liter steel fermentation tanks.

The Alvinne products are generally only available in 33cl bottles (of the short, squat variety popularly associated with beers like Duvel) and on tap. All of the Alvinne beers are and are unfiltered and unpasteurized. The brewery lists most ingredients of their beers on the label. English and Czech hop varieties are most common in their recipes, and the beers produced combine traditional Belgian brewing techniques such as the use of sugar and spices with the methods and styles of other nations. The large quantity of beer styles in production is particularly uncommon for a brewery of such modest size, as is the fact that the diverse brews are created using different commercially-available yeast strains (as opposed a single 'house' strain) to obtain specific flavors and aromas.

Article number: FBBTM045