Brouwerij Union, later Alken-Maes

Brouwerij Union belonged to the brewing history of Jumet, near Charleroi, where Alken-Maes concentrated much of its high-fermentation production. Acquired by Maes in 1978, the brewery became an important home for specialty beers within the expanding group, including beers such as Grimbergen and Ciney. Its story is one of regional brewing expertise absorbed into a larger Belgian brewing network before the Jumet plant closed in 2007. A Jumet brewery joins Maes Brouwerij l’Union was a production brewery in Jumet, in Belgium’s Hainaut province. Maes acquired it in 1978 as part of an expansion into specialty beers. While the Waarloos and Alken sites were associated chiefly with pils brewing, Jumet was valued for its high-fermentation capacity. From Maes to Alken-Maes The merger of the Maes brewery in Waarloos with the Cristal brewery in Alken created Alken-Maes in 1988. Within that group, Union helped carry forward the production of specialty and high-fermentation beers. The brewery’s historical links also appear in the story of Judas, a strong blond beer later associated with Alken-Maes and produced at Brasserie de l’Union in Jumet. The end of the Jumet site Alken-Maes closed the Union brewery in 2007, citing overcapacity and the desire to consolidate production at Alken. The move ended Jumet’s role as one of the group’s major brewing centers, while the brands and brewing traditions connected with the site continued elsewhere in the Alken-Maes structure. Union was Jumet’s high-fermentation stronghold within the Alken-Maes brewing family. Jumet, Hainaut, Belgium 1978: Maes acquired Brouwerij l’Union in Jumet. 1988: The Maes and Cristal-Alken breweries merged to form Alken-Maes. 2007: Alken-Maes closed the Union brewery in Jumet and transferred production to Alken.