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Alexandre Dumont didn’t want to settle in the Hainaut province where he grew up, so he bought an old farmhouse in Jandrain-Jandrenouille in the province of Walloon Brabant.
Jandrain and Jandrenouille are actually two separate Belgian villages. So small, so close together and so culturally intertwined are they, however, that they are often referred to as a single entity. If you operate a brewery from one of the villages, your brewery is in both.
Dumont’s traditional farmhouse, classic red-bricked and grey-stoned walls surrounding a four-sided central courtyard, was originally constructed in the 14th century, but now takes on an 18th century vibe after renovations during that period.
The farmhouse has a large barn. In the barn, Dumont has installed a 10 HL brewhouse with more than 12 fermenters of various sizes. For several years, it was more of a hobby with his friend Stéphane Meulemans, but in 2013 Dumont became serious about brewing, bought out his friend and increased production more than ten-fold over the next five years from 180 HL a year to 2000 HL a year.
Dumont’s beers are interesting for a number of reasons.
Firstly, he follows a farmhouse ethos. His water is pumped from the village. The barley he uses comes from a nearby farm and is malted in small quantities by Mouterij Dingemans.
Secondly, Dumont was one of the first brewers in Belgium to combine indigenous old world styles such as Saisons and Belgian wheat beers with the tropical fruit and pine qualities of new world hops. This was no coincidence. Dumont has another job. He works in Belgium for the company who distribute hops from the Yakima Valley all over Europe. Many of the hops from the Pacific North West of America that come into Europe come in through Dumont’s employer, including new varieties and those which are more difficult to obtain.
In our discussion, Dumont talks about his work with Yakima Chief Hops, the evolution of the use of hops in Belgium from World War I until recently, the resistance he encountered when he first started showcasing Yakima hops in his beers and his justification for keeping the varieties he uses as a secret.
Sit back, listen and enjoy Alexandre Dumont of Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille.
Special thanks to Nic Crilly-Hargrave for the photographs, to Leander Meuris for the audio recording and to Ales Tales Festival and Beer Merchants for providing the space to record.
