You’ve maybe heard of Belgian beers? Perhaps that many of them are quite good? Maybe you have even heard that a few American craft beer brands were inspired by them? New Belgium jumps out to me right away for some reason. Well, knowledgeable reader, it will please you greatly to also learn that Brewers Supply Group (BSG) just announced it will soon be distributing Belgium’s most famous malt brand — Dingemans — still a family-run company that supplies Belgium’s most famous beer.
If you’re interested in brewing classic Belgian-style beer, Dingemans will lay a great foundation. BSG announced that on January 1, 2020, it will be the exclusive distributor of Dingemans Malt in the United States and Canada. From the press release:
“BSG strives to offer the highest quality ingredients from around the world to craft brewers and distillers and the addition of Dingemans to our portfolio achieves an important goal of offering the finest malt from Belgium,” said Ian Ward, president at BSG. “Dingemans malts are used in every iconic Belgian beer from Trappist triples, to lambics. We are truly excited to partner with the Dingemans family and increase the understanding and availability of their diverse range of malts across North America.”
BSG will be carrying a wide range of malts from Dingemans — favorites like Special B, Aromatic and Pilsen malt. To get you started thinking, here are some Belgian-style beer recipe ideas directly from the Dingemans website. Plus, customers will have the knowledge base backing of BSG, which provides tons of technical support.
Information on the range of Dingemans malts can be found on BSG’s websites, catalogs and at events.
The Dingemans malt story
Mouterij Dingemans began in 1875 when Alexander Dingemans started producing malt from barley grown on his own farm to supply the many breweries in neighboring villages. Alexander’s son Alphons had 11 children (“Enough for a football team,” as the Dingemans family says) and seven of his sons worked in the malthouse.
Dingemans benefits from a central location in the middle of the best barley-growing regions of Europe. The facilities and practices have been continually expanded to meet the evolving demands of the brewing industry, from larger germination floors and kilns, to a roasting drum, silo complex, energy efficient measures, and malts produced from organic barley.
Today, Dingemans remains 100 percent independent and family-owned, with 5th generation members Karl and Jan Dingemans guiding the business. Their parents, Alfons Dingemans and Rita Cardon, remain on hand to offer the benefit of their experience.
Chris Starke says
My cousin’s tiny brewery makes amazing Belgian-style beers using mostly locally-grown and -malted grain (and no imported grain), and thankfully, his customers clamor for more. Belgian grain is not necessary for brewing great Belgian-style ales. It’s much more than just the grain.
Keith Gribbins says
Can’t argue with any of that.