At Brouwerij De Leite, we brew according to a traditional process, taking care at every step. By carefully mashing, filtering, boiling, cooling, fermenting, ageing and bottling, we guarantee the highest quality. With a sophisticated selection of malts, hops and herbs, we give each beer its unique character.
Every beer starts with the right malt. Depending on the type of beer, we use different malts, such as germinated and roasted barley.
The brewing process starts with crushing the malt. We then heat the brewing water in the mash tun and add the malt (pouring). Over the course of an hour and a half, the mixture of water and malt (mash) is heated in stages. This is called mashing. During this process, natural enzymes convert the starch into fermentable sugars – the basis for beer.
After mashing, we pump the mash into the filter tank. Here, the wort (sugar water) is carefully filtered. The remaining grain residues, known as draff, are given a second life as animal feed at a friendly farm. The filtered wort then goes to the boiling kettle for the next step in the brewing process.
In the boiling kettle, we bring the wort to a boil and add hops and any herbs, depending on the recipe. After boiling for an hour, the wort goes to the whirlpool, where centrifugal force helps remove solid particles – a natural filtration method. We then quickly cool the wort and pump it to the fermentation tanks for the next step.
In the fermentation tanks, we add yeast to the wort. This converts the sugars into alcohol and COâ‚‚. Fermentation takes 4 to 7 days, followed by a maturation period of approximately 3 weeks. The young beer is then ready for the next step.
The beer is bottled and kegged. We add a little yeast and sugar to the bottles to allow a second fermentation to take place. The beer then ferments for another two weeks in a warm room. Then it's ready to enjoy!
At Brouwerij De Leite, we also brew a range of sour beers. These get their character from mixed fermentation. After the first fermentation and lagering, the young beer matures in oak barrels. The thick layer of wood is full of natural bacteria that burrow up to 6 mm deep into the wood and slowly convert the sugars into a deliciously sour beer.
We use both wine and whisky barrels ranging from 200 to 4,700 litres. These barrels have been used several times and contain the ideal bacteria to allow the beer to develop further. The type of wood also plays a role and contributes to the unique flavour.
For our cherry beer, Cuvée Jeun’Homme Tripel Kriek Sour we allow Enfant Terriple to ferment in oak barrels. The beer is then transferred to a tank where we add sour, pitted cherries. This gives it its deep red colour, cherry flavour and refreshing acidity. We regularly allow part of the maturing cherry beer to develop further in specially selected wooden barrels. The cherries remain on the beer for between six months and a year to release their flavour to the full.
050 66 70 35
info@deleite.be
De Leiteweg 32A
Oostkamp (Belgium)
BTW BE 0463.868.846
050 66 70 35
info@deleite.be
De Leiteweg 32A
Oostkamp (Belgium)
BTW BE 0463.868.846
This website contains information about alcoholic beverages and is intended for adults. Please confirm your age.