Brouwerij de Dochter van de Korenaar

Divided by the porous Belgian-Dutch border, the sleepy village of Baarle-Hertog sits surrounded by flat green expansive countryside. Its here that Ronald Mengerink constructed his small batch brewery, Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar. In what must be less that 800 square feet, Ronald is producing fine beer that draws inspiration from an eclectic array of styles and regions. The rich and varied brewing culture of Belgium as well as modern American craft beer are just two of the aesthetics clearly influencing the beer he is making.

Outside the brewery 

I had the opportunity to visit this brewery and several others over the past couple weeks while on vacation in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany. Of the five breweries I visited on the trip, I was struck most by the unexpected creativity, raw simplicity, and quality of the beer that is being brewed at Dochter van de Korenaar.

In this small manageable craft brewery, two brews are done to fill the two to three barrel fermenters with one batch. If any chilling is necessary to control fermentation temperature, cool water is run over the outsides of the fermenters. Aside from a handful of year-round beers, experimental and one-off batches are a staple. Wine and whiskey barrels used for aging casually occupy any available premium real estate around the brewery.

Standing in his brewery, Ronald Mengerink toasts with a glass of his IPA

During my short visit I got to sample the special edition Peat Smoked Oak Aged Embrasse, a dark strong beer that the brewery website describes as "balancing between a trappist and a stout". The special edition gets even wilder and is brewed with a touch of peat smoked malt and then aged in oak whiskey barrels. All of the characteristics you would expect given the description were present in great subtle balance.

Sight glass mounted on the tile insulating the kettle

The second beer I got to sample was the IPA. A great example of the less aggressive more balanced side of the style, the beer was floral with a mildly toasty malt character and a delicate bitterness. Hoppy, but not in the commonly citrusy, piney, American way. Very drinkable. If I remember correctly the recipe makes use of cascade and crystal amongst other varieties. Ronald said that as a small operation in Belgium he has a hard time obtaining many popular American hop varieties but that he can usually get his hands on cascade and occasionally some centennial.

Beer aging in wine and whiskey barrels in the tasting room

I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a bottle each of the Peated Oak Aged Embrasse and L'Enfant Terrible, the only sour ale that Ronald produces. Although I am hoarding these two bottles I do find some solace in the fact that much of De Dochter's year-round beer lineup can be searched out here in the US through 12% Imports. De Dochter van de Korenaar is a unique privately owned and operated small batch brewery that is producing wonderful and creative beer on the border of Belgium and The Netherlands.