H2O

Olivier Huens fell into the world of beer when he was just a teenager. After a placement at Brasserie d’Achouffe and then at Brasserie d’Écaussinnes, the young brewer gained three years’ experience at Brasserie de la Senne. By 2017, he felt he had gained enough knowledge that he too could brew with wisdom.

Seeking an environmental permit

Olivier knows a thing or two about a brew. Setting up a business, on the other hand…

In order to launch his beery adventure, the young man first had to ensure that he was meeting legislative requirements. To do this, he had to find the holy grail: an environmental permit.

Obtaining this permit takes time, since it guarantees protection from any danger, nuisance or problems that an installation or activity is likely to cause, whether directly or indirectly, to the environment or the health and safety of the public.
So, the brewer asked hub.brussels for help. The Expertise Team supported him in drafting his application for a permit, in order to speed up the process.

A sustainable, circular brewery

In November 2018, the first H20 beer emerged from the depths of the cellars at 845 Chaussée d’Haecht. The amber and fruity “Ale Capone” is just like the brewery: intrepid and feisty.

Olivier, not content with launching his activities single-handed, has taken on another, huge challenge: to make his business sustainable and circular.
In the brewery’s cellars, experiments and fermentation reach record heights, with lashings of organic malt.

Instead of gas, the installations run on pellets, little pieces of compressed wood that produce energy as they burn.

And multitasking Olivier, intends to take this a step further. How? By recovering the dredges, the residue of the brewing process, to create… pellets. It has gone full-circle, the barley has been roasted; it’s now time for the Ale Capone Winter to be tasted!

I’d never have been able to draw up this environmental permit without Catherine’s help, an advisor at hub.brussels. There are too many specialist questions. Each technical aspect corresponds to a particular nomenclature. Without this free assistance, I would have had to use an external consultant.

Olivier Huens, founder of H20