A bottle into the story...

A very special beer Previously sold for many years in wooden barrels to taverns, village fairs and the local farms, beer started appearing in large spring-fastened bottles from the end of World War II. To keep up with this new trend of drinking beer at home, the Duycks had the idea of using empty champagne bottles to create their own style of beer bottle and thus Jenlain was the first beer to be bottled in a 75cl champagne bottle with a wire-fastened cork.

The champagne bottle As true pioneers of recycling, the Duycks found all the ways and means to recuperate these bottles that made it possible to enjoy their beer in the home as if freshly drawn from the tap.

The bottles collected at the brewery would be given a new lease of life: “When we were children, our job was to scrape the aluminium collars from the necks of the bottles before they were thoroughly washed, and after they were filled and corked, we would attach the wire fasteners” remembers Raymond Duyck, presently at the head of the family business.

We soon began home deliveries of the beer, then known as “vielle bière” or old beer owing to its having matured for 40 days. It was in 1968 that the beer was given the name “Jenlain” and the bottles were labelled for the first time.

First steps towards fame At that time, a wholesaler in the rue Colbert in Lille started to sell the beer. Its original taste, and word of mouth took care of the rest...

The success of Jenlain has gone from strength to strength since then and in 1997 it became the first matured ale to be sold in 50cl ring-pull cans. This is one of Jenlain’s secrets: to know how to evolve while remaining loyal to its origins and distinctive character, and through this well-deserved success, pay a tribute to the two thousand odd breweries that existed a century ago in the region.

It is thus that Jenlain Ambrée, the best known of the Brasserie Duyck’s beers and the most popular bière de garde, can still be found on all the finest tables almost 90 years since it was first created...