In 2008, Alken-Maes was taken over by the Dutch Heineken Brewery.
In 2009, Alken-Maes changed the recipe of Maes Pils, resulting in a slight change in taste and a rise in the percentage of alcohol from 4.9% to 5.2%. To mark the change, Maes was rebranded with a new logo, a new embossed bottle, and a new descriptive slogan: "Extra Mout/Extra Malt".