Long-awaited beer released by lambic producers and blenders such as Antidoot, Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen, Tilquin, and Bokke had to be moved online, or were even limited to local Belgian customers only. And events such as Cantillon’s Quintessence and the Night of the Great Thirst were postponed, with Quintessence being moved into 2021 and the Night of the Great Thirst currently being scheduled for September 11. Other events such as 3 Fonteinen’s Lambik Tastings from March and June have also been moved into September, surrounding this year’s Open Beer Days, while the BXL Fest scheduled for August has been cancelled for 2020 (though the Exclusive Beer Packs will still be released and will be available for pickup at Moeder Lambic Fontainas after August 24, 2020.

The fate of Cantillon’s Zwanze Day 2020 is still up in the air, with a final announcement expected by August as to whether there will be an event this year at all, and if so, will it be able to be organized globally or just more localized in Brussels or in Europe.

However, all is not lost for the lambic lover in Europe. Over the past month, restrictions have started to loosen, and many producers and blenders are now able to open their doors again for sales, and now even for tasting. Unfortunately, it is not quite as free and easy as it was before the pandemic. Hours are more restrictive than they were in the past, and reservations are required to visit some locations. If you are lucky enough to be able to get to Europe this summer, here’s some helpful information for planning your visits.

Cantillon Brewery/Brussels Museum of the Gueuze

On May 11, Cantillon reopened the doors of their shop for takeaway only on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, which until June 15 meant for Belgian customers only as the borders were closed between Belgium and the rest of Europe until then. As from June 20, Cantillon has also reopened their bar and the Museum of the Gueuze on Saturdays only, however reservations are required. Tours and the bar both start at 11AM, bar reservations can be made by email to info@cantillon.be, and tours can be booked on the Cantillon Website. The bar closes at 5PM, with the last orders at 4:15 PM.

I visited Cantillon for takeaway on Friday, June 26, and also the bar on Saturday, July 4. There was an excellent selection of bottles available for take away. the bottle list for on-site consumption on the 4th was nothing short of outstanding. the new upstairs bar area is set up for customers. There is adequate space for social distancing and it is marked you can see if you click here, and a maximum of 10 persons per table.

Cantillon does still recognize the social aspect of a visit to Cantillon. You are still allowed to share bottles with others, as long as you use clean glasses and limit the movement around the bar area. If your group does grow, they will also accommodate with a larger table (if available) to help limit the need to walk or pass bottles between tables. They require the use of a mask when you are not seated at your table, and request that only one customer walks up to the bar at a time to order.

Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen and lambik-O-droom

Also on May 11, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen reopened their shop in Lot, again, at first only possible for customers within Belgium to Visit. As from Friday, June 12, the lambik-O-droom has also reopened for on-site consumption. The lambik-O-droom is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 12 Noon until 8:00 PM. Guidelines for visiting, as well as the current offerings available for on-site consumption, can be found on their website, however their on-site beer list is not always up to date, so you’ll want to scan the QR Code on your table to access the latest menu.

I visited the lambik-O-droom on Friday, June 26, and found it to also be quite well organized. Seating was only available outside on the grounds but it was covered and there was plenty of seating for a group (up to 10 people) to sit together and share. The beer selection was outstanding, with a number of the Twist of Fate (Spelling van het Lot) beers that would have been released in May being available for on-site consumption. Packs were also available for sale in the shop, with the same basic packs that were also made available on the webshop, as well as individual bottle sales.

Gueuzerie Tilquin

Gueuzerie Tilquin reopened their shop on June 6, and the shop and taproom are currently open on Saturdays from 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM, though they will be closed from July 15 to August 15. Tilquin has a number of interesting packs available for purchase, including their recently released Grape Lambic packs, with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Riesling lambics.

Visting a Belgian Lambic Tasting Room This Summer

We recognize this is a very unique time in the world right now, and our American readers cannot visit Europe under the current travel restrictions and ban. We are not advocating putting yourself at risk to travel, and we wholeheartedly believe in wearing a mask, and social distancing is still the best course of action. Our new cases in the Netherlands are minimal and some rules have relaxed even further as of July 1, 2020. We also drove to the brewery in our private vehicle and took proper precautions. We suggest following the regulations for the location where you live in Europe and adhere to all the rules that each brewery asks you to abide by. As the situation with COVID-19 is ever-changing, we also recommend you confirm the locations are open as you plan your potential visit to any Belgian brewery right now.

What is Lambic Beer?

Lambic is a spontaneously fermented beer style that originated in the Pajottenland and Zenne Valley areas of Belgium, just outside of Brussels. These beers go through a very strict process to produce, including having the wort cool overnight in a koelschip, a large open container, exposed to the microculture of the brewery, allowing the natural yeasts to interact with the beer before barreling.

Plain lambic is uncarbonated and offers a smooth sour flavor imparted with the toast of the barrels the lambic aged in. Most lambics are allowed to age in the barrel for anywhere from a few months to four years before being blended into a Gueuze, (also spelled geuze) or undergoing a secondary fermentation with fruit to produce one the different styles of fruit lambics, such as Kriek (cherries) or Framboise (raspberries). Other common fruits found blended in lambic beers include peaches, apricots, grapes, currants, blackberries, blueberries, and even rhubarb!

A normal bottle of Gueuze, Kriek, or other fruit lambics you find on supermarket shelves will have sugar added to temper the sourness of the beer and make it more approachable to the everyday drinker. A beer labeled as an Oude Gueuze or Oude Kriek will generally be more sour, without much of the added sweetness.

Who Produces Lambic Beers?

Brewing lambic beer is not an easy process that just every brewer can master. In order to ensure the beer is able to properly cool and be infused with the yeasts needed to trigger the spontaneous fermentation, most lambic beers are brewed only during the winter months. The remainder of the year is often then used managing the cellar of the aging lambic barrels, as well as blending Gueuze or fruit lambics.

Traditional lambic beer producers today include:

• 3 Fonteinen, Beersel
• Boon, Lembeek
• Cantillon, Brussels
• De Troch, Wambeek
• Girardin, Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle
• Lindemans Brewery, Vlezenbeek
• Mort Subite, Kobbegem
• Oud Beersel, Beersel
• Timmermans, Itterbeek
• Van Honsebrouck, Ingelmunster

Some of these breweries, such as De Troch, Lindemans, Timmermans, and Van Honsebrouch, generally produce only sweetened fruit lambic beers for the market. However, their base lambic is often used in more traditional Gueuze or other lambic blends.

Belgian Gueuze Blenders

Blending lambic into a Geuze or a traditional fruit lambic is an art in itself. Many of the most sought after lambic beers found today are not produced by a lambic brewer, but by a Gueuze blender. These artisans procure the freshly brewed lambic from a number of the lambic brewers mentioned above and age them on their own barrels. They then produce their own Gueuze blends from different ages of lambic beers from different producers, and fruit lambics with their own, often locally grown fruits.

Some popular Gueuze blenders include:

• Antidoot
• De Cam
• Hanssenns Artisanaal
• Lambiek Fabriek
• Methode Goat (formerly Bokkereyder)
• Tilquin

HORAL and Toer de Geuze

In Belgium, the tradition of lambic beers has been seen as being under attack, as such, societies such as HORAL, the High Council for artisanal lambic beers, have been formed to help promote the tradition of lambic brewing and blending, and identify those who misuse the name of lambic, gueuze, etc. without following these traditions.

Every two years, HORAL also promotes the Toer de Geuze, where the public can visit the majority of the breweries and blenders in the Pajottenland and the Zenne Valley. The Toer de Geuze takes place during the first week of May, and you can visit breweries, blenders, and the Lambic Information Center in Beersel. Self-visits are possible, or you can join one of a multitude of bus tours that visit a selection of the breweries and blenders. This year’s Toer de Geuze 2024 takes place on May 4 and 5, 2024.

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Available for tasting at lat year’s event were the 3 Fonteinen Lambic, Oude Geuze, Oude Kriek, and Faro as well as the Beersel Blond, Lager and Zwet.be.  I had to partake of a Faro here, as they don’t bottle this for normal sale.  The Faro seems to be usually available only in the 3 Fonteinen Restaurant located next door.  Faro is a lambic blended with caramel and candied sugar.  It retains the normal sourness of a lambic, but with a nice sweetness that makes it quite smooth.  These beers are usually short lived, only three to four weeks in the bottle, as the added sugars result in very active fermentation that could make the bottle explode!

For the bottles for purchase in the store, the following options were available:

Beers available for purchase at 3 Fonteinen Brewery

3 Fonteinen

Oude Geuze 0.375 L €2.50
Oude Geuze 0.75 L €4.45
Golden Blend Oude Geuze 0.375 L €8.00
Oude Kriek 0.375 L €3.85
Schaarbeekse Kriek 0.75L €12.00

Armand D4 2010 Limited Edition Oude Geuze 0.75 L €24 each for Autumn, Summer and Winter.
Spring is only available as part of the limited edition (500) collector’s box at €110.00

Horal’s Oude Geuze Mega Blend 2011 0.75 L €7.00

Beersel

Blond 0.33 L €1.25
Lager 0.33 L €1.15
Zwet.be 0.33 L €1.75

Special Offerings during 3 Fonteinen Open Beer Days (2012)

Oude Geuze Vintage 2003 0.75 L €24.00 (max 1)
Oude Geuze Vintage 2005 0.75 L €17.00 (max 1)
Oude Geuze Vintage 2008 0.75 L €10.00 (max 6)
Oude Geuze Vintage 2008 0.375 L €6.00 (max 6)

Doesjel Vintage 2006 0.75 L  €7.00 (max 6)
Doesjel Vintage 2010 0.375 L €4.00 (max 6)

Oude Kriek 2006 0.375 L € 6.00 (max 1)
Schaarbeekse Kriek 2006 0.75 L € 20.00 (max 1)
Schaarbeekse Kriek 2008 0.75 L € 15.00 (max 6)

Straffe Winter 0.75 L € 34.00 (max 1)

The 2013 Open Beer Days were held from Thursday, September 5 through Monday, September 9, 2013.  Much of their offerings were same as from 2012, however there was less to choose from.

The 2014 Open Beer Days were held from Thursday, September 4 through Monday, September 8, 2014.  Much less to choose from than 2013 even. They were considering a focus on special beer-tasting dinners throughout the year, but I’m not sure if those continued. Hoping for more selection in 2015…

The 2015 Open Beer Days will be held from Thursday, September 3 through Monday, September 7, 2015.  If you’re looking to pick up a few of the rare older bottles, try to get there on Thursday or Friday, as quantities are often limited and they run out of choice vintages fast!

If you’re driving to 3 Fonteinen, they’re off Exit 19 on the R0 Ring Brussels.

Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
lambik-o-droom
Molenstraat 47
1651 Lot
http://www.3fonteinen.be

Restaurant 3 Fonteinen
Herman Tierlinckplein 3
1650 Beersel
+32 (0)2  331 06 52