Officially spring is here, the temperatures raise and our Lambic brewers and blenders … keep on working! Because yes, there is something moving in our Pajottenland. Just read on.
New at Oud Beersel
Gert Christiaens of blendery Oud Beersel (Beersel) just introduced 2 new beers. Oude Geuze Barrel Selection Oude Pijpen 2017 is a blend of Lambics, with a mean age of 20 months and riped on the best old barrels (650 liter) of the blendery, which are now about 60 to 120 year old. From now on you can also descover his Bersalis Sourblend Grand Cru, a blend of the known Bersalis Tripel with a batch of very expressive and fruity lambik. Mmm … sounds promessing!
BTW: Again, congratulations with your 4 prizes at the Barcelona Beer Challenge 2018 Awards, Gert! 😉
Boon Belgian Family Brewer
From their part the family Boon has officially joined the Belgian Family Brewers-organisation. This authenticity label will be present on all the bottles of brewery Boon (Lembeek) from now on.
Gueuzerie Tilquin in motion
It’s no secret that blender Pierre Tilquin is doing well. At his site in Rebecq a new GAI-bottle line is recently installed – until now he had one on loan, this one is now his own – good for 1.800 75 cl bottles per hour, or 2.300 37,5 cl bottles per hour! From now on he can bottle a batch of 3.800 liter in just 1 day time.
And his Lambics – in the photo below from the brewery Lindemans (Vlezenbeek) – keep on fermenting spontaneously. 😉
Spontaneous actvity at Lambiek Fabriek & Belgoo
This month the same picture was also seen at the guys from Lambiek Fabriek (Ruisbroek), where a new load of fresh brewn Lambic is now fermly fermenting. In short: a new Brett-Elle in the making!
And also Belgoo-brewer Jo Van Aert produced a new batch Belgoo Bikske (Lambic) at the beginning of this month – when it still was really cold –, in collaboration with Jozef van Bossstraeten of Lambiek Fabriek in their shared coolship at Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. Doing well, guys!
3 Fonteinen plays fate
Finally, at the Lambik-O-Droom (Lot) of Brewery 3 Fonteinen a series of Oloroso and Amontillado sherry Barrels were filled with young 3 Fonteinen Lambic at the beginning of this month. These can now go and do their thing.
Armand Debelder & Michaël Blancquaert however like to go crazy once in a while. You can taste the result on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 april 2018! Then they indeed uncork their “Twisting the fate” at the Lambik-O-Droom, a series of experimental brews, barrel ripings fruit macerations and/or assemblies with a limited edition. Don’t miss this!
For more (beer) news keep an eye on our our Facebook– and/or Twitter-page! Santé. 😉
De Lambikstoempers vzw and the Streekproducten Centrum Halle invite you at their
12th Day of the Oude Geuze
on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 November 2017 in the Streekproducten Centrum Halle
It is already the 12th time we collaborate, so this is becoming a tradition. As a annual habit we organise a tasting with regional products near the year end, also the ideal occasion to get ideas for a gift for the year end.
This year we invited 2 guests at the Streekproducten Centrum:
Sven Deman of WHERE BEER MEETS CHOCOLATE specialised in combining of chocolat & beer: during this open door you can taste beer and chocolat. This results in a surprizing blend of 2 different products.
Johan Pevernagie of MATERIA GIN will get the visitors acquainted with his 4 tastes of different gins and if needed will give the explanation about the combinations with different tonics.
The regional products produced in-house can also be tasted of course. New this year is a paté made of Oude Geuze & Kriek 3 Fonteinen.
12th Day of the Oude Geuze
This twelfth edition takes place on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 November 2017, in the upper room of the Streekproducten Centrum, Poststraat 3A at 1500 Halle.
Saturday from 10.00 h to 18.00 h and Sunday from 14.00 h to 18.00 h.
Lasr year more than 650 interested people, among whitch a great number of foreigners, found their way to the Streekproducten Centrum to (re)discover the different tastes of the Lambic beers!
Also this year we provide an extensive variety of beers of spontaneous fermentation to taste.
Beers of the following breweries / blenders can be tasted : Boon (Lembeek), Cantillon (Anderlecht), De Cam (Gooik), De Troch (Wambeek), Drie Fonteinen (Beersel), Girardin (Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle), Hanssens (Dworp), Lindemans (Vlezenbeek), Mort Subite (Kobbegem), Oud Beersel (Beersel), Tilquin (Rebecq), Timmermans (Itterbeek) and the Lambiek Fabriek (Ruisbroek).
We only serve, to joy of a horde of beer lovers, the real lambic beers. Only those that are made with 100% lambic to make a OUDE GEUZE & OUDE KRIEK and with the yeast in the air of the Valley of the Senne. We are really proud to offer you in one location the full assortment of the 12 Lambic brewers and Geuze Blenders still left and a new one from the region.
Also this year the visitors get the chance to taste a real Lambic, the base brew of the geuze. We provide three Lambics, directly from the wooden casks of the local lambic brewers.
Besides Lambic we also serve Oude Geuze, Oude Kriek, Faro, Raspberry beer, … and two beers that actually don’t belong in this assortment: our own Servais beer, a top fermented beer brewed in the occasion of the year of Servais, a festival beer with a low alcohol by volume of 6,5%. And the high alcohol variant, Servais Tripel. Also coffee and soft drinks are available.
All beers are served in tasting glasses of 15 cl. This way you can taste more different beers.
FREE entry to the Day of the Oude Geuze.
Primeurs & tasters
As with the previous editions you can taste a number of special beers and scoops at the Day of the Oude Geuze. Among others you can taste the GingerGueuze of Lindemans, Cuvée Lambikstoemper, Boon Black Label 1st Edition, Megablend 2013, …
This year we choose the Vat-series of brewery Boon for our (now) traditional “proefplankje”. The beers we serve on our slat are Vat-bieren numbers 91, 92, 108, 109 and 110. This tadting slat was specially designed to allow the visitor to order 5 glasses at the same time to take a trip through the exiting tasting landscape !
Golden Lambikstoemper
Every year the Lambikstoempers vzw want to put an extra focus on the Lambic beers by awarding the Golden Lambikstoemper.
The first Golden Lambikstoemper in 2010 went to De Heeren van Liedekercke, the second to Kaf’eko in Halle, the third to Boelekewis in Huizingen, the forth to De Zwaan in Dworp, the fifth to ’t Antwaerps Bierhuyske in Antwerp, the sixth, exeptionally to the Streekproducten Centrum in Halle and last year the managers of ’t Parlement received their Gouden Lambikstoemper.
Based on a by now extensive list of horeca busisnisses and a number of criteria and after an anonimous on site visit De Lambikstoempers vzw will award the Golden Lambikstoemper for the eighth time on Sunday 26 November 2017 at 15.00 uur to a horeca business that, according to us, gave a special attention to the Lambic beers in 2017.
But first of all come and taste our Pajottenland’ pride, on Saturday 25 (10h-18h) and Sunday 26 November 2017 (14h-18h) at the Streekproducten Centrum Halle!
We’re counting down to Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 May 2017 … Than we celbrate the 20th birthday of the Toer de Geuze, that will last 2 days for the first time.
The following breweries and blenders will open their doors to the public on Saturday 6 May, from 11h to 19h: Boon, De Cam, De Troch, 3 Fonteinen, Lindemans, Oud Beersel, Tilquin and also the visitor’s center De Lambiek. Hanssens Artisanaal, Timmermans and Mort Subite are NOT open on Saturday.
These are open on Sunday 7 May, from 10h to 17h: Boon, De Cam, De Troch, 3 Fonteinen, Hanssens Artisanaal, Lindemans, Mort Subite, Oud Beersel, Tilquin, Timmermans and also the visitor’s center De Lambiek.
During the Toer de Geuze you don’t have to pay to visit the participating breweries, blenders and the visitor’s center De Lambiek. ENTRY IS FREE. You also don’t have to make a reservation to visit a brewery or blender.
You can do this Toer with your own transport (auto, bicycle …), or you can reserve a spot on one of the HORAL-busses, which traditionally are guided by The Lambikstoempers. On www.horal.be you can find out the stops the busses take.
Where can you go?
Boon
Discover the brewery, taste the beers, also from the Boon-reserve (tasters bar), enjoy the food and the music … From Halle you can even take a boat on the Brussels-Charleroi canal for 1 euro per trip!
Walk through the 3 Fonteinen’s Lambik-O-droom, at the new location between the old fusts, taste the lambic and geuzes, get surprized by a lambic cocktail of Baroness, taste “mandjeskaas” (basket cheese), “pottekeis”, geuze cheese, geuzepâte and icecream with sauce of cherry-lambic etc. The Pajots folklore music will surely be there, on Sonday there will also be demonstrations of bottle basket braiding by Gerda Legrand.
Attention: visits only on Sunday 7 May! Unique, authentic, cozy, tasty … Blender Hanssens Artisanaal absolutely mertis a visit and a great stop during the Toer de Geuze.
The little kids will enjoy the bouncing castles, while the older one can enjoy the complex lambic beers! Get to know everything about the brewing process, admire the polished copper kettles, visit the impressive bottling plant …
Go international and taste the mixed beers of New Belgium (VSA), Birrificio del Ducato (IT), Lervig Aktiebryggeri (NO), Lindheim Olkompani (NO) and Brewery De Leite (BE) who worked with Oud Beersel (cherry-)lambic!
Visit amongst others the new fusts hall and enjoy the labish delicacies, like barbecued pig marinated with lambic beer and sandwiches with quality meat of “Hoeve Cuvry”. On Sunday from 9h30 you can have a bacon and eggs breakfast. You can park at the “Kriekerij” of Schaarbeeks’ Cherries behind the brewery, accessible via the Rollebeekstraat.
Come and taste Oude Geuze and Geuze on draft, Oude Quetsche, Oude Mûre, Stout Rullquin and so on. Anyway you wil receive a free lambic taster! Hungry? Taste the barbecues pig from the butchery Fisette, a true artisan burger of Chez Roger, a cheese plate of Ferme Le Bailli, a sandwich with white cheese or Chiumay mode eel. The young ones can jump in the bouncing castle.
Attention: visits only on Sunday 7 May! This brewery breathes authenticity and tradition. Come and breathe, see, taste … and enjoy the local ambiance!
In the exposition hall you can find out how lambic is made and which ingredients are used during the brewing process. The history of the lambic beer is extensively explained too. In short: a very educational place, where you also can taste all Oude Geuzes and Oude Krieks!
Address: Gemeenveldstraat 1 at 1652 Alsemberg (Beersel)
During the Toer de Geuze the Visitors’ Center De Lambiek opens a pop-up camping! For the first time you can install your tent on the football field sityated at the Gemeenveldstraat 1 in 1652 Alsemberg.
You can put up a tent after the purchase of a camping ticket from Friday 18h to 20h and on Saturday from 10h to 18h. The camping closes on Sunday at 14h. A camping ticket (for a camping zone ofn 4×4 meter) costs 25 euro of which a deposit of 15 euro. You wish to be certain of a spot? Contact the responsible at toerisme@beersel.be or via 02/359.16.36. More info and the camping regulations you can find at www.delambiek.be.
This temporary camping is an initiative of the Visitors’ Center ‘De Lambiek’ and the Municipal Beersel. They also provide places for mobilhomes. During the Toer de Geuze these can use the car park at the football field Sollembeemd at 1654 Huizingen.
History
The Toer de Geuze was first organized on 19 October 1997. At that time Boon, De Cam, De Troch, 3 Fonteinen, Lindemans and Timmermans opened their doors to the public. Since then this open brewery day of the Pajottenland and the Valley of the Senne is organized evrey 2 year by vzw HORAL (Highe Council of Artisanal Lambic beers).
This original success formula stays unchanges. The Toer de Geuze has grown into the largest beer event of Flemish-Brabant and last edition (in 2015) more then 10.000 persons, both national and international, found their way to the Toer de Geuze.
A nice report of the 2015 edition you can find below …
