… ‘In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst’ in Lennik (Eizeringen)
On the basis of a by now impressive list of lambic loving establishments, a number of criteria (which were drawn up after many hours of discussions) and after anonymous site visits to the proposed establishments, we, De Lambikstoempers vzw, awarded our Golden Lambikstoemper Award for the 14th time on Sunday 29 October 2023 to the establishment that, in our eyes, has paid the most attention to lambic beers in 2023.
And this year’s winner has become ‘In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst’ (Frans Baetensstraat 45 at 1750 Eizeringen)! As soon as you set foot inside, you imagine yourself in the late 40s or early 50s. It was sometimes called “the pub with the longest name and the shortest opening hours” because since the 1970s it was only open from 10am to 1.30pm, but that changed in 2017. On the occasion of the establishment’s 175th anniversary, manager Kurt Panneels decided to keep the café open from 10am to 8pm on Sundays and high days from now on. Meanwhile, it was also voted ‘best beer destination in the world’ several times!
And now the inn on the church square of Eizeringen may also receive the Golden Lambikstoemper Award 2023, thanks to one of the most extensive geuze and krieks selections in the world. Congratulations Kurt… and the entire Panneels family!
The Golden Lambikstoemper Award is an artistic certificate provided with some poetry by Ludo Buggenhout. Winner Kurt Panneels received his award from the hands of our chairman, Johan “Wanne” Madalijns.
Photos: Jan Demol
Golden Lambikstoemper Award 2024
Because year after year it becomes more and more difficult to award our Golden Lambikstoemper to an equal and rightful new winner, we might not award a Golden Lambikstoemper every year. Are you convinced that we really missed someone who should win it next year? Then be sure to let us know!
The Lambikstoempers and Streekproducten Centrum Halle invite you to the…
17TH DAY(S) OF THE OUDE GEUZE
Throughout the month of October, Tourism Flemish Brabant is organising the Month of Lambics for the 3rd time. To highlight the unique lambic culture in the Pajottenland and Zenne Valley, Tourism Flemish Brabant developed a varied tourist offer. The breweries, stekeries and folk pubs present a programme that can be discovered via various walking and cycling tours. The ideal end to this month is of course the … Day(s) of the Oude Geuze, organised by the Streekproducten Centrum and De Lambikstoempers vzw!
This seventeenth edition will take place on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 October 2023, at the parking lot of the Streekproducten Centrum, Poststraat 3A in 1500 Halle. Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 2pm to 6pm.
Last year, more than 850 interested parties, including quite a few foreign beer lovers, found their way to the Streekproducten Centrum to (re)discover the diverse flavour flavours of lambic beers.
Also this year, we will provide an extensive sampling of beers of spontaneous fermentation! Beers from the following breweries / samplers will be available for tasting:
Angerik (Dilbeek)
Belle-Vue (Sint-Pieters-Leeuw)
Bobbi Brewery (Ittre)
Boerenerf (Huizingen)
Boon (Lembeek)
Brussels Beer Project (Brussel)
Cantillon (Anderlecht)
De Cam (Gooik)
De Troch (Wambeek)
Den Herberg (Buizingen),
Eylenbosch (Kobbegem)
3 Fonteinen (Beersel)
Girardin (Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle)
Hanssens (Dworp)
Kestemont (Sint-Gertrudis-Pede)
Lambiek Fabriek (Ruisbroek)
Lindemans (Vlezenbeek)
Mort Subite (Kobbegem)
Oud Beersel (Beersel)
Tilquin (Rebecq)
Timmermans (Itterbeek)
Much to the delight of many beer lovers, we only serve real lambic beers. Namely those where 100% lambic is still used to obtain OUDE GEUZE & OUDE KRIEK. We are therefore proud to offer the full range of most of the region’s lambic breweries and distilleries in one location.
This year, visitors will also again have the chance to taste a real lambic, the basic brew of gueuze. So in addition, we will also serve gueuze, kriek and other fruit lambics.
All beers are sold in 15cl tasting glasses. This should make it possible to taste several of these beers.
Entry to the Day(s) of the Oude Geuze is FREE.
SCOOPS & TASTERS
As at previous editions, you can taste a number of special beers and firsts at the Day(s) of the Oude Geuze. Among others, you can taste the Cuvée Lambikstoemper 2014 (Boon) ánd 2019 (Lindemans), Single & Wild Colon-Elle 2023 (Lambiek Fabriek), the Megablend 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022 (HORAL), El Ambiguo Oude Geuze (Sako), Bloedappelsien Lambiek – lambic with blood oranges – (Kestemont), Dansaert Oude Geuze (Brussels Beer Project), the brand new Succubus Oude Geuze (Hanssens ism Boelekewis) and so on…
For our now traditional “tasting board”, this year we chose to highlight, the base brew, lambic. Thus, we are serving 5 different lambics on the tasting board: from Angerik (6 months), De Troch (7 months), Den Herberg (24 months), Oud Beersel (18 months) and Timmermans (12 months, on a pinot barrel) . This tasting board was specially designed to allow visitors to order 5 glasses of 10 cl. at a time and thus embark on a journey through a fascinating landscape of flavours!
Every year, the Lambikstoempers vzw wants to put the spotlight on lambic beers by awarding the Golden Lambikstoemper.
In 2010, the first Golden Lambikstoemper went to De Heeren van Liedekercke (Denderleeuw), the second to Kaf’eko (Halle), the third to Boelekewis (Huizingen), the fourth to De Zwaan (Dworp), the fifth to ‘t Antwaerps Bierhuyske (Antwerp), the sixth – exceptionally – to the Streekproducten Centrum (Halle), the seventh to ‘t Parlement (Halle) the eighth went to Foeders (Amsterdam), the ninth went to Den Herberg (Buizingen), the tenth to Restaurant 3 Fonteinen (Beersel), number eleven went to Restaurant & Bierherberg De Smidse (Alsemberg), number twelve to Fiets- en wandelcafé Paddenbroek (Gooik) and last year Jef from De Bascule (Bellingen) was awarded the Golden Lambikstoemper!
On the basis of a by now impressive list of pubs and restaurants and a number of criteria (which were drawn up after many hours of discussions and point-counting) and after anonymous site visits to the proposed pubs, De Lambikstoempers vzw will, on Sunday 29 October 2023 at 2.30 p.m., for the 14th time, present its Golden Lambikstoemper to the pub and restaurant which, in their eyes, has paid the most attention to lambic beers in 2023.
The Golden Lambikstoemper is an artistic certificate provided with some poetry by Ludo Buggenhout.
Be sure to do so! And we look forward to seeing you on Saturday 28 October and/or Sunday 29 October at our Day(s) of the Oude Geuze 2023, on the parking lot of the Streekproducten Centrum (Halle).
This activity is part of the Month of the Lambics, an organisation of Tourism Flemish Brabant.
On Saturday 7 October 2023, we visited Heilig Hart Brewery in the Kwatrecht Church (Wetteren) with De Lambikstoempers vzw.
We were given an extensive tour among the boilers, amphorae, wooden foeders and barrels. We were allowed to inspect the “koelschip” and got an insight into the workings of the brewery, which prides itself on spontaneous fermentation and makes several wine-beer hybrids.
Finally, we tasted some brews, from the series ‘in the name of the Father’, ‘in the name of the Son’ and ‘in the name of the Holy Spirit’.
