They already confided it tp us and on Thursday 26 October 2017 it happened: the ‘coolship’ of the Lambiek Fabriek was moved from their home base in the Fabriekstraat at Ruisbroek to brewery Belgoo (Sint-Pieters-Leeuw), where Jo, Jozef and Stijn brew their Lambic.
“What hung in the air, hangs! We’ve moved our ‘coolschip’. Now we can brew & cool @ the same place! ‘Lot de bishkes mo komme’ (local speech for: Bring on the small beasts (the micro-organisms))”, was the message they published on their Facebook page. Succes guys! No more moving of boiling wort, so hopefully no accidents anymore now. 😉
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 …
Next weekend – on Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 Mai 2016 – geuze blender Pierre Tilquin organises the Tilquin English Beer Festival for the second time, with a selection of 13 most innovative British breweries + 1 extra guest from France, which answers to the same criteria.
Start packages are 14 euro (entrance + glass + beer list + 4 tokens) and 25 euro (entrance + glass + beer list + 12 tokens). The entrance is valid for both days. All beers – in 15 cl tasting glass – cost 1 to 2 tokens. One token costs 1.50 euro.
For the hungry there will be food trucks. For the youth there is a bouncy castle. And for those who want to take a souvenir home: there is also a shop where both the British beers and the Tilquin products will be sold.
Reportedly, there even is a regular shuttle service between the station of Enghien and the Gueuzerie Tilquin at Bierghes. So … Untill then!
