3 Fonteinen in Beersel

Sept. 6. Monday morning found us checking out of our hotel in Brussels, stashing our luggage in lockers at the Gare Midi and taking a train the short distance into Payootenland, the heart of the lambic producing region. With really no particular destination in mind, we found ourselves in the village of Beersel, home to the Beersel Castle and the 3 Fonteinen Brewery. A short walk up the hill from brought us to the village centre and the 3 Fonteinen Restaurant. Here we lunched on gueuze infused cheese and salad on their lovely terrace while sampling the draft beers.
We started with the Oude Kriek on tap. Deep, dark red in colour with a thick pink mousse head, a slight Brettanomyces aroma and an initial gentle sourness that grows into the distinctive flavour balanced against sour cherries and the velvety mouthfeel and tiny sweetness in the finish. Next, the Lambiek, also on tap, was simply delightful. Still and deep amber in colour, with some haze and a slight sour nose. An intense bite on first sip that mellows then fills the palate, notes of tart green apple with a bone dry finish.
As we paid our bill, we were informed that the brewery was around back and open that day, and had been all weekend, celebrating the release of a new beer. So, around the corner went. Here found Armand Debelder, the owner, brewer and blender, with his wife Lydia. Armand learned the craft from his father and now brews and blends his own lambics. Or should I say, did… A sad story unfolded as Armand told us of the unfortunate series of events that ruined many, many bottles of gueuze last spring. A malfunctioning thermostat at his bottle aging facility shot up the temperature and ruined everything in storage. For a gueuze brewer/blender, this was not only his stock, but bank account and future. Armand’s standards are high, traditional and unyielding. Unpresentable to the public, he still hoped something might be salvaged. So he decided to distill the entire batch. Over the course of one weekend, many good friends and supporters of the brewer came and helped uncork and dump 60,000 bottles into the distiller. What was created is called Armand’s Spirit, a 40% Eau de Vie, marketed in a unique square bottle. A small taste revealed an uncompromising product of quality, with a noticeable gueuze undertone, that will only get better with age. Despite his challenges ahead, Armand is a gracious host and presented us with a tour of his cellar, where we tasted his sublime Lambiek straight out f the cask. Our discussions continued as we returned to the tiny terrace and sampled a few more delights with some newcomers.
HORAL is the organization of Lambic producers in Belgium, and last year they pulled together eight brewers to contribute to a bottle conditioned Oude Geuze Mega Blend [see Beer of the Day, Sept. 6] to celebrate the Toer de Geuze – one weekend each spring when many lambic breweries are open to the public . Armand opened a bottle for tasting - amazing! Also presented was the Faro on tap, a lambic blended with candy sugar at bottling. This produces a more balanced product in terms of sourness verses sweetness. Both elements are present on the palate at the same time, enhancing each other nicely. It pours with a rather porous head and finishes with a subdued sour sweetness.Quite surprisingly good, not as sweet as expected. Last, but certainly not least was the Straffe Winter 8%, not strictly a traditional product, since it is brewed with some non-traditional ingredients. This is a stunning beer, with all the qualities of traditional gueuze, but strong and with the complexity of the brewer’s art on display. Big frothy head, deep amber colour, it had all of the qualities of an excellent gueuze, but it is a bigger, more complex brew, that hides it’s strength well. Truly a special treat.
Since most of the cafes and breweries in the area are closed on Mondays (little did we know) we spent all our time at 3 Fonteinen. We wish Armand and his wife all the best. Even though he has sold his brewing equipment and Boon in neighbouring Lambeek is producing his lambics at this point, there is hope that he may resurrect this famous little brewery. It would be a great loss to the world of brewing to lose the name 3 Fonteinen.