Introducing Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
We are thrilled to introduce a slight new avenue to our imports - Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
The parallels between natural wine and lambic beer are clear - using only ambient yeast and bacteria instead of a brewer’s selected yeast, the patience that is required with the often years long spontaneous fermentation, the use of organic grains in the wort and organic fruit for the fruit beers, … the list goes on. The entire process is natural, without much, if any, interference other than the blending at the end to create a balanced harmonious beer.
Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen is a producer of lambic beer - a spontaneously fermented beer unique to the Zenne valley region of Belgium. Starting at the end of the 19th century as a lambic blender (i.e. buying lambic from other brewers, ageing and blending them) and later becoming a lambic brewery in 1998, they are now regarded as one of the best breweries in the world.
Where once there were almost 300 lambic blenderies and breweries, there are now only a dozen producers left, of which 3 Fonteinen can be considered one of the most stubborn and traditional.
Producing lambic takes time and patience; it takes several years from the initial wort being brewed (the liquid product of the mashing process), to the bottle reaching sale. The unique flavour and acid profile are achieved from the combination of a particular blend of grains (40% wheat, 60% barley) and hops (aged, so as to keep the preservative function, but be less astringent), the long boiling time (4-5 hours) and the open and spontaneous fermentation. No yeasts or additives are added at any time and the beer is neither filtered nor pasteurised.
Cuvee Armand & Gaston Oude Geuze
This bottling pays respect to Armand & Gaston Debelder, son and father respectively, who are largely responsible for where the brewery is today.
In a classic oude geuze style, it’s a blend of 1,2 & 3 year old lambics all brewed by 3 Fonteinen. This is the pure essence of the brewery, a triumph of balance and mastery at the blending stage. The blends that we received are drinking beautifully now, and will only get better with time in the cellar.
Cuvee Kriek
Oude Kriek is the product of 3 Fonteinen lambic macerated for 5 months with hand picked cherries from Belgium. All but the stem are used, ensuring the oils from the kernel add to the complexity of the beer. Also worth noting is that, for the first time, this particular cuvee has been fermented and aged in barrel, rather than stainless steel, giving the beer a slightly more rounded palate.
Hommage BIO
Along the same lines as the Kriek, but with a higher concentration of fruit, the Hommage has 3 Fonteinen lambic macerated with a mix of 76% organic raspberries and 24% cherries (an unbelievable weight of 1kg of fruit per litre of lambic!). Pure and tart, with incredible depth - it is a labour of love and is made in incredibly small quantities; as such, we have only a few bottles.
