By popular request! Explore the origins of some of Belgium’s most famous and historical beer styles: Lambic, Oude Gueuze, Kriek, Faro, and other spontaneous fermented ales.
A dedicated lambic experience in Pajottenland and the Zenne Valley, near Brussels, Belgium.
- A lambic is a beer of spontaneous fermentation that ages for 3 years in wooden barrels. Lambic itself is not usually bottled or sold but instead serves as the base product to make a gueuze (a blend of 1-,2-, and 3-year-old lambics) or a kriek (a lambic with added sour cherries) or other fruity beers.
- The area around Brussels is the only region in the world where this ancient craft beer is still made, using a species of wild yeast (Brettanomyces bruxellensis) found in the air. This unique brewing tradition almost ended in the 1990s but it has recently been revived, thanks to the passionate interest of beer geeks.
- On this tour we visit traditional lambic breweries and blenders, such as Cantillon, Oud Beersel, and Drie Fonteinen, but also more recent producers, including Lambiek Fabriek and Tilquin.
- We stay 2 nights in a hotel in downtown Brussels and 2 nights in a B&B in the heart of Pajottenland, southwest of Brussels and the only lambic-producing region in the world.
- Also included in the tour is a visit to the most famous bar in Belgium: In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst. It is open only on Sundays and serves a unique flight of four different simple, unblended lambics.
- This tour is a unique opportunity to experience lambics at the source. You will not only visit the breweries and blending sites but also meet some of the owners and master blenders—all while riding through the historic Pajottenland in springtime. Many of the bars in the region have remained nearly unchanged since they first opened.
- This tour is a 3/5 difficulty level, with several short steep hills every day. If you are not a frequent cyclist we recommend that you consider booking an e-bike.
Breweries
This tour features mostly older, traditional lambic breweries, blenderies, and beer cafes that serve a wide range of Belgian beers.
Breweries that we visit on most tours include:
Oud Beersel, started in 1882 and subsequently led by four generations of the VanDer Velden family. The brewery closed in 2002, as, beginning in the 1970s and 1980s popular tastes changed from lambics to industrial lagers and soft drinks. Eventually, however, then-25-year-old Gert Christiaens, a lambic enthusiast, took it upon himself to resurrect Oud Beersel. After acquiring the necessary skills (brewing, spontaneous fermentation, barrel aging, blending), he was able to re-start the brewery and, several years later, renovated the fantastic next door café, Bierhuis.
Brussels Beer Project started in 2013 as a rather rebellious new entry into the low-key, traditional Belgian beer scene. Influenced by the US craft beer revolution, its two young founders started by brewing hoppy beers but they also were very interested in almost-forgotten Belgian beer styles, including saison and grisette. We will visit their newest project, Dansaert, dedicated to spontaneous and mixed fermentation beers aged in barrels. It is led by Jordan Keeper, from the US, former head brewer at Jester King in Texas, and Tiago Falcone, a Brazilian master in barrel aging and an avid cyclist.
Lambiek Fabriek started officially in 2016, although its founders had already been blending lambics for the previous 8 years. The wort is made by a local brewery, Belgoo, and then transported to Lambiek Fabriek for spontaneous fermentation and blending. Lambiek Fabriek also produces organic (“bio”) beers. The story of the origins of this young, modern brewery, with its respect for tradition, is as amazing as its beer.
Drie Fonteinen was founded in 1883 by Jacobus Vanderlinden as an inn. Drie Fonteinen (three fountains) refers to the three porcelain taps from which its gueuze, kriek, and faro (a sweetened lambic beer) were previously poured at the inn’s pub. At the time, Drie Fonteinen was strictly a blendery, with the wort purchased from other breweries. Armand de Belder carried the blendery through rough times, began brewing his open beers, and is considered one of the godfathers of the lambic revival. His dream of opening a visitor center where people could learn about lambics and their history has come to life as the Lambik-O-Droom, where we will taste Drie Fonteinen’s beers, including some hard to find specials.
Gueuzerie Tilquin was founded in 1883 by Jacobus Vanderlinden as an inn. Drie Fonteinen (three fountains) refers to the three porcelain taps from which its gueuze, kriek, and faro (a sweetened lambic beer) were previously poured at the inn’s pub. At the time, Drie Fonteinen was strictly a blendery, with the wort purchased from other breweries. Armand de Belder carried the blendery through rough times, began brewing his open beers, and is
considered one of the godfathers of the lambic revival. His dream of opening a visitor center where people could learn about lambics and their history has come to life as the Lambik-O-Droom, where we will taste Drie Fonteinen’s beers, including some hard to find specials.
De Cam is a blendery and it is where we will meet Karel Goddeau, one of the world’s greatest ambassadors of lambic. The beers from this small blendery are among Beercycling’s favorites.
Lindemans is one of the largest lambic breweries. Besides the original brewery, which we will visit, a second location was opened in 2022 to brew top-fermented beers, all of which are used for mixed fermented beers, including those containing lambic. While focused on growth and innovation, Lindemans is still rooted in the tradition of lambics.
Cantillon, located in Brussels is both an active brewery where you are invited watch the craft of brewing, see the open coolship, and learn about the art of blending. It also houses a lambic museum. We will share some special beers here that are not sold elsewhere. A perfect way to end our Gueuze Cruise!
*Specific breweries we visit change year to year based upon availability.
Itinerary / Stats
Locations and distances vary from tour to tour but are generally as follows:
Day 1: We start our tour in the morning, cycling from our hotel at the Midi/South train station. After a little over 1 mile we reach the quiet, traffic-free bike path along the canal, leading us into the Zenne Valley. We ride 28 miles today, visiting Oud Beersel after lunch and, once we are back in Brussels, the Brussels Beer Project.
Day 2: In the morning we visit Lambiek Fabriek, followed by a lovely ride through Pajottenland, the Zenne Valley, and Halle Forest. After lunch, before we head back to Brussels, we visit Drie Fonteinen’s Lambik-O-Droom for an outstanding tasting. Total distance today is 31 miles.
Day 3 is a morning ride to Tilquin and an afternoon ride into the western part of Pajottenland. Our beer stop is at the beautiful hilltop café Den Haas. The total distance is 31 miles, ending in the small town of Gooik.
Day 4 is a 30-mile ride through Pajottenland, with many beer stops. We start at 10 am, sampling a flight of four plain lambics at In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst. After lunch we visit De Cam. We then continue on, stopping for a beer at one of the many old cafes in this region, before returning to our B&B in Gooik.
Day 5: Only 14 miles today! We say goodbye to our lovely B&B and do a morning visit to the Lindemans brewery. We then continue into Brussels, ending our tour at Cantillon. This is also where we return our bikes and receive our luggage. It is a 5-minute walk to Brussels Midi / South train station.
Note: for this tour we have a maximum number of 10 participants because we stay 2 nights in the heart of Pajottenland, where there are no large hotels, only small B&Bs.
Markers show start/end + overnight hotel and B&B locations…
Photos from this tour
