Lambiek Fabriek: Difference between revisions

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The lambic which Lambiek Fabriek brews is based on a traditional lambic recipe that consists of approximately +/- 35% wheat and +/- 65% malted barley and uses aged pellet hops. The stainless steel coolship that Lambiek Fabriek used in Zuun during the seasons 2016–2021 was fabricated locally and is divided into two equal halves of 1,200 L each, thus a full brew filled the coolship. The wort is then pumped over at approximately 95º C and left to cool until it is transferred over to barrels at around 22-23º C. Jo Panneels assists master brewer Jozef Van Bosstraeten with blending, and each bottling contains 5,000 L. Bottling is done semi-automatically on site in Ruisbroek at a rate of 1,300 bottles per hour. Putting capsules on the bottles is the only manual labor in the bottling process.

Jozef Van Bosstraeten is not only Lambiek Fabriek’s master brewer, but he is also a cooper. Lambiek Fabriek finds it important to have an in-house cooper, in order to maintain the barrels and foeders without needing to rely on an external party. Many of the French oak barrels are first-fill barrels coming from the Burgundy region in France, where Lambiek Fabriek has a connection to some winemakers. In 2022, there ~~are~~ about 210 barrels (180 x 400 liter and 30 x 220 liter sizes) across the two warehouses, as well as 12 foeders which originate from Italy and Austria. All foeders were between 30-40 years old at the time of purchase. The 8 smallest foeders have a capacity of 47 hl each, one of 65 hl, and the 3 biggest foeders can contain 70 hl each. The geuze is a blend of lambic aged in 400 L barrels, whereas the fruit lambics are a combination of lambic aged in barrels (of different sizes) and foeders. Some barrels are marked with a capital “B” to indicate that the lambic inside has been made from organic grains. The 100% organic lambic is for instance used in “Natur-Elle” and “Organic & Wild Black-Belle”.

Fruits are sourced fresh or frozen, and quantities can change quiet a lot depending of maturity or on the profile of the lambic used for each release, macerations are done and the beer is then blended to taste, there are no hard rules.

Jozef Van Bosstraeten is not only Lambiek Fabriek’s master brewer, but he is also a cooper. Lambiek Fabriek finds it important to have an in-house cooper, in order to maintain the barrels and foeders without needing to rely on an external party. Many of the French oak barrels are first-fill barrels coming from the Burgundy region in France, where Lambiek Fabriek has a connection to some winemakers.

In 2022, there was about 210 barrels (180 x 400 liter and 30 x 220 liter sizes) across the two warehouses, as well as 12 foeders which originate from Italy and Austria. All foeders were between 30-40 years old at the time of purchase. The 8 smallest foeders have a capacity of 47 hl each, one of 65 hl, and the 3 biggest foeders can contain 70 hl each. The geuze is a blend of lambic aged in 400 L barrels, whereas the fruit lambics are a combination of lambic aged in barrels (of different sizes) and foeders. Some barrels are marked with a capital “B” to indicate that the lambic inside has been made from organic grains. The 100% organic lambic is for instance used in “Natur-Elle” and “Organic & Wild Black-Belle”.

By 2025, the amount of barrels decreased to about 120, with the intention to not replace most barrels once they become unusable, as they want to focus on foeders which gives them the profile they are looking for and a good consistency (each foeders gives different profiles, but larger quantities allow for larger blends across different beers), it also reduce the amount of transfers and risk of exposure to oxygen and bad infections.

==Side Notes==

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 The lambic which Lambiek Fabriek brews is based on a traditional lambic recipe that consists of approximately  +/- 35% wheat and +/- 65% malted barley and uses aged pellet hops. The stainless steel coolship that Lambiek Fabriek used in Zuun during the seasons 2016–2021 was fabricated locally and is divided into two equal halves of 1,200 L each, thus a full brew filled the coolship. The wort is then pumped over at approximately 95º C and left to cool until it is transferred over to barrels at around 22-23º C. Jo Panneels assists master brewer Jozef Van Bosstraeten with blending, and each bottling contains 5,000 L. Bottling is done semi-automatically on site in Ruisbroek at a rate of 1,300 bottles per hour. Putting capsules on the bottles is the only manual labor in the bottling process.
-Jozef Van Bosstraeten is not only Lambiek Fabriek’s master brewer, but he is also a cooper. Lambiek Fabriek finds it important to have an in-house cooper, in order to maintain the barrels and foeders without needing to rely on an external party. Many of the French oak barrels are first-fill barrels coming from the Burgundy region in France, where Lambiek Fabriek has a connection to some winemakers. In 2022, there are about 210 barrels (180 x 400 liter and 30 x 220 liter sizes) across the two warehouses, as well as 12 foeders which originate from Italy and Austria. All foeders were between 30-40 years old at the time of purchase. The 8 smallest foeders have a capacity of 47 hl each, one of 65 hl, and the 3 biggest foeders can contain 70 hl each. The geuze is a blend of lambic aged in 400 L barrels, whereas the fruit lambics are a combination of lambic aged in barrels (of different sizes) and foeders. Some barrels are marked with a capital “B” to indicate that the lambic inside has been made from organic grains. The 100% organic lambic is for instance used in “Natur-Elle” and “Organic & Wild Black-Belle”.
+Fruits are sourced fresh or frozen, and quantities can change quiet a lot depending of maturity or on the profile of the lambic used for each release, macerations are done and the beer is then blended to taste, there are no hard rules.
+Jozef Van Bosstraeten is not only Lambiek Fabriek’s master brewer, but he is also a cooper. Lambiek Fabriek finds it important to have an in-house cooper, in order to maintain the barrels and foeders without needing to rely on an external party. Many of the French oak barrels are first-fill barrels coming from the Burgundy region in France, where Lambiek Fabriek has a connection to some winemakers.
+In 2022, there was about 210 barrels (180 x 400 liter and 30 x 220 liter sizes) across the two warehouses, as well as 12 foeders which originate from Italy and Austria. All foeders were between 30-40 years old at the time of purchase. The 8 smallest foeders have a capacity of 47 hl each, one of 65 hl, and the 3 biggest foeders can contain 70 hl each. The geuze is a blend of lambic aged in 400 L barrels, whereas the fruit lambics are a combination of lambic aged in barrels (of different sizes) and foeders. Some barrels are marked with a capital “B” to indicate that the lambic inside has been made from organic grains. The 100% organic lambic is for instance used in “Natur-Elle” and “Organic & Wild Black-Belle”.
+By 2025, the amount of barrels decreased to about 120, with the intention to not replace most barrels once they become unusable, as they want to focus on foeders which gives them the profile they are looking for and a good consistency (each foeders gives different profiles, but larger quantities allow for larger blends across different beers), it also reduce the amount of transfers and risk of exposure to oxygen and bad infections.
 ==Side Notes==