Lambiek Fabriek: Difference between revisions
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For the 2021–22 and 2022-23 seasons, as they vacated Belgoo's building where they were sharing equipment, Jozef Van Bosstraeten brewed Lambiek Fabriek's lambic by making use of other lambic producers' brewing equipment at their brew sites, being: [[Brouwerij_De_Troch|De Troch]], [[Brouwerij_3_Fonteinen|3 Fonteinen]], [[Den_Herberg|Den Herberg]] and [[Brouwerij_Lindemans|Lindemans]]. The products in the lineup during 2021-22 are all blends from the aforementioned 4 lambic breweries, as well as Lambiek Fabriek's own brewed lambic that was produced at their previous brew site in Zuun. During the 2022-23 season, it was a blend of their own lambic as well as De Troch and Lindemans. | For the 2021–22 and 2022-23 seasons, as they vacated Belgoo's building where they were sharing equipment, Jozef Van Bosstraeten brewed Lambiek Fabriek's lambic by making use of other lambic producers' brewing equipment at their brew sites, being: [[Brouwerij_De_Troch|De Troch]], [[Brouwerij_3_Fonteinen|3 Fonteinen]], [[Den_Herberg|Den Herberg]] and [[Brouwerij_Lindemans|Lindemans]]. The products in the lineup during 2021-22 are all blends from the aforementioned 4 lambic breweries, as well as Lambiek Fabriek's own brewed lambic that was produced at their previous brew site in Zuun. During the 2022-23 season, it was a blend of their own lambic as well as De Troch and Lindemans. | ||
In 2023, a full brewhouse with a capacity of 20 hectoliters was purchased and installed in the warehouse (now hosting the entire operation, from barrel and fruit storage to bottling and brewing), with a first brew in March 2024. They also purchased two milk tanks of 3500L and 5000L for blending. From season 2023/24, all the of releases by Lambiek Fabriek used exclusively their own lambic. | In 2023, a full brewhouse with a capacity of 20 hectoliters was purchased and installed in the warehouse (now hosting the entire operation, from barrel and fruit storage to bottling and brewing), with a first brew in March 2024. They also purchased two milk tanks of 3500L and 5000L for blending. From season 2023/24, all the of releases by Lambiek Fabriek used exclusively their own lambic, and they even provided different blenders; including Dust, Dock, Pellicle Vergistingen, Hannsens, Odilon and Pouckie Blended as well as Misery brewery for a hybrid beer. | ||
==Brewing and Blending Process== | ==Brewing and Blending Process== | ||
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. | 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 | 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. They also had over a dozen of whisky barrels (from the belgian Het Anker brewery and distillery in Mechelen), used not only for Colon-Elle, but also for other projects if inspiration strikes. | |||
==Side Notes== | ==Side Notes== | ||
The fact that most of the name of their products ends in -Elle ("She" in French) originates from a back and forth while looking for names, which unconsciously kept circling around one thing: feminine nouns. Indeed, the first ideas were "Dame-Jeanne" (in french, a glass carboy or "demijohn" used to ferment small batches are called "Dame-Jeanne"), then "La Force" ("The strength", with a design displaying a woman's arm with bit muscled topped by a demijohn) which is also a feminine nouns. Same thing with Brett (the wild yeast used in lambic) or the first fruit they used (cherry or "une cerise" in french). Looking at this fact, they decided to go all in with building names around "Elle", starting with Bret-Elle, Jart-Elle and Fontan-Elle. | The fact that most of the name of their products ends in -Elle ("She" in French) originates from a back and forth while looking for names, which unconsciously kept circling around one thing: feminine nouns. Indeed, the first ideas were "Dame-Jeanne" (in french, a glass carboy or "demijohn" used to ferment small batches are called "Dame-Jeanne"), then "La Force" ("The strength", with a design displaying a woman's arm with bit muscled topped by a demijohn) which is also a feminine nouns. Same thing with Brett (the wild yeast used in lambic) or the first fruit they used (cherry or "une cerise" in french). Looking at this fact, they decided to go all in with building names around "Elle", starting with Bret-Elle, Jart-Elle and Fontan-Elle. | ||
Lambiek Fabriek is producing a gueuze and a kriek in large batches for Pajottegem, brand created by Roel Janssens (of the café “Café Paddenbroek in Gooik), different from their own. Other than that, they have done occasional small batches on requests under their own labels for restaurants or other professionals who wanted a specific beer. They also sold lambic and wort to hobby and professional blenders during season 2024/2025, and a few barrels resting in the warehouse are actually owned by customer who brought them and requested them to be filled with lambic for future use; though the team look after them and might assist for blending if requested, the resulting beer is not their own anymore. | |||
== Beers == | == Beers == | ||
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*[[Natur-Elle Organic Geuze]] | *[[Natur-Elle Organic Geuze]] | ||
*[[Sporty Geuze Origin-Elle]] | *[[Sporty Geuze Origin-Elle]] | ||
*[[Wild & Peaty Geuze]] | |||
===Fruit=== | ===Fruit=== | ||
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*[[Oude Kriek Jart-Elle]] | *[[Oude Kriek Jart-Elle]] | ||
*[[Oude Kriek Schar-Elle]] | *[[Oude Kriek Schar-Elle]] | ||
*[[Red Currant Lambiek]] | |||
===Lambic=== | ===Lambic=== | ||
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===Herbs/Spices=== | ===Herbs/Spices=== | ||
*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Can-Elle]] | |||
*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Dragon-Elle]] | *[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Dragon-Elle]] | ||
*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Elle-Derflower]] | *[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Elle-Derflower]] | ||
*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Green Shiso]] | *[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Green Shiso]] | ||
*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Pink Shiso]] | |||
===Lambic hybrid blends=== | ===Lambic hybrid blends=== | ||
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== Photos == | == Photos == | ||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
File:Lambiek Fabriek entrance.jpg|Entrance in Ruisbroek | File:Lambiek Fabriek entrance.jpg|Entrance in Ruisbroek | ||
File:Lambiek Fabriek warehouse Ruisbroek.jpg|Barrel room in Ruisbroek | File:Lambiek Fabriek warehouse Ruisbroek.jpg|Barrel room in Ruisbroek | ||
File:Lambiek Fabriek barrel room Ruisbroek2.jpg|Barrel room in Ruisbroek | File:Lambiek Fabriek barrel room Ruisbroek2.jpg|Barrel room in Ruisbroek | ||