Brasserie Cantillon: Difference between revisions
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'''Website (French, Dutch, English):''' http://www.cantillon.be [[File:Cantillon.png|right|240px|Brasserie Cantillon]] | '''Website (French, Dutch, English):''' http://www.cantillon.be [[File:Cantillon.png|right|240px|Brasserie Cantillon]] | ||
''' | '''Facebook:'''https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057306646657 | ||
'''Address:''' 56 | '''Instagram:''' @brasseriecantillonofficiel | ||
'''Email:'''[email protected] | |||
'''Phone:''' +32 2 521 49 28 | |||
'''Address:''' 56 Rue Gheude, B-1070 Brussels | |||
'''Open''' | |||
Mon, Tues, Thu, Fri, Sat 10am - 5pm (last call is 4pm, store open until 5pm) | |||
Closed Wed & Sun | |||
== Overview == | == Overview == | ||
Cantillon is the only traditional lambic brewery located within the city of Brussels. Founded in 1900, today Cantillon operates both as a brewery and as a living museum, the [[Brussels Gueuze Museum|Brussels Gueuze Museum (Musée bruxellois de la gueuze)]]. Cantillon uses 100% organic grains and hops in all of its beers. Cantillon brews traditional lambic products, using 65% malted barley and 35% unmalted wheat. | Cantillon is the only traditional lambic brewery located within the city of Brussels. Founded in 1900, today Cantillon operates both as a brewery and as a living museum, the [[Brussels Gueuze Museum|Brussels Gueuze Museum (Musée bruxellois de la gueuze)]]. Cantillon uses 100% organic grains and hops in all of its beers. Cantillon brews traditional lambic products, using 65% malted barley and 35% unmalted wheat. The beers are spontaneously fermented using a large coolship in the attic of the brewery and then fermented in oak barrels. [[File:BrasserieCantillon-18.jpg|thumb|right|Wall of Gueuze at Cantillon]] | ||
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In addition to | In addition to their flagship beers, Cantillon brews a variety of beers for special occasions and experimental releases. The brewery hosts [[Cantillon Zwanze Day|Zwanze Day]], [[Cantillon Quintessence|Quintessence]], and [[Cantillon_Public_Brewing_Sessions|Cantillon Public Brewing Sessions]]. Cantillon also participates in the [[Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation]], the [[Night_of_the_Great_Thirst|Night of the Great Thirst]], and a variety of other festivals worldwide. | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
The roots of Brasserie Cantillon stretch back even further than the brewery’s officially recognized founding date of 1900. According to Van den Steen in [[Books#Geuze_.26_Kriek:_The_Secret_of_Lambic_Beer|''Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer'']], the forefather of the Cantillon brewing family was a grain merchant named Auguste whose son, Paul, had no intention of continuing his father’s craft. Auguste then began to search for a business that would suit his son’s brewing hobby. Since starting a brewery was too expensive, Auguste made several attempts to take over breweries in the [[The_Language_of_Lambic#The_Town_of_Lembeek|Lembeek]] area. By 1894, Auguste had bought the Vandezande-Van Roy brewery located in Lembeek’s Hondzocht district, which was active until 1925 as [[Cantillon_Fréres| Cantillon Fréres]].<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> | The roots of Brasserie Cantillon stretch back even further than the brewery’s officially recognized founding date of 1900. According to Van den Steen in [[Books#Geuze_.26_Kriek:_The_Secret_of_Lambic_Beer|''Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer'']], the forefather of the Cantillon brewing family was a grain merchant named Auguste whose son, Paul, had no intention of continuing his father’s craft. Auguste then began to search for a business that would suit his son’s brewing hobby. Since starting a brewery was too expensive, Auguste made several attempts to take over breweries in the [[The_Language_of_Lambic#The_Town_of_Lembeek|Lembeek]] area. By 1894, Auguste had bought the Vandezande-Van Roy brewery located in Lembeek’s Hondzocht district, which was active until 1925 as [[Cantillon_Fréres| Cantillon Fréres]].<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> | ||
By 1900, Paul Cantillon and his wife Marie Troch began a gueuze blending business in the industrial quarter of Cureghem | By 1900, Paul Cantillon and his wife Marie Troch began a gueuze blending business in the industrial quarter of Cureghem which was part of the southern Brussels community of Anderlecht. The brewery was located in a very busy area near the Bruxelles-Midi train station, the Mons boulevard, and the canal that ran through the city. Jean-Pierre Van Roy, who wrote the forward to [[Books#La_Gueuze_gourmande|''La Gueuze Gourmande'']], calls the period between 1900-1937 the ''"première periode de la brasserie."'' During these first thirty-seven years, Cantillon never actually brewed a beer. Instead, they bought lambic from a variety of producers in the area to blend and sell on their own, considering Cantillon a ''biersteker'' (beer blender) and ''marchand de bières'' (beer merchant). They would house their beers at Gheudestraat 56-58, where the brewery is located today.<ref name=“LaGueuzeGourmande”>Nicole Darchambeau, [[Books#La Gueuze gourmande|La Gueuze gourmande]], 2006</ref> | ||
[[File:BrasserieCantillon-12.jpg|thumb|left|Boiler]] | [[File:BrasserieCantillon-12.jpg|thumb|left|Boiler]] | ||
Paul and Marie had four children, two sons named Robert and Marcel, and two daughters named Georgette and Fernande. The early years of Cantillon produced unblended lambic, mars, faro, gueuze, kriek, and framboise. After the First World War, Paul was ready to expand the business and bring his two sons into the fold. In 1937, Paul, Robert, and Marcel purchased the Brasserie Nationale du Néblon, located in Ouffet, which had closed the previous year | Paul and Marie had four children, two sons named Robert and Marcel, and two daughters named Georgette and Fernande. The early years of Cantillon produced unblended lambic, mars, faro, gueuze, kriek, and framboise. After the First World War, Paul was ready to expand the business and bring his two sons into the fold. In 1937, Paul, Robert, and Marcel purchased the Brasserie Nationale du Néblon, located in Ouffet, which had closed the previous year. They moved the brewing equipment to its current location, and the first batch of Cantillon’s own beer was brewed in 1938, shortly before the brothers were called to mobilize for World War II.<ref name=GeuzeKriek /> | ||
During the Second World War, with supplies in demand for the soldiers, it was more difficult to continue to brew beers. The period during the war saw the brewery at a near standstill. The immediate post-war years did not see the same demand and production of beers as the 1930s had. To make matters worse, a massive heat wave in Belgium destroyed many breweries’ stocks including Cantillon’s. Sometime around 1950, the brewery began to recover and reached an all-time high production in 1955. Paul Cantillon passed away in 1952, while his wife Marie lived until 1958. Starting in 1960, the demand for traditional gueuze and lambic began to decline once again, and Robert sold his share to Marcel and left the business. Marcel, too, was on his way out of the brewing business when his only daughter, Claude, married Jean-Pierre Van Roy. In August 1969, Van Roy had agreed to take the reins of the brewery. From October 1969 until April 1970, Jean-Pierre apprenticed with his father-in-law Marcel Cantillon, learning the trade. <ref name=Trends>Jean-Pierre Van Roy interview, Trends Family Business, November 2017. [http://acties.trends.knack.be/acties/trends/familybusiness/archief/2017-11/portret-1.jsp "Hoeders Van De Traditie."]</ref> | During the Second World War, with supplies in demand for the soldiers, it was more difficult to continue to brew beers. The period during the war saw the brewery at a near standstill. The immediate post-war years did not see the same demand and production of beers as the 1930s had. To make matters worse, a massive heat wave in Belgium destroyed many breweries’ stocks including Cantillon’s. Sometime around 1950, the brewery began to recover and reached an all-time high production in 1955. Paul Cantillon passed away in 1952, while his wife Marie lived until 1958. Starting in 1960, the demand for traditional gueuze and lambic began to decline once again, and Robert sold his share to Marcel and left the business. Marcel, too, was on his way out of the brewing business when his only daughter, Claude, married Jean-Pierre Van Roy. In August 1969, Van Roy had agreed to take the reins of the brewery. From October 1969 until April 1970, Jean-Pierre apprenticed with his father-in-law Marcel Cantillon, learning the trade. <ref name=Trends>Jean-Pierre Van Roy interview, Trends Family Business, November 2017. [http://acties.trends.knack.be/acties/trends/familybusiness/archief/2017-11/portret-1.jsp "Hoeders Van De Traditie."]</ref> | ||
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To keep the brewery afloat, Van Roy sweetened his gueuze with artificial sweeteners to keep up with current tastes. Sadly, this did not help the brewery and it continued to operate at a loss. By 1975, Jean-Pierre began to abandon the artificial sweeteners and stopped the practice altogether by 1978. In 1978, he also decided to create a working exhibit dedicated to the art of lambic brewing. Opening Cantillon to the public allowed the brewery to bring some extra revenue to help balance the books. It also helped to spread the word to both locals and to tourists.<ref name=GeuzeKriek></ref> | To keep the brewery afloat, Van Roy sweetened his gueuze with artificial sweeteners to keep up with current tastes. Sadly, this did not help the brewery and it continued to operate at a loss. By 1975, Jean-Pierre began to abandon the artificial sweeteners and stopped the practice altogether by 1978. In 1978, he also decided to create a working exhibit dedicated to the art of lambic brewing. Opening Cantillon to the public allowed the brewery to bring some extra revenue to help balance the books. It also helped to spread the word to both locals and to tourists.<ref name=GeuzeKriek></ref> | ||
Sales began to increase. In 1986, Cantillon began exporting to the United States.<ref name= | Sales began to increase. In 1986, Cantillon began exporting to the United States.<ref name=Lambic-Info-Interview-JPVN2015>Lambic.Info Interview with Jean Van Roy and Jean Pierre Van Roy, May 2015</ref> Jean-Pierre continued to take steps to increase quality control, including discontinuing sales to stores that stored the beer upright. Storing the bottles upright caused the cork to dry out and let all the carbonation out. Jean-Pierre eventually brought his son, Jean, into the business in 1989. Like his father, who had no formal brewing experience before working at the brewery, Jean Van Roy learned lambic on the job.[[File:BrasserieCantillon-9.jpg|thumb|right|Brewery signage, translated: "''Time does not respect what is done without it.''"]] | ||
In the years since 1992, the brewery has continued to flourish as one of the most sought-after producers of traditional lambic in Belgium. Though still involved in the brewery, the elder Van Roy brewed his last official batch in 2009. Jean Van Roy, who spent a full twenty years working beside his father, now directs the brewery’s operations after having officially taken over in 2003. Unlike his father before him, who was rooted in the strictest tradition, Jean Van Roy has grown to experiment with a number of small batch lambics and fruits not native to Belgium, like Finnish red currants and Danish bilberries. As of now, the future of the brewery seems to be quite stable with no less than seven grandsons of Jean-Pierre and Claude ready to carry on the Cantillon name.<ref name=“LambicLand”>Tim Webb, Chris Pollard, Siobhan McGinn, [[Books#LambicLand: A Journey Round the Most Unusual Beers in the World|LambicLand: A Journey Round the Most Unusual Beers in the World]], 2010</ref><ref name=GeuzeKriek></ref> | In the years since 1992, the brewery has continued to flourish as one of the most sought-after producers of traditional lambic in Belgium. Though still involved in the brewery, the elder Van Roy brewed his last official batch in 2009. Jean Van Roy, who spent a full twenty years working beside his father, now directs the brewery’s operations after having officially taken over in 2003. Unlike his father before him, who was rooted in the strictest tradition, Jean Van Roy has grown to experiment with a number of small batch lambics and fruits not native to Belgium, like Finnish red currants and Danish bilberries. As of now, the future of the brewery seems to be quite stable with no less than seven grandsons of Jean-Pierre and Claude ready to carry on the Cantillon name.<ref name=“LambicLand”>Tim Webb, Chris Pollard, Siobhan McGinn, [[Books#LambicLand: A Journey Round the Most Unusual Beers in the World|LambicLand: A Journey Round the Most Unusual Beers in the World]], 2010</ref><ref name=GeuzeKriek></ref> | ||
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== Underground Cellar == | == Underground Cellar == | ||
In 2011, Jean started a long-term lambic aging process in cooperation with the city of Brussels. The city is providing the underground cellaring space free of charge where Cantillon plans to eventually age 60,000 - 80,000 bottles in long-term storage over twenty years. He plans to focus primarily on aging Gueuze, Bruocsella Grand Cru, and Lou Pepe Kriek but also | In 2011, Jean started a long-term lambic aging process in cooperation with the city of Brussels. The city is providing the underground cellaring space free of charge where Cantillon plans to eventually age 60,000-80,000 bottles in long-term storage over twenty years. He plans to focus primarily on aging Gueuze, Bruocsella Grand Cru, and Lou Pepe Kriek, but will also incorporate smaller aging initiatives with other Cantillon beers <ref name=Lambic-Info-Convo-JVR-JPVR2015>Lambic.Info Interview with Jean Van Roy and Jean Pierre Van Roy, May 2015</ref> | ||
This cellaring project is the largest of its kind for aging lambic. Chuck Cook at [http://drinkbelgianbeer.com/breweries/cantillons-bomb-shelter-cellar drinkbelgianbeer.com] visited in 2014 and wrote of his experience.<ref name=“BombShelter”>Chuck Cook, [http://drinkbelgianbeer.com/about/charles-d-chuck-cook-the-belgian-beer-specialist Cantillon’s Bomb Shelter Cellar], 2014</ref>. | This cellaring project is the largest of its kind for aging lambic. Chuck Cook at [http://drinkbelgianbeer.com/breweries/cantillons-bomb-shelter-cellar drinkbelgianbeer.com] visited in 2014 and wrote of his experience.<ref name=“BombShelter”>Chuck Cook, [http://drinkbelgianbeer.com/about/charles-d-chuck-cook-the-belgian-beer-specialist Cantillon’s Bomb Shelter Cellar], 2014</ref>. | ||
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Cantillon follows traditional [[Brewing Lambic|lambic brewing]] processes, with the following notable facts: | Cantillon follows traditional [[Brewing Lambic|lambic brewing]] processes, with the following notable facts: | ||
* Until 1990, Cantillon used a foeder for blending. Since then however, fruit additions and lambic blending is done in stainless tanks to allow for larger, more consistent blends and ease of blending and cleaning.<ref name= | * Until 1990, Cantillon used a foeder for blending. Since then however, fruit additions and lambic blending is done in stainless tanks to allow for larger, more consistent blends and ease of blending and cleaning.<ref name=Lambic-Info-Convo>Lambic.Info Interview with Jean Van Roy and Jean-Pierre Van Roy, May 2015</ref> | ||
* The fruit is flash frozen, allowing the beers to be brewed throughout the season using consistent fruit. Previously, because fresh fruit drove the brewing process, Cantillon would potentially have to use older or younger lambic to time the process around the fruit harvest. | * The fruit is flash frozen, allowing the beers to be brewed throughout the season using consistent fruit. Previously, because fresh fruit drove the brewing process, Cantillon would potentially have to use older or younger lambic to time the process around the fruit harvest. | ||
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*[[Cantillon Florian Van Roy|Florian Van Roy]] | *[[Cantillon Florian Van Roy|Florian Van Roy]] | ||
*[[Cantillon Gouden Voeten Gueuze|Gouden Voeten Gueuze]] | *[[Cantillon Gouden Voeten Gueuze|Gouden Voeten Gueuze]] | ||
*[[Cantillon Geuze 125|Gueuze 125]] | |||
*[[Cantillon Gueuze 2-3-4|Gueuze 2-3-4]] | |||
*[[Cantillon Gueuze Lombard BXL-BD Grand Cru|Gueuze Lombard BXL-BD Grand Cru]] | *[[Cantillon Gueuze Lombard BXL-BD Grand Cru|Gueuze Lombard BXL-BD Grand Cru]] | ||
*[[Cantillon Gueuze Tourbée|Gueuze Tourbée]] | *[[Cantillon Gueuze Tourbée|Gueuze Tourbée]] | ||
*[[Cantillon Gueuze Vélomoteur|Gueuze Vélomoteur]] | *[[Cantillon Gueuze Vélomoteur|Gueuze Vélomoteur]] | ||
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===Grape Lambic=== | ===Grape Lambic=== | ||
Cantillon has, over time, done more lambic and grape experiments than any single fruit. This list has been broken out of the fruited lambic and given its own section to reflect | Cantillon has, over time, done more lambic and grape experiments than any single fruit. This list has been broken out of the fruited lambic category and given its own section to reflect this. This category does not include blends of lambic aged in specific wine barrels which do not contain fruit. | ||
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*[[Cantillon Lambic d'Aunis|Lambic d'Aunis]] | *[[Cantillon Lambic d'Aunis|Lambic d'Aunis]] | ||
*[[Cantillon Lambic Sangiovese|Lambic Sangiovese]] | *[[Cantillon Lambic Sangiovese|Lambic Sangiovese]] | ||
*[[Cantillon L’Éclat|L’Éclat]] | |||
*[[Cantillon Le Plaisir|Le Plaisir]] | *[[Cantillon Le Plaisir|Le Plaisir]] | ||
*[[Cantillon Menu Pineau|Menu Pineau]] | *[[Cantillon Menu Pineau|Menu Pineau]] | ||
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*[[Cantillon Y12 Trinidad|Y12 Trinidad]] | *[[Cantillon Y12 Trinidad|Y12 Trinidad]] | ||
*[[Cantillon Y12 Jamaica|Y12 Jamaica]] | *[[Cantillon Y12 Jamaica|Y12 Jamaica]] | ||
*[[Cantillon Y30|Y30]] | |||
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*[[Cantillon Zwanze 2021|Zwanze 2021]] ("Parasol" - Orange lambic) | *[[Cantillon Zwanze 2021|Zwanze 2021]] ("Parasol" - Orange lambic) | ||
*[[Cantillon Zwanze 2022|Zwanze 2022]] ("Poivre des Gorilles" - black pepper lambic) | *[[Cantillon Zwanze 2022|Zwanze 2022]] ("Poivre des Gorilles" - black pepper lambic) | ||
*[[Cantillon Zwanze 2023|Zwanze 2023]] ("Ghost lambic") | |||
*[[Cantillon Zwanze 2024|Zwanze 2024]] (“Gueuze Under The Sea” - sea lettuce lambic) | *[[Cantillon Zwanze 2024|Zwanze 2024]] (“Gueuze Under The Sea” - sea lettuce lambic) | ||
*[[Cantillon Zwanze 2026|Zwanze 2026]] TBA | |||
==Zwanzer's Club== | ==Zwanzer's Club== | ||