HORAL: Difference between revisions

The current members of HORAL are:

*[[Brouwerij_Boon|Brouwerij Boon]]

*[[De_Cam_Geuzestekerij|De Cam]]

*[[Brouwerij_De_Troch|Brouwerij De Troch]]

*[[Hanssens_Artisanaal_bvba|Hanssens]]

*[[Brouwerij_Lindemans|Brouwerij Lindemans]]

*[[Brasserie_Mort_Subite|Mort Subite]]

*[[Brouwerij_Oud_Beersel|Oud Beersel]]

*[[Gueuzerie_Tilquin|Gueuzerie Tilquin]]

*[[Brouwerij_Timmermans|Brouwerij Timmermans]]

*[[Lambiek_Fabriek|Lambiek Fabriek]]

*[[Den_Herberg|Den Herberg]]

*[[Brouwerij_Eylenbosch_(Kobbegem)|Brouwerij Eylenbosch]]

*[[Brouwerij_Kestemont|Brouwerij Kestemont]]

 

In November 2018, both [[Brouwerij_3_Fonteinen|3 Fonteinen]] and [[Brouwerij_Girardin|Girardin]] announced they would leave the group in January 2019, due to divergence of opinion regarding the direction of the organization.

In January of 1997, at the insistence of 3 Fonteinen's Armand Debelder, HORAL formally established themselves with its original members: 3 Fonteinen, Boon, De Cam (then owned by Willem Van Herreweghen), De Troch, Lindemans, and Timmermans. The impetus to creating the group, to promote and protect lambic beers in the face of continued decline, drove the HORAL members to organize the first [[Toer_de_Geuze|Toer de Geuze]] on October 19, 1997. Toer de Geuze has been held every other year since.

 

In 2012, Pierre Tilquin, owner and blender at Gueuzerie Tilquin, joined the counci. His arrival marked the first inclusion of a blender without an associated brewery, reflecting the growing recognition of independent gueuze blenders within the Pajottenland and Zenne Valley.<ref name = HORALAssosciation> HORAL - Association, Members, and History, http://www.horal.be/vereniging (Dutch)</ref>   

 

On April 2, 2015, Frank Boon assumed the chairmanship of HORAL, taking over from Armand Debelder and continuing the organization’s work promoting and protecting traditional lambic and gueuze. Four years later, on April 10, 2019, leadership passed to Gert Christiaens of Oud Beersel, who remains chairman.

 

 

In the years that followed, the council continued to expand with new producers and blenders emerging from a revitalized lambic scene. Lambiek Fabriek joined in 2020, bringing a younger, rapidly growing lambic brewery into the fold. Den Herberg became a member in 2022, followed by the revived Eylenbosch brewery in 2023. Most recently, the historic lambic brewery Kestemont joined HORAL in 2024. These additions reflect both the renewed dynamism of the region’s lambic production and HORAL’s role in integrating new traditional producers alongside established names.

 

Another notable structural development came in 2022, when HORAL amended its statutes to allow private individuals to become supporting members. This change opened the organization to the broader community of gueuze enthusiasts, providing new opportunities for public engagement through events such as the Lambic Academy and the Lambic Award.

 

Today, with a diverse membership of traditional brewers and blenders, HORAL continues its mission to protect and promote lambic culture — most visibly through the Toer de Geuze, held every two years since its founding event in 1997.

 

On December 2, 2014 HORAL sponsored a seminar called the Lambic Academy in which participants could sign up to learn the basics about lambic from its history and ingredients to serving, smelling, and tasting lambic beers. Among the speakers were Armand De Belder of 3 Fonteinen.<Ref name=HORALAcademy> HORAL - Lambic Academy, http://horal.be/lambiek-academie (Dutch)</ref> On May 18, 2015, HORAL sponsored an English language Lambic Academy. The academy has been subsequently held at various times since its debut.

 

Of the nine brewers and blenders in HORAL, several make at least one product on a regular basis that would not be considered traditional by some either due to production method or artificially sweetening. Of those seven brewers and blenders, five of them have commercial product portfolios consisting of 50% or more of sweetened lambics (calculated by brand name, not by output volume). This has led to questions of the legitimacy of HORAL as an organized body protecting traditional lambic.  If the group continues to recognize brewers and blenders whose product portfolios represent a majority of sweetened or "non-traditional" products, how can they be a champion maintaining the traditional standards to which they claim to aspire? This question has been addressed publicly on at least one occasion by notable non-HORAL member, Jean Van Roy of [[Brasserie_Cantillon|Cantillon]].<ref name = LambicSummit2010> Lambic Summit (Shelton Brothers), Jean Van Roy, 2010 </ref>

Though it is true that many of the brewers and blenders under the HORAL umbrella do consistently produce sweetened or non-traditional lambics, all of them produce at least one "traditional" product, if not more. Thus, the strength of HORAL seems to lie in the maintenance of what is traditional vis-à-vis its relationship with the European Union while the members are free to pursue what is in their best interest as a business so long as there is at least a modicum of tradition in their overall product portfolio. Indeed, the HORAL website acknowledges these portfolios of sweetened or non-traditional beers under each brewery's page.  Additionally, Avermaete & Vandermosten write that recently "the TSG label has proved its role in safeguarding the identity of specific characteristics in brewing that are not in line with current measures on hygiene and food safety."<Ref name = Avermaete&Vandermosten /> At the very least, HORAL would seem a unifying voice for the preservation of the Belgian lambic community at large as political landscapes continue to change and potentially threaten various aspects of lambic production.

At the [[The_Lambic_Summit_2010|The Lambic Summit]] in 2010, Jean Van Roy, Armand Debelder, and Frank Boon along with Dan Shelton of Shelton Brothers Importers came together for a three-hour ticketed dinner and discussion. Of the topics discussed, the work that HORAL does was brought up and addressed by Jean Van Roy. Part of what the TSG favors is the use of specific nomenclature as it pertains to labeling products.  With regard to lambic, the TSG approved several terms to be protected under the lambic umbrella. Notably, along with each set of terms comes a list of rules that must be followed in order to use terms such as "Oude", "Vieux" or "Vielle" (old) on labels.   

Though Cantillon is not a member of HORAL, Van Roy notes that it is "a very good idea" with good breweries as members, but that also in the association there are "some lambic breweries who don't produce traditional lambic or they produce a few; 1% or less than 1% of the global production" and that "Cantillon don't [sic] want simply to sit at the same table [as] those breweries." This is also due to the fact that HORAL members are required to use the protected nomenclature set forth in the TSG.  To this, Jean Van Roy has two main concerns.  First, he notes that the food industry is too influential and the pressure to follow the large companies is too much. Secondly, he notes that his ancestors traditionally produced a beer simply called "gueuze" and wonders why he must change the name. He questions "why don't modern breweries change the name to 'modern gueuze', 'fake gueuze' or 'industrial gueuze'?  It's always the traditional one that has to change the name."<ref name = LambicSummit2010 />