Lambiek Fabriek: Difference between revisions

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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.

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==

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 ==

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*[[Natur-Elle Organic Geuze]]

*[[Sporty Geuze Origin-Elle]]

*[[Wild & Peaty Geuze]]

===Fruit===

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*[[Oude Kriek Jart-Elle]]

*[[Oude Kriek Schar-Elle]]

*[[Red Currant Lambiek]]

===Lambic===

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===Herbs/Spices===

*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Can-Elle]]

*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Dragon-Elle]]

*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Elle-Derflower]]

*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Green Shiso]]

*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Pink Shiso]]

===Lambic hybrid blends===

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== Photos ==

File:Lambiek Fabriek entrance.jpg|Entrance in Ruisbroek

File:Lambiek Fabriek warehouse Ruisbroek.jpg|Barrel room in Ruisbroek

File:Lambiek Fabriek barrel room Ruisbroek2.jpg|Barrel room in Ruisbroek

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 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.
+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==
 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 ==
@@ Line 54: / Line 56: @@
 *[[Natur-Elle Organic Geuze]]
 *[[Sporty Geuze Origin-Elle]]
+*[[Wild & Peaty Geuze]]
 ===Fruit===
@@ Line 76: / Line 79: @@
 *[[Oude Kriek Jart-Elle]]
 *[[Oude Kriek Schar-Elle]]
+*[[Red Currant Lambiek]]
 ===Lambic===
@@ Line 82: / Line 86: @@
 ===Herbs/Spices===
+*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Can-Elle]]
 *[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Dragon-Elle]]
 *[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Elle-Derflower]]
 *[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Green Shiso]]
+*[[Le Chalet De La Forêt Pink Shiso]]
 ===Lambic hybrid blends===
@@ Line 92: / Line 98: @@
 == Photos ==
 <gallery>
 File:Lambiek Fabriek entrance.jpg|Entrance in Ruisbroek
 File:Lambiek Fabriek warehouse Ruisbroek.jpg|Barrel room in Ruisbroek
 File:Lambiek Fabriek barrel room Ruisbroek2.jpg|Barrel room in Ruisbroek