Nacht van de Grote Dorst

Overview

The Night of the Great Thirst, also known as the International Festival of Geuze and Kriek aims to publicize and celebrate lambic both in Belgium and throughout the world. This festival was first introduced in 2004 and is held every other year in Eizeringen, Belgium. Beginning in 2011, a US Edition of this festival was started during the off years, and is hosted at Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, Maine.

The event was originally organized as a protest, as the inspector of the federal food agency (Federaal Voedselagentschap (FAVV)) was not aware of spontaneous fermentation processes and was threatening to close a number of breweries. More than 700 people showed up, twice what was expected, and helped demonstrate to the government the importance of the survival and protection of this centuries-old brewing method^[1]

While the protest was a success and the government came to understand the importance of Lambic in Belgian culture, the event continues to continue to draw attention to the importance of lambic and it's Belgian heritage. Additionally, the Night of the Great Thirst also pays homage to spontaneously fermented beers around the world. While not lambic, these beers are an important piece to the revival of interest in spontaneously fermented beers.

In 2012, the Night of the Great Thirst won a bronze metal at the Belgian Beer Awards for Best Event of 2012.