Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen: Difference between revisions

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== Overview ==

[[File:3FonteinenBrouwerij-2.jpg|thumb|left|Entrance to the 3 Fonteinen Brewery in Beersel]]

3 Fonteinen is a lambic brewery and blendery located in Beersel and Lot, Belgium. In 2019, Armand Debelder officially retired from the brewery due to severe illness and no longer holds a financial stake, though he is still regarded as the father of the 3 Fonteinen family. 3 Fonteinen is currently headed by Michaël Blanquaert and Werner Van Obberghen, after a nearly 6 year transition that began in 2014. Previously, Armand took over the brewing and blending operations of the business from his father Gaston. There is also a cafe attached to the original brewery in Beersel, which is overseen by Armand's brother, Guido, and nephew Thomas, though it is considered a completely separate entity. In addition to lambics, 3 Fonteinen also produces several other non-lambic beers in small quantities, including a blonde, lager, ~~and porter~~.

3 Fonteinen is a lambic brewery and blendery located in Beersel and Lot, Belgium. In 2019, Armand Debelder officially retired from the brewery due to severe illness and no longer holds a financial stake, though he is still regarded as the father of the 3 Fonteinen family. 3 Fonteinen is currently headed by Michaël Blanquaert and Werner Van Obberghen, after a nearly 6 year transition that began in 2014. Previously, Armand took over the brewing and blending operations of the business from his father Gaston. There is also a cafe attached to the original brewery in Beersel, which is overseen by Armand's brother, Guido, and nephew Thomas, though it is considered a completely separate entity. In addition to lambics, 3 Fonteinen also produces several other non-lambic beers in small quantities, including a Beersel blonde and Beersel lager. The porter, Zwet.Be was discontinued in 2020.

== History ==

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[[File:Entrance to Lambik-O-Droom.jpg|right|thumb|Entrance to the 3F Lambik-O-Droom]]

In the summer of 2015, 3 Fonteinen signed paperwork to purchase a new warehouse facility in the city of Lot, near Beersel which consolidated the various locations where barrels were being stored between Beersel and Halle. That same year, barrels, and foeders began to be filled in the Lot facility. On Thursday September 1st, 2016, the 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom officially opened to the public for [[3_Fonteinen_Open_Beer_Days|3 Fonteinen Open Beer Days]], while the process of moving all of the barrels was finally completed in 2018.

In the summer of 2015, 3 Fonteinen signed paperwork to purchase a new warehouse facility in the city of Lot, near Beersel which consolidated the various locations where barrels were being stored between Beersel and Halle. That same year, barrels, and foeders began to be filled in the Lot facility.

This new facility currently houses barrels and foeders of lambic, the bottling and labeling line, as well as all of the conditioning bottles. In addition to the production facility, the lambik-O-droom houses a full tasting room including current, vintage, and specialty bottles and a ~~retail shop~~.

In 2016 and after 2 years helping out with financial decisions, Werner Van Obberghen (who tried his first lambic with his father at the 3 Fonteinen restaurant with Armand while he was still a teenager and later would write a thesis about the financial aspect of lambic and tradition as a mean of business) officially joined the brewery to lead the strategic, commercial, and operational direction; especially on business planning, sustainability initiatives, and external partnerships. For the early years of the business, Armand was not profitable and Werner helped him crafting plans to get there while respecting his vision. On Thursday September 1st, 2016, the 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom officially opened to the public for [[3_Fonteinen_Open_Beer_Days|3 Fonteinen Open Beer Days]], while the process of moving all of the barrels was finally completed in 2018.

This new facility currently houses barrels and foeders of lambic, the bottling and labeling line, as well as all of the conditioning bottles. In addition to the production facility, the lambik-O-droom houses a retail shop and a full tasting room including current, vintage, and specialty bottles.

In 2018, the brewery made the decision to leave HORAL, as they disagreed with some of the decisions made as well as the overall direction of the organization, feeling that lines were becoming blurred regarding the definition of what is considered traditional lambic.

''In Memoriam''

Armand Debelder (October 26th, 1951 – March 6th, 2022) was a gueuze blender and lambic brewer at Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen in Beersel (later Lot, Beersel), Belgium.

For a concise overview of his career as a blender (and later brewer), please refer to the brewery’s info page as linked above.

Prior to his official retirement in 2016, Armand had already begun construction of a house by the Belgian seaside. He was still partially involved with work at the brewery in Lot, until he started enduring bouts of back pain throughout 2018.

In early 2019, Armand was diagnosed with onset prostate cancer. Due to the effects the treatment had on his body, he was repeatedly admitted to the hospital and an elderly care facility in between staying at his new home.

After a three-year battle, Armand passed away in the early morning of March 6th, 2022 in the Saint-Lucas hospital in Assebroek (Bruges).

His hometown of Beersel opened a condolence book at the town hall. An official statement of the municipal government reads: “Armand was an endearing man, willing to strike up conversation with anyone at all times. He was always happy to collaborate with our local community [...]. His expertise was invaluable in planning and setting up the Lambiekcentrum. Because of his accomplishments as a gueuze blender, brewer and tireless promotor of local Beersel produce he was inaugurated as an honorary citizen in 2006.”

Permanent and public tributes to Armand can since be found at several lambic-affiliated locations across the Pajottenland and worldwide.

</blockquote>

COVID-19 and the accompanying lockdowns had a profound adverse effect on the craft beer scene. 3 Fonteinen was forced to rethink their business model and future plans. In 2024, they laid off 10 of their 19 employees as production declined by 50%, and announced they were cancelling their plans of expansion. As of 2025, 3 Fonteinen employs 12 people, while continuing their efforts in sourcing and promoting local ingredients.

==Production Notes==

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* In 2020, 3 Fonteinen received wort from [[Lambiek_Fabriek|Lambiek Fabriek]] as well as [[Brouwerij_De_Troch|De Troch.]]

* Since the 2023/2024 season, they stopped purchasing wort from other breweries and all beers are now 100% 3 Fonteinen wort.

==Local Ingredients==

While many breweries are doing their best to prioritize local ingredients, sourcing can be difficult and costly. Thanks to a network of Belgian farmers they coordinate, in recent years 3 Fonteinen switched to use 100% grains growned in Belgium, becoming the first lambic brewery to do so (today less than ~3 % of brewing grain used in Belgium actually comes from Belgium). In 2026, they will also start malting in Belgium as well.

Though for specific batches they also occasionally used Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrüh from Germany as well as Challenger from West-Flanders, the vast majority of their beers are now using 100% Coigneaux hops also grown in the region at the Bree-Eik farm in Lennik (owned by Geert Duyck, silent partner and co-owner of the brewery). The centuries old farm was purchased in 2017 as a long-term project to restore a historic agricultural site and build up organic grain production in Pajottenland (including old grain varieties), and is part of the brewery's sustainability goals.

==Fruit sourcing==

While the brewery does not have a standarized fruit source year after year (which is pretty normal when sourcing organic fruits as yields can vary a lot from a season to another), they work with small growers and organic farms, local when possible.

===Cherries===

In 2015, the brewery began organizing Schaerbeekse cherry sourcing from local gardens and orchards. This grew into a community-based effort where dozens of local families bring cherries for use in kriek each season. The following year with the opening of the Lambik-O-Droom site in Lot, plans were made to include an orchard as a visible part of the park, and in 2022, 60 wild Schaerbeekse cherry trees were planted from root shoots on brewery ground (to preserve the actual genetic identity of the historical Schaerbeekse cherry, as it allows for a true clone and no hybridation, which cannot be guaranteed with grafs, indeed many of the trees labelled as such nowaday might contain outside genetics and thus not be 100% "true" Schaerbeekse trees). In 2025 and after the legal delay of three years, they obtained the organic certification for their orchard now containing about 100 Schaerbeekse trees, as well as 10 St Julien cherry trees.

A Schaeerbeekse tree needs about 7 years to be mature, and being quiet small and vulnerable to the same issues as vinyards (hot winters, late frosts, Suziki flies, ...), it's a considerable effort to bring them back, but with over 120 families helping out from their own gardens already (over 400 trees total), and 150 other families on a waiting list to plant further on their land, they hope to reach over 2000 trees in early to mid 2030's.

===Stone fruits===

Usually sourced locally from older trees : peaches, damsons (like Vroege Tolse plums, hand-picked in places like the Wijngaardberg around Wezemaal) and other plum varieties like Reine Claude, Nectarines, Apricots, Mirabelles, ...

Often fragile, the brewery experiments a lot with different varieties to see which will work best, releasing for instance yellow peach and white peach blends side-by-side.

===Berries===

Raspberries being traditional in lambic, they are widely used (cuvées like Framboos, Hommage, ...), mostly sourced from "Ferme Framboos" in Huldenberg (Vlaams-Brabant/Flanders close to the Pajottenland near Leuven), who hand-pick them. Blackberries, blueberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants (cassis), strawberries and other berries also appear in limited small-batch series (“Speling van het Lot” and similar releases), when possible also sourced from the same place.

===Grapes===

Usually, they are sourced outside of the Pajottenland region which isn't a traditional viticultural area, and collaborations with biodynamic/natural winemakers help secure quality fruits, expressing a specific terroir. Names like Jean-Pierre Robinot, Claus Preisinger, Domaine La Baronne or Wijndomein Hoenshof in Belgium allowed them to experiment with high quality fruits from prestigious areas with the guarantee of low interventions. They also experiment with hybrid grapes like Muscaris, at a time where climate change put into question the future of viticulture and the best way to adapt.

==Bees and honey==

In 2017, beehives were also added to the park of the Lambik-O-Droom in order to produce honey utilized in various lambic blends (with an addition to the coolship or at bottling for refermentation), but also to help with pollination of the Schaerbeekse trees in their surroundings. About 20 more hives were added in 2019, facing south-west to accomodate the belgian climate and avoid cool, damp eary-morning shade, as well as northern winds. It also allows exposition to the warming sun from late morning through the afternoon which helpl the internal hive temperature to stabilize naturally which helps keeping interventions low and stimulate brood development, wax production and overall colony vitality by reducing stress.

== Beers ==

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* [[3 Fonteinen Cuvée Armand & Gaston|Cuvée Armand & Gaston]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Cuvée Armand & Gaston Vintage|Cuvée Armand & Gaston Vintage]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Cuvée Armand & Gaston Het Bezoek|Cuvée Armand & Gaston Het Bezoek]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Doesjel|Doesjel]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Golden Doesjel|Golden Doesjel]]

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* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze 1998 (50th Anniversary)|Oude Geuze 1998 (50th Anniversary)]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Golden Blend|Oude Geuze Golden Blend]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze - Honing|Oude Geuze - Honing]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Platinum Blend|Oude Geuze Platinum Blend]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Port x Madeira|Port x Madeira]]

* [[3 Fonteinen PX by X-S|PX by X-S]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Selectie C|Oude Geuze Selectie C]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage|Oude Geuze Vintage]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage - Honing|Oude Geuze Vintage - Honing]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Pension Blend|Pension Blend]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Ratafia|Ratafia]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Scotch Whisky|Scotch Whisky]]

</div>

=== Faro ===

* [[3 Fonteinen Faro|Faro]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Straffe Winter|Straffe Winter]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Strenge Winter|Strenge Winter]]

</div>

=== Fruit ===

* [[3 Fonteinen Aardbei Bio Aardbeien|Aardbei Bio Aardbeien]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Aardbei / Kriek|Aardbei / Kriek]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Aardbei / Schaarbeekse|Aardbei / Schaarbeekse]]

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* [[3 Fonteinen Bramenlambiek|Bramenlambiek (Blackberry)]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Framboos|Framboos]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Framboos Bio Frambozen|Framboos Bio Frambozen]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Framboos Bio Frambozen + Wort|Framboos Bio Frambozen + Wort]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Frambozenlambik|Frambozenlambik]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Hommage|Hommage]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Hommage Bio Frambozen|Hommage Bio Frambozen]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Hommage Lambiek|Hommage Lambiek]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Intense Red Oude Kriek|Intense Red Oude Kriek]]

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* [[3 Fonteinen Kriekenlambic Schaerbeekse|Kriekenlambik Schaerbeekse]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek|Oude Kriek]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek Op Ton|Oude Kriek Op Ton]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Kriekenlambiek|Oude Kriekenlambik (Bottled)]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Kriekenlambiek Toast|Oude Kriekenlambik Toast (Bottled)]]

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* [[3 Fonteinen Rode Bosbes|Rode Bosbes (Lingonberry)]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek|Schaerbeekse Kriek]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Schaarbeekse Kriek Op Ton Toast|Schaarbeekse Op Ton Toast]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Wijnbergperzik|Wijnbergperzik]]

</div>

===Grape===

* [[3 Fonteinen Pinot Noir Lambic|Pinot Noir Lambic]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Chardonnay Lambic|Chardonnay Lambic]]

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* [[3 Fonteinen Malvasia Rosso|Malvasia Rosso]]

* [[3 Fonteinen X Claus Preisinger - Druif Blaufränkish|Claus Preisinger - Druif Blaufränkish]]

</div>

===Barrels===

* [[3 Fonteinen Cask Finish Series Akevitt x Atlungstad|Cask Finish Series Akevitt x Atlungstad]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Cask Finish Series Armagnac|Cask Finish Series Armagnac]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Cask Finish Series Cognac|Cask Finish Series Cognac]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Port x Madeira|Port x Madeira]]

* [[3 Fonteinen PX by X-S|PX by X-S]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Ratafia|Ratafia]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Scotch Whisky|Scotch Whisky]]

</div>

===Herbed/Spiced===

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=== Oude Lambiek ===

* [[3 Fonteinen X Lambic.Info Single Barrel Amontillado Lambic|3 Fonteinen X Lambic.Info Single Barrel Amontillado Lambic]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Lambiek|Oude Lambiek]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Lambiek (4 Year Old)|Oude Lambiek (4 Year Old)]]

</div>

===Zenne series===

* [[3 Fonteinen Zenne d’Auge Two Barrel Calvados Lambik|Zenne d’Auge Two Barrel Calvados Lambik]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera Two Barrel Oloroso Lambik|Zenne y Frontera Two Barrel Oloroso Lambik]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Zenne D’Hesbaye|Zenne D’Hesbaye]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera|Zenne y Frontera]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera Single Barrel Brandy de Jerez Lambik|Zenne y Frontera Single Barrel Brandy de Jerez Lambik]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera Single Barrel Amontillado Sherry Geuze|Zenne y Frontera Single Barrel Amontillado Sherry Geuze]]

* [[3_Fonteinen_Zenne_y_Frontera#Batch_2_Label|Zenne y Frontera (Solera)]]

</div>

===Speling van het Lot (Twist of Fate) Series===

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* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xi - Zotte Kadeeën - Cassis Blended & Alive|SvhL VII.xi - Zotte Kadeeën - Cassis Blended & Alive]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xii - Zotte Kadeeën - Zoet Kers (Not So) Raw & Uncut|SvhL VII.xii - Zotte Kadeeën - Zoet Kers (Not So) Raw & Uncut]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xiii - Zotte Kadeeën - Rabarber Blended & Alive|SvhL VII.xiii - Zotte Kadeeën - Rabarber Blended & Alive]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xiii - Kweeper|SvhL VII.xiv - Kweeper]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xiv - Zotte Kadeeën - Rabarber Blended & Alive|SvhL VII.xiii - Zotte Kadeeën - Rabarber Blended & Alive]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VIII.i - Schaarbeekse On a Toast (Medium) Raw & Uncut|SvhL VIII.i - Schaarbeekse On a Toast (Medium) Raw & Uncut]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VIII.ii - Schaarbeekse On a Toast (Medium) Blended & Alive|SvhL VIII.ii - Schaarbeekse On a Toast (Medium) Blended & Alive]]

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* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot XVIII.viii: Single Wood - Acacia|SvhL XVIII.viii: Single Wood - Acacia]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot XIX.i: Honingbes|SvhL XIX.i: Honingbes]]

===Unreleased===

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot Cognac|SvhL Cognac]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot Pruim - Conducta Met Pit|SvhL Pruim - Conducta Met Pit]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot Pruim - Conducta Zonder Pit + Wort|SvhL Pruim - Conducta Zonder Pit + Wort]]

* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot Vin Jaune|SvhL Vin Jaune]]

</div>

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 == Overview ==
 [[File:3FonteinenBrouwerij-2.jpg|thumb|left|Entrance to the 3 Fonteinen Brewery in Beersel]]
-Fonteinen is a lambic brewery and blendery located in Beersel and Lot, Belgium.  In 2019, Armand Debelder officially retired from the brewery due to severe illness and no longer holds a financial stake, though he is still regarded as the father of the 3 Fonteinen family.  3 Fonteinen is currently headed by Michaël Blanquaert and Werner Van Obberghen, after a nearly 6 year transition that began in 2014. Previously, Armand took over the brewing and blending operations of the business from his father Gaston. There is also a cafe attached to the original brewery in Beersel, which is overseen by Armand's brother, Guido, and nephew Thomas, though it is considered a completely separate entity. In addition to lambics, 3 Fonteinen also produces several other non-lambic beers in small quantities, including a blonde, lager, and porter.
+Fonteinen is a lambic brewery and blendery located in Beersel and Lot, Belgium.  In 2019, Armand Debelder officially retired from the brewery due to severe illness and no longer holds a financial stake, though he is still regarded as the father of the 3 Fonteinen family.  3 Fonteinen is currently headed by Michaël Blanquaert and Werner Van Obberghen, after a nearly 6 year transition that began in 2014. Previously, Armand took over the brewing and blending operations of the business from his father Gaston. There is also a cafe attached to the original brewery in Beersel, which is overseen by Armand's brother, Guido, and nephew Thomas, though it is considered a completely separate entity. In addition to lambics, 3 Fonteinen also produces several other non-lambic beers in small quantities, including a Beersel blonde and Beersel lager. The porter, Zwet.Be was discontinued in 2020.
 == History ==
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 [[File:Entrance to Lambik-O-Droom.jpg|right|thumb|Entrance to the 3F Lambik-O-Droom]]
-In the summer of 2015, 3 Fonteinen signed paperwork to purchase a new warehouse facility in the city of Lot, near Beersel which consolidated the various locations where barrels were being stored between Beersel and Halle. That same year, barrels, and foeders began to be filled in the Lot facility.  On Thursday September 1st, 2016, the 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom officially opened to the public for [[3_Fonteinen_Open_Beer_Days|3 Fonteinen Open Beer Days]], while the process of moving all of the barrels was finally completed in 2018.
+In the summer of 2015, 3 Fonteinen signed paperwork to purchase a new warehouse facility in the city of Lot, near Beersel which consolidated the various locations where barrels were being stored between Beersel and Halle. That same year, barrels, and foeders began to be filled in the Lot facility.
-This new facility currently houses barrels and foeders of lambic, the bottling and labeling line, as well as all of the conditioning bottles. In addition to the production facility, the lambik-O-droom houses a full tasting room including current, vintage, and specialty bottles and a retail shop.
+In 2016 and after 2 years helping out with financial decisions, Werner Van Obberghen (who tried his first lambic with his father at the 3 Fonteinen restaurant with Armand while he was still a teenager and later would write a thesis about the financial aspect of lambic and tradition as a mean of business) officially joined the brewery to lead the strategic, commercial, and operational direction; especially on business planning, sustainability initiatives, and external partnerships. For the early years of the business, Armand was not profitable and Werner helped him crafting plans to get there while respecting his vision. On Thursday September 1st, 2016, the 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom officially opened to the public for [[3_Fonteinen_Open_Beer_Days|3 Fonteinen Open Beer Days]], while the process of moving all of the barrels was finally completed in 2018.
+This new facility currently houses barrels and foeders of lambic, the bottling and labeling line, as well as all of the conditioning bottles. In addition to the production facility, the lambik-O-droom houses a retail shop and a full tasting room including current, vintage, and specialty bottles.
+In 2018, the brewery made the decision to leave HORAL, as they disagreed with some of the decisions made as well as the overall direction of the organization, feeling that lines were becoming blurred regarding the definition of what is considered traditional lambic.
+<blockquote style="background:#f5f5f5; padding:10px; border-left:3px solid #ccc;">
+''In Memoriam''
+Armand Debelder (October 26th, 1951 – March 6th, 2022) was a gueuze blender and lambic brewer at Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen in Beersel (later Lot, Beersel), Belgium.
+For a concise overview of his career as a blender (and later brewer), please refer to the brewery’s info page as linked above.
+Prior to his official retirement in 2016, Armand had already begun construction of a house by the Belgian seaside. He was still partially involved with work at the brewery in Lot, until he started enduring bouts of back pain throughout 2018.
+In early 2019, Armand was diagnosed with onset prostate cancer. Due to the effects the treatment had on his body, he was repeatedly admitted to the hospital and an elderly care facility in between staying at his new home.
+After a three-year battle, Armand passed away in the early morning of March 6th, 2022 in the Saint-Lucas hospital in Assebroek (Bruges).
+His hometown of Beersel opened a condolence book at the town hall. An official statement of the municipal government reads: “Armand was an endearing man, willing to strike up conversation with anyone at all times. He was always happy to collaborate with our local community [...]. His expertise was invaluable in planning and setting up the Lambiekcentrum. Because of his accomplishments as a gueuze blender, brewer and tireless promotor of local Beersel produce he was inaugurated as an honorary citizen in 2006.”
+Permanent and public tributes to Armand can since be found at several lambic-affiliated locations across the Pajottenland and worldwide.
+</blockquote>
+COVID-19 and the accompanying lockdowns had a profound adverse effect on the craft beer scene. 3 Fonteinen was forced to rethink their business model and future plans. In 2024, they laid off 10 of their 19 employees as production declined by 50%, and announced they were cancelling their plans of expansion. As of 2025, 3 Fonteinen employs 12 people, while continuing their efforts in sourcing and promoting local ingredients.
 ==Production Notes==
@@ Line 53: / Line 79: @@
 * In 2020, 3 Fonteinen received wort from [[Lambiek_Fabriek|Lambiek Fabriek]] as well as [[Brouwerij_De_Troch|De Troch.]]
+* Since the 2023/2024 season, they stopped purchasing wort from other breweries and all beers are now 100% 3 Fonteinen wort.
+==Local Ingredients==
+While many breweries are doing their best to prioritize local ingredients, sourcing can be difficult and costly. Thanks to a network of Belgian farmers they coordinate, in recent years 3 Fonteinen switched to use 100% grains growned in Belgium, becoming the first lambic brewery to do so (today less than ~3 % of brewing grain used in Belgium actually comes from Belgium). In 2026, they will also start malting in Belgium as well.
+Though for specific batches they also occasionally used Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrüh from Germany as well as Challenger from West-Flanders, the vast majority of their beers are now using 100% Coigneaux hops also grown in the region at the Bree-Eik farm in Lennik (owned by Geert Duyck, silent partner and co-owner of the brewery). The centuries old farm was purchased in 2017 as a long-term project to restore a historic agricultural site and build up organic grain production in Pajottenland (including old grain varieties), and is part of the brewery's sustainability goals.
+==Fruit sourcing==
+While the brewery does not have a standarized fruit source year after year (which is pretty normal when sourcing organic fruits as yields can vary a lot from a season to another), they work with small growers and organic farms, local when possible.
+===Cherries===
+In 2015, the brewery began organizing Schaerbeekse cherry sourcing from local gardens and orchards. This grew into a community-based effort where dozens of local families bring cherries for use in kriek each season. The following year with the opening of the Lambik-O-Droom site in Lot, plans were made to include an orchard as a visible part of the park, and in 2022, 60 wild Schaerbeekse cherry trees were planted from root shoots on brewery ground (to preserve the actual genetic identity of the historical Schaerbeekse cherry, as it allows for a true clone and no hybridation, which cannot be guaranteed with grafs, indeed many of the trees labelled as such nowaday might contain outside genetics and thus not be 100% "true" Schaerbeekse trees). In 2025 and after the legal delay of three years, they obtained the organic certification for their orchard now containing about 100 Schaerbeekse trees, as well as 10 St Julien cherry trees.
+A Schaeerbeekse tree needs about 7 years to be mature, and being quiet small and vulnerable to the same issues as vinyards (hot winters, late frosts, Suziki flies, ...), it's a considerable effort to bring them back, but with over 120 families helping out from their own gardens already (over 400 trees total), and 150 other families  on a waiting list to plant further on their land, they hope to reach over 2000 trees in early to mid 2030's.
+===Stone fruits===
+Usually sourced locally from older trees : peaches, damsons (like Vroege Tolse plums, hand-picked in places like the Wijngaardberg around Wezemaal) and other plum varieties like Reine Claude, Nectarines, Apricots, Mirabelles, ...
+Often fragile, the brewery experiments a lot with different varieties to see which will work best, releasing for instance yellow peach and white peach blends side-by-side.
+===Berries===
+Raspberries being traditional in lambic, they are widely used (cuvées like Framboos, Hommage, ...), mostly sourced from "Ferme Framboos" in Huldenberg (Vlaams-Brabant/Flanders close to the Pajottenland near Leuven), who hand-pick them. Blackberries, blueberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants (cassis), strawberries and other berries also appear in limited small-batch series (“Speling van het Lot” and similar releases), when possible also sourced from the same place.
+===Grapes===
+Usually, they are sourced outside of the Pajottenland region which isn't a traditional viticultural area, and collaborations with biodynamic/natural winemakers help secure quality fruits, expressing a specific terroir. Names like Jean-Pierre Robinot, Claus Preisinger, Domaine La Baronne or Wijndomein Hoenshof in Belgium allowed them to experiment with high quality fruits from prestigious areas with the guarantee of low interventions. They also experiment with hybrid grapes like Muscaris, at a time where climate change put into question the future of viticulture and the best way to adapt.
+==Bees and honey==
+In 2017, beehives were also added to the park of the Lambik-O-Droom in order to produce honey utilized in various lambic blends (with an addition to the coolship or at bottling for refermentation), but also to help with pollination of the Schaerbeekse trees in their surroundings. About 20 more hives were added in 2019, facing south-west to accomodate the belgian climate and avoid cool, damp eary-morning shade, as well as northern winds. It also allows exposition to the warming sun from late morning through the afternoon which helpl the internal hive temperature to stabilize naturally which helps keeping interventions low and stimulate brood development, wax production and overall colony vitality by reducing stress.
 == Beers ==
@@ Line 67: / Line 130: @@
 * [[3 Fonteinen Cuvée Armand & Gaston|Cuvée Armand & Gaston]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Cuvée Armand & Gaston Vintage|Cuvée Armand & Gaston Vintage]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Cuvée Armand & Gaston Het Bezoek|Cuvée Armand & Gaston Het Bezoek]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Doesjel|Doesjel]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Golden Doesjel|Golden Doesjel]]
@@ Line 75: / Line 139: @@
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze 1998 (50th Anniversary)|Oude Geuze 1998 (50th Anniversary)]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Golden Blend|Oude Geuze Golden Blend]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze - Honing|Oude Geuze - Honing]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Platinum Blend|Oude Geuze Platinum Blend]]
-* [[3 Fonteinen Port x Madeira|Port x Madeira]]
-* [[3 Fonteinen PX by X-S|PX by X-S]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Selectie C|Oude Geuze Selectie C]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage|Oude Geuze Vintage]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage - Honing|Oude Geuze Vintage - Honing]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Pension Blend|Pension Blend]]
-* [[3 Fonteinen Ratafia|Ratafia]]
-* [[3 Fonteinen Scotch Whisky|Scotch Whisky]]
 </div>
 === Faro ===
+<div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2">
 * [[3 Fonteinen Faro|Faro]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Straffe Winter|Straffe Winter]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Strenge Winter|Strenge Winter]]
+</div>
 === Fruit ===
 <div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2">
+* [[3 Fonteinen Aardbei Bio Aardbeien|Aardbei Bio Aardbeien]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Aardbei / Kriek|Aardbei / Kriek]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Aardbei / Schaarbeekse|Aardbei / Schaarbeekse]]
@@ Line 100: / Line 164: @@
 * [[3 Fonteinen Bramenlambiek|Bramenlambiek (Blackberry)]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Framboos|Framboos]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Framboos Bio Frambozen|Framboos Bio Frambozen]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Framboos Bio Frambozen + Wort|Framboos Bio Frambozen + Wort]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Frambozenlambik|Frambozenlambik]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Hommage|Hommage]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Hommage Bio Frambozen|Hommage Bio Frambozen]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Hommage Lambiek|Hommage Lambiek]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Intense Red Oude Kriek|Intense Red Oude Kriek]]
@@ Line 108: / Line 175: @@
 * [[3 Fonteinen Kriekenlambic Schaerbeekse|Kriekenlambik Schaerbeekse]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek|Oude Kriek]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek Op Ton|Oude Kriek Op Ton]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Kriekenlambiek|Oude Kriekenlambik (Bottled)]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Kriekenlambiek Toast|Oude Kriekenlambik Toast (Bottled)]]
@@ Line 121: / Line 189: @@
 * [[3 Fonteinen Rode Bosbes|Rode Bosbes (Lingonberry)]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek|Schaerbeekse Kriek]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Schaarbeekse Kriek Op Ton Toast|Schaarbeekse Op Ton Toast]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Wijnbergperzik|Wijnbergperzik]]
 </div>
 ===Grape===
+<div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2">
 * [[3 Fonteinen Pinot Noir Lambic|Pinot Noir Lambic]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Chardonnay Lambic|Chardonnay Lambic]]
@@ Line 136: / Line 207: @@
 * [[3 Fonteinen Malvasia Rosso|Malvasia Rosso]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen X Claus Preisinger - Druif Blaufränkish|Claus Preisinger - Druif Blaufränkish]]
+</div>
+===Barrels===
+<div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2">
+* [[3 Fonteinen Cask Finish Series Akevitt x Atlungstad|Cask Finish Series Akevitt x Atlungstad]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Cask Finish Series Armagnac|Cask Finish Series Armagnac]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Cask Finish Series Cognac|Cask Finish Series Cognac]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Port x Madeira|Port x Madeira]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen PX by X-S|PX by X-S]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Ratafia|Ratafia]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Scotch Whisky|Scotch Whisky]]
+</div>
 ===Herbed/Spiced===
@@ Line 143: / Line 226: @@
 === Oude Lambiek ===
+<div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2">
 * [[3 Fonteinen X Lambic.Info Single Barrel Amontillado Lambic|3 Fonteinen X Lambic.Info Single Barrel Amontillado Lambic]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen  Oude Lambiek|Oude Lambiek]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Oude Lambiek (4 Year Old)|Oude Lambiek (4 Year Old)]]
+</div>
 ===Zenne series===
+<div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2">
 * [[3 Fonteinen Zenne d’Auge Two Barrel Calvados Lambik|Zenne d’Auge Two Barrel Calvados Lambik]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera Two Barrel Oloroso Lambik|Zenne y Frontera Two Barrel Oloroso Lambik]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Zenne D’Hesbaye|Zenne D’Hesbaye]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera|Zenne y Frontera]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera Single Barrel Brandy de Jerez Lambik|Zenne y Frontera Single Barrel Brandy de Jerez Lambik]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera Single Barrel Amontillado Sherry Geuze|Zenne y Frontera Single Barrel Amontillado Sherry Geuze]]
 * [[3_Fonteinen_Zenne_y_Frontera#Batch_2_Label|Zenne y Frontera (Solera)]]
+</div>
 ===Speling van het Lot (Twist of Fate) Series===
@@ Line 183: / Line 272: @@
 * [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xi - Zotte Kadeeën - Cassis Blended & Alive|SvhL VII.xi - Zotte Kadeeën - Cassis Blended & Alive]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xii - Zotte Kadeeën - Zoet Kers (Not So) Raw & Uncut|SvhL VII.xii - Zotte Kadeeën - Zoet Kers (Not So) Raw & Uncut]]
-* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xiii - Zotte Kadeeën - Rabarber Blended & Alive|SvhL VII.xiii - Zotte Kadeeën - Rabarber Blended & Alive]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xiii - Kweeper|SvhL VII.xiv - Kweeper]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VII.xiv - Zotte Kadeeën - Rabarber Blended & Alive|SvhL VII.xiii - Zotte Kadeeën - Rabarber Blended & Alive]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VIII.i - Schaarbeekse On a Toast (Medium) Raw & Uncut|SvhL VIII.i - Schaarbeekse On a Toast (Medium) Raw & Uncut]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot VIII.ii - Schaarbeekse On a Toast (Medium) Blended & Alive|SvhL VIII.ii - Schaarbeekse On a Toast (Medium) Blended & Alive]]
@@ Line 252: / Line 342: @@
 * [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot XVIII.viii: Single Wood - Acacia|SvhL XVIII.viii: Single Wood - Acacia]]
 * [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot XIX.i: Honingbes|SvhL XIX.i: Honingbes]]
+===Unreleased===
+* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot Cognac|SvhL Cognac]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot Pruim - Conducta Met Pit|SvhL Pruim - Conducta Met Pit]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot Pruim - Conducta Zonder Pit + Wort|SvhL Pruim - Conducta Zonder Pit + Wort]]
+* [[3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot Vin Jaune|SvhL Vin Jaune]]
 </div>