Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen: Difference between revisions
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== History == | == History == | ||
[[File:3FonteinenBrouwerij-2.jpg|thumb|right|Entrance to 3 Fonteinen]] | [[File:3FonteinenBrouwerij-2.jpg|thumb|right|Entrance to 3 Fonteinen in Beersel]] | ||
Like many lambic breweries and blenders, the history of Drie Fonteinen starts well before the official founding of the brewery. The founding of Drie Fonteinen dates back to 1883 when Jacobus Vanderlinden and his wife Joanna Brillens opened an inn with a beer blending business on the side in the town of Beersel.<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> In Dutch, the name Drie Fonteinen means ''three fountains'' and originally referred to the hand pumps that were used to serve the three types of beer at the inn: lambic, faro, and kriek. | Like many lambic breweries and blenders, the history of Drie Fonteinen starts well before the official founding of the brewery. The founding of Drie Fonteinen dates back to 1883 when Jacobus Vanderlinden and his wife Joanna Brillens opened an inn with a beer blending business on the side in the town of Beersel.<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> In Dutch, the name Drie Fonteinen means ''three fountains'' and originally referred to the hand pumps that were used to serve the three types of beer at the inn: lambic, faro, and kriek. | ||
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This huge financial loss of a year’s worth of product, coupled with the fact that the ten-year brewing equipment lease was about to run out, caused Armand to rethink the future of Drie Fonteinen. The remaining capital invested in his own brewing system had to be divested to meet other financial obligations of the brewery. Armand’s last official brew of the pre-Thermostat Incident era was in March of 2009.<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> | This huge financial loss of a year’s worth of product, coupled with the fact that the ten-year brewing equipment lease was about to run out, caused Armand to rethink the future of Drie Fonteinen. The remaining capital invested in his own brewing system had to be divested to meet other financial obligations of the brewery. Armand’s last official brew of the pre-Thermostat Incident era was in March of 2009.<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> | ||
Not all was lost, however | Not all was lost, however; and the remaining bottles of Oude Geuze that had not been damaged beyond repair were distilled into an eau de vie called Armand’Spirit. This, along with the sale of special blends of Armand's remaining pre-incident lambics, has helped to re-secure Drie Fonteinen’s future. In 2013, the brewery installed a 40-hectoliter brewing system. The question of a successor to Armand is often brought up. Currently, Michael Blancquaert is working with Armand as an apprentice and has agreed to buy 50% of the brewery’s shares by 2017.<ref name=3fBrewing>Chuck Cook, [http://drinkbelgianbeer.com/breweries/3-fonteinen-brewing-again-in-beersel Drie Fonteinen: New Brewery, Same Great Beers], 2013</ref> After a four year hiatus to regroup and get the necessary equipment, Armand, along with Michael, is brewing his own lambic again and the future of Drie Fonteinen appears to be very strong. | ||
In 2016, Drie Fonteinen signed | In 2016, Drie Fonteinen signed paperwork to purchase a new warehouse facility in the city of Lot, near Beersel. That same year, barrels, and foeders began to be filled in the Lot facility. On Thursday September 1st, 2016, the 3 Fonteinen Lamik-O-Droom officially opened to the public for [[3_Fonteinen_Open_Beer_Days|3 Fonteinen Open Beer Days]]. This new facility currently houses barrels and foeders of lambic, the bottling line, as well as all of the conditioning bottles. In addition to the production facility, a full tasting room including current, vintage, and specialty bottles and retail shop are also located on site. | ||
==Production Notes== | ==Production Notes== | ||