Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen: Difference between revisions

Line 39:

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 full tasting room including current, vintage, and specialty bottles ~~and a retail shop~~.

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 ~~decided~~ to leave HORAL, as they disagreed with some of the decisions made ~~and~~ the overall direction of the ~~organisation~~, feeling ~~some of the~~ lines were ~~getting~~ blurred ~~by some of the members~~ regarding the definition of what ~~was~~ considered as traditional lambic.

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.

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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.

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.

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</blockquote>

From 2020 and after COVID-19, the succession of lock-downs and the craft beer scene taking a hit as a whole, 3 Fonteinen got hit like everyone else and had to rethink their model and future plans. In 2024, they had to lay off 10 of their 19 employees as production declined by 50%, and announced they were cancelling their plans of expansion. As of 2025, ~~they employed~~ 12 people and ~~kept putting~~ their efforts ~~into working~~ and promoting local ingredients.

From 2020 and after COVID-19, the succession of lock-downs and the craft beer scene taking a hit as a whole, 3 Fonteinen got hit like everyone else and had to rethink their model and future plans. In 2024, they had to lay 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 and continues their efforts in sourcing and promoting local ingredients.

==Production Notes==

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 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 full tasting room including current, vintage, and specialty bottles and a retail shop.
+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 decided to leave HORAL, as they disagreed with some of the decisions made and the overall direction of the organisation, feeling some of the lines were getting blurred by some of the members regarding the definition of what was considered as traditional lambic.
+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;">
@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 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.
+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.
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 </blockquote>
-From 2020 and after COVID-19, the succession of lock-downs and the craft beer scene taking a hit as a whole, 3 Fonteinen got hit like everyone else and had to rethink their model and future plans. In 2024, they had to lay off 10 of their 19 employees as production declined by 50%, and announced they were cancelling their plans of expansion. As of 2025, they employed 12 people and kept putting their efforts into working and promoting local ingredients.
+From 2020 and after COVID-19, the succession of lock-downs and the craft beer scene taking a hit as a whole, 3 Fonteinen got hit like everyone else and had to rethink their model and future plans. In 2024, they had to lay 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 and continues their efforts in sourcing and promoting local ingredients.
 ==Production Notes==