3 Fonteinen Hommage
Description
3 Fonteinen Hommage is a lambic blended with 30% Pajottenland raspberries and 5% sour cherries. It is bottled in 750ml bottles.
History / Other Notes
When the founder of 3 Fonteinen Gaston Debelder passed away in 2005, his son and current blender Armand Debelder created Hommage as a commemorative beer to him. The first batch of Hommage was bottled in 2007 and received label approval for distribution in the United States on January 2, 2008.[1] In 2014, a second batch of Hommage was released after having been bottled in June of 2013. Both batches of Hommage saw distribution in Europe and North America. In December 2015, Batch 3 became available at the brewery. As of 2017, Hommage is a regular seasonal in the 3 Fonteinen lineup.
Unsubstantiated Stories
When the 2013 batch was released, 3 Fonteinen reused the previous European label and just stamped it with the new date. However, a new label was created for the US release. What's interesting about this new US label is that it does not say that there are 5% cherries in the new batch. It's not clear if this was an omission from the label or the beer.
Label
Batch 1 and Batch 2 (European) Bottle Text (translated):
3 Fonteinen lambic with 30% raspberries from the Pajottenland and 5% cherries. Spontaneous refermentation in the bottle (unfiltered) with no added color or taste enhancers. Lambic is brewed from 60% malted barley, 40% wheat, hops, and water.
Batch 1 (US) and Batch 2 (US) Bottle Text:
A blend of lambic beers brewed at 3 Fonteinen, with an addition of 30% whole fresh raspberries from the fabled Payottenland. This unfiltered beer will enjoy a spontaneous refermentation in the bottle. No artificial colors or flavor enhancers were added. Lambic is brewed only from 60% barley malt, 40% unmated wheat, hops, and water.
For decades, Armand Debelder has worked as a Geuze blender - as did his father - mixing young and old lambics from other lambic brewers to create a classic Belgian beer. Recently, Armand has started brewing his own lambic. The 3 Fonteinen beers are among the few very traditional and authentic Geuzes and Lambics being made in Belgium today.
Bottle Log
| Bottle Date (mm/dd/yyyy) | Bottle Size | Label / Notes | Image Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/14/2007 | 750ml | Batch 1 | 
|
| 06/26/2013 | 750ml | Batch 2 | - |
| 06/30/2015 | 750ml | Batch 3 | - |
| 12/19/2016 | 750ml | 10th blend of the 2016-2017 season, screen printed bottle. This particular Hommage blend consists of one- and two-year old lambic and has a final fruit intensity of 40%. | 
|
| 12/20/2016 | 750ml | 11th blend of the 2016-2017 season, screen printed bottle. This particular Hommage blend consists of one- and two-year old lambic and has a final fruit intensity of 40%. | - |
| 06/23/2017 | 750ml | 36th blend of the 2016-2017 season, screen printed bottle. This particular bottling of Hommage macerated for 7 months and has a final fruit concentration of 360 grams per liter. | - |
| 06/28/2017 | 750mL | 37th blend of the 2016-2017 season, screen printed bottle. This particular bottling of Hommage macerated for a good six months and has a final fruit concentration of 350 grams per liter (80% raspberries - 20% sour cherries). | - |
References
- ↑ TTD Label Approval, 3 Fonteinen Hommage, 2008
