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W.O.F.D. Vergistingen

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Revision as of 05:47, 7 April 2025 by Gaël (talk | contribs) (→Beers)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/WOFD-Vergistingen-100090311506781/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wofd_vergistingen/

Overview

The blendery was created in 2022 by friends Bram, Steven and Wout in Kortrijk, in the western part of Belgium close to the French border. The actual blending takes place in a warehouse in Dottignies.

The idea for the project came to the group of friends during an evening enjoying beers by skilled blenders at restaurant De Gebrande Winning, right after the first Covid lockdown. When driving home the next day, Bram, Steven and Wout started putting things in motion. They started planning, looking for a space, searching for quality fruits to source as well as lambic, and took two lambic blending courses to make sure they would do things the right way. On May 2022, the first macerations started.

The very first beers were presented to the public in June 2023 during the Carnivale Brettanomyces festival in Amsterdam. The positive feedback received during the event pushed the friends to decide on turning WOFD into an actual company, allowing them to provide beers for as many enthusiasts as possible.

The philosophy behind WOFD Vergistingen is to produce fruity blends that are very refreshing but not too acidic, rather very fruity and easy to drink with the conviction that one should be able to enjoy multiple glasses of their beers on a sunny summer evening. They should remain complex enough to keep sparking interest throughout the entire tasting process. These goals could be reached by using actual fruits, but also herbs or modern hops.

The lambics used in WOFD blends ranges from 1-year-old to 5-year-old and is sourced from various brewers :

· De Troch

· Den Herberg

· Lindemans

· Sako

· Brouwerij Angerik

The fruits are sourced where they are judged to be at their best at the time they are needed; either from a wholesale supplier or from a farmer directly. The grapes, mainly Pinot Noir and Gamay, are being sourced from a wine domain in the western part of Belgium.

Side Notes

WOFD (or rather "wofd") means 'head' in the Kortrijk dialect and refers to the primary fermentation that plays a crucial role in the lambic used for these wonderful fruity beers. And if you drink too much of it, the logo on the bottle (a head filled with bubbles) refers to the local saying: 'I have a head.' The names of the first beers are inspired by episodes of FC de Kampioenen, a locally famous comedy TV series on the VRT Belgian channel, and other comedy shows with comical episode titles will continue to be an inspiration for future beer names.

In general, the WOFD Vergistingen crew does not take themselves too seriously as it reflects in the name of the company, of the beers and in their social media posts. However, this does not mean that Bram, Steven and Wout do not take very seriously the level of quality that goes into their beers, as they aim to reach the highest standards possible.

The beers are poured at various events and are being released to people who have shown interest through a mailing list. Currently there is only one bar in Belgium that pours WOFD beers: Hops and More in Leuven.

For the future, WOFD Vergistingen will keep aiming at producing enjoyable lambics and the occasional (hybrid) blend with befriended blenders. The project will remain a small-scale operation as the blendery is a hobby that has gotten already a little bit out of hand according to them.

Beers

  • Experimental Series: POP Juice #1: Dry hopped Lambiek with Yakima Chief hops (Poured at Carnivale Brettanomyces 2023 as well as Malz: new wave blenders 2023)
  • Experimental Series: POP Juice #2: Dry hopped Lambiek with Yakima Chief hops (Never released)
  • Experimental Series: Cuvée Stylo #1: Blend of Lambieken with apricots (Poured at Carnivale Brettanomyces 2023, as well as Malz: new wave blenders 2023)
  • Experimental Series: Le Juice #1: Blend of Lambieken with Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes (Poured at Carnivale Brettanomyces 2023 as well as Malz: new wave blenders 2023)
  • Experimental Series: Daddy Juice #1: Blend of Lambieken with rhubarb from our dads gardens (Poured at Carnivale Brettanomyces 2023 as well as Malz: new wave blenders 2023)
  • Friet met Mayonaise #1: Blend of 1yo to 4yo Lambiek with Weinberg nectarines, bottled on 31/12/2023 (Poured at The Beer Experience 2024 as well as Gebrande Winning: Casino Totale). Released to the public on October 2024.
  • Carmens Wasmachine #1: Blend of 1yo to 4yo Lambiek with elderflower, bottled on 31/12/2023 (Poured at The Beer Experience 2024 as well as Gebrande Winning: Casino Totale). Released to the public on October 2024.
  • Dag van de Secretaresse #1: Blend of 1yo to 4yo Lambiek with rhubarb and apricots, bottled on 06/01/2024 (Poured at The Beer Experience 2024as well as Gebrande Winning: Casino Totale). Released to the public on October 2024.
  • Een Groen Blaadje #1: Blend of 1yo to 4yo Lambiek with Axerrois Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc grapes, bottled on 19/12/2023 (Poured at The Beer Experience 2024 as well as Gebrande Winning: Casino Totale). Released to the public on October 2024.
  • Boem! #1: Blend of 1yo to 4yo Lambiek with apricots, clove and a hint of rhubarb, bottled on 21/01/2024 (Poured at The Beer Experience 2024 as well as Gebrande Winning: Casino Totale). Released to the public on October 2024.
  • Smeergeld #1: Blend of 1yo to 4yo Lambiek with Pinot Noir Grapes, bottled on 21/07/2024 (Poured at Gebrande Winning: Casino Totale). Released to the public on October 2024.
  • Tony de Pony #1: Blend of 1yo to 4yo Lambiek dry hopped with Crystal, bottled on 16/10/2024 (Not yet released)
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