Beer has been produced in this region at least since 500, though the beers of the past were nothing like what we consume today. Particularly preserving beer was a problem - the first beers could be kept only a few days, in sharp contrast to today’s Gueuze beers, which after a second fermentation in the bottle can be preserved almost indefinitely.
The centre explains the fine differences between Lambic, Gueuze and Kriek. Lambic is produced with a mixture of wheat and barley malt. Unlike other beers, no yeast is added - fermentation takes place in a coolship where the wort is exposed to wild yeasts and bacteria in the air, that are native to the Senne valley. This process only can take place in the cooler months (seven months per year). There have been many attempts to produce Lambic outside of the Senne valley, but none successful so far. Gueuze is uniquely from Brabant.
Gueuze beers are produced by blending various Lambic beers. For the label ‘Old Gueuze’, one must use Lambic of at least 3 years old, but this needs to be combined with young Lambic (around 1 year) to ensure that refermentation occurs in the bottle.
One can easily imagine the artisanal nature of the process. In fact, it would be impossible to organise production of Gueuze beers on an industrial scale. By blending gueuze beers with various Lambics, almost infinite variation is possible.
The resulting beer has a vinous quality. It can be used in recipes where normally white wine would be used, such as fish, mussels, jelly, sabayon, ...
The brand new visitor centre takes about an hour to visit, including the video. There are regular tours at 14h00 and 16h00. The centre is organised around the products of 10 artisanal brewers, who are presented in gallery. Their products can be locally tasted. Bruno - my host - explains that bottles can be sampled in a group, to allow a party to sample the wide variety of Gueuze beers - he’ll provide each visitor with a glass to share. Beers can also be purchased for consumption at home (they cost around 2.5-3.5 euro per bottle).
Nearby, you can visit the Caste of Beersel, do one of the walks such as the Herisem walk (visit the Herisem water mill on the way), or go to the Church of our Lady, a sanctuary.
Good to know
- The current Gueuze bottle strongly resembles Champagne bottles. This shape has only been introduced in 1865.
- In 1910, Gueuze consumption went down dramatically due to the rising popularity of Pils (Lager beer).
- The name ‘Gueuze’ is protected since 1958. Since 1997, Horal protects and promotes the quality of Lambic beers and derived products.
- Lambic ripes in used wooden wine or port barrels. New barrels contain too much tannic acid to be used for Gueuze.
- During the 2011 Tour de Gueuze, brewers produced a Megablend of 8 Lambics. One Asian visitor bid 250 euro for one bottle.
- Gueuze beers contain about 6-7% alcohol.
