Cycling through the land of wild yeasts

You won’t forget that first geuze in a hurry. Nor will you forget a visit to Lambiekland. Travel blogger Emma Verhaeghe from Emma’s Roadmap followed the Lambiek-Geuze Route through the Pajottenland and the Zenne Valley. “I didn’t realise there were so many hills and so many breweries in this part of Flanders,” she says.

As a travel blogger, Emma likes to seek out places that can still truly surprise her. The Lambic-Geuze Route proved to be a fascinating introduction to a part of Flanders that was previously unknown to her. “I found it absolutely fascinating that lambic can only be produced here. The brewers let nature take its course. They open the brewing kettles and the wild yeasts from the air do the rest. Isn’t that incredible?”

Paspoort Lambiekland in de aanslag om een stempel te ontvangen in Brouwerij Boon

Father to son

There are plenty of stops along the way where you can experience that unique brewing culture. At Boon Brewery in Lembeek, Emma was given a tour by Karel Boon, who, together with his brother Jos, is continuing the work of their father, brewing legend Frank Boon. “You can really feel how much love there is in that family story. As soon as Karel starts talking about the foeders, spontaneous fermentation and blending, you can see his eyes light up.”

She gathered equally fascinating stories in Beersel, where beer enthusiast Gert Christiaens rolled up his sleeves when Oud Beersel Brewery – dating back to 1882! – was in danger of closing down. “In the brewery’s Het Bierhuis, I tasted walnut lambic and even lambic infused with avocado leaves. They make so many more surprising flavours there. And in the garden, the sour cherries grow for their own sour cherry lambic.”

Then it was off to Den Herberg in Buizingen, where the Devillé family serve their own brews. The brewery at the back, the inn at the front. Just like in the old days. “With son Akke and daughter Charlien behind the bar. Father Bart initially wanted to start a wine estate in France, until he took a course in beer brewing and got a taste for it. Akke said with a laugh that, as a child, he was mainly just glad he didn’t have to move to France.”

From the beer cellar

“Geuze and lambic have been part of this region for centuries. Even when we stopped off at De Smidse in Alsemberg in the afternoon, the owner, Jeroen, popped down into his cellar. That’s where he matures lambic to use in making his own geuze. That used to be quite common: pub owners making their own geuze, just for their customers.” For his Oude Geuze Cuvée 1655, Jeroen works with brewer friends from the Lindemans, Girardin and Den Herberg breweries.

“Everyone knows each other here. They don’t see each other as competitors, but as allies who work together to keep that unique regional tradition alive.”

“Strikingly green”

In between all these stops, the Lambic-Geuze Route is, above all, a delightful cycle ride. Woodlands, sunken lanes, fields and villages follow one after the other. And then there are the dead-straight avenues of the Hallerbos. “It’s striking how green it is here,” says Emma. “You’re right next to Brussels, but you really feel like you’re a world away. Although those hills shouldn’t be underestimated. An electric bike is certainly no luxury.”

And the gueuze itself? “You simply have to taste it here. I’d never had anything like it before. The flavour is unlike anything else. Now I understand why they’re so proud of their lambic culture here.”

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