Beer Travels: Moeder Lambic

Jake Wrote:

As part of planning the Cantillon trip, I knew I wanted to find a Belgian beer bar. Based on the recommendation of a friend who toured Belgium recently, I put Moeder Lambic on the list as that bar. Moeder Lambic has two locations in Brussels. The newer location is a 10-15 minute walk from Cantillon and has 42 taps. Of the 42 taps, eight of them are sours on cask.

The menu is organized by style and there are three to five offerings for each style from around the country. However, the tap handles are all the same which I found refreshing form the usual clutter that you see here in the states.

Upon ordering my first beer, I was given a small dish filled with what looked like sunflower seeds. After I tried a small handful of the seeds, I realized that it was actually malted barley. What a great call. Buying two row in bulk has to be cheaper than bar mix or peanuts and I think it only accentuates the true beer experience.

Since I had not eaten much during to this point and had sampled four glasses at Cantillon, I was in need of some food. The main dish on the menu is quiche and it was fantastic. I stayed for a bit and had a few drinks, listened to an amazing first date conversation, and then made my way to the train station to head back to Luxembourg. I could have stayed all night, but I had a three-hour train ride back and did not want to get in too late.

Quick Hitters:

-       If you’re going to go, stay the night in Brussels and get the full experience. There was a group tasting area that was having a great time and the place was starting to fill-in around 6pm.

-       Definitely ask the bartender for suggestions. Since you are reading this on HBG, my hope is that you know better than to say, “Surprise me” or “Something light”, but, don’t let your friends do that either. Pick a style or two and ask for a suggestion.

-       The newer location is open for more hours during the day than the older one, so I suggest heading there.

-       The bathrooms are in the basement and there are no doors. If a lady makes a wrong turn, she may not realize it until she is standing roughly two feet from you and it can be startling for both parties. Pee confidently or wait for a stall.

Beer Travels: Brasserie Cantillon

Jake Wrote:

A last minute work trip sent me to Europe for the last ten days. The original plan was to be in Luxembourg for all ten days. After determining where Luxembourg was in Europe (sandwiched between Belgium, Germany, and France), I decided to see how far it was from the hotel to Cantillon in Brussels. It turns out that it is a three-hour train from Luxembourg City’s train terminal to the southern terminal in Brussels (Gare Midi).  The brewery is a five-minute walk from Midi. So, on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, off I went.

After figuring out the direction I needed to walk for the five minutes, I came to the front door.

The next challenge: Which door do I choose. The sign on the far left says “The Museum of Sour Beer”, so I chose that door. There is a bell that is tempting to ring, but, as I watched happen a number of times, nobody answers the bell.  Immediately after you enter, there is a tasting station.

After grabbing a glass of the Lambic (Two EURO!), I was told that the tour was self-paced and includes a tasting for 6 Euro. The tour consists of an Introduction given by one of the family members and then an eight-station tour that takes you through the brewing and bottling process.

Stations one and two cover making the wort.

Stations three and four are the cool-ship and the area where they fill and store the barrels. The wort stays in the cool-ship for one day to gather the naturally occurring yeast before being put in barrels for 1-3 years. I was lucky enough that there was wort standing for the day. The smell was on par with the bourbon distilleries we toured in October (i.e. AMAZING)

Stations five and six showcase the blending of the labic and the barrel cleaning area.  The press in the foreground of the picture is used for adding the fruit to the young lambic. During the cleaning process, the chain that is hanging is put in the water-filled barrel and put in the machine in the picture below to clean any of the bugs that may have bored into the wood.

Stations seven and eight are the bottling and bottle storage. The only modern machine in the process is the bottling line that has a conveyor that takes the bottles to the storage bays where they are stacked end-to-end. Because the floor is a little uneven, they use wood sticks that resemble crown molding to level the bottles.

Overall, the trip made for a great day. I would love to go back with a group and split some bottles in the tasting area and make an afternoon of the tour as well. They have pre-made three bottle packs for sale or you can buy bottles individually and they will package it for you.

Quick Hitters:

- Because the introductions are given in a single language one at a time, you get the chance to meet others on the tour and then share a sample with them at the end.

- Make sure you buy a map and mark it ahead of time. The map I bought in the train station did not have the key streets I needed, so it took some wandering. 

- Grab a glass when you walk in and then pay for the tour as you typically have 5-10 minutes before the introduction is given in the language you need.

How to get there:

- The closest station is Gare Midi, which is the southern station in Brussels.

- You can also get off the train at Gare Centraal and walk through the Grand Palace and then work your way to the brewery

- There are some dicey looking places near the brewery, so go with a friend.