Lambiek Fabriek - Brett-Elle

We are tremendously excited to offer the Brett-Elle Oude Geuze from Lambiek Fabriek for the first time to our Rare Beer Clubs members. It is a blend of 1, 2, and 4 year old lambics, and is aged in oak barrels. The name derives from the wild Brettanomyces yeast used in its production.

Upon pouring, a pillowy white head forms that recedes but sticks around, almost like a pilsner head. The beer shows a golden straw color, with a haziness you expect from a lambic. The brett yeast is very evident in the smell, a funky barnyard scent that marks a well made naturally fermented lambic, but there’s also a sweet note to the scent, reminiscent of a freshly sliced nectarine.

The first sip of the Brett-Elle Oude Geuze presents a vivid, lemony tartness. As the beer warms up from cellar temperature, that tartness smooths out somewhat, but still delivers lemon, berry, green apple and some bright floral qualities. There’s a hint of bitterness in the long finish to balance out some of the fruitier notes. Despite being aged in fresh oak barrels, wood notes are subtle across the entire tasting.

There’s a bright effervescence to this lambic, apparent from the initial pour, which makes the fruit elements pop and provides a fizzy and refreshing mouthfeel, a sunny day in a glass. It carries the complex and subtle flavors of this naturally fermented Oude Geuze all the way from the first sip to the last.

Lambiek Fabriek’s Brett-Elle would pair well with fresh fruit, a salad with arugula and raspberries, or even poached cod or turbot, with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprig of tarragon. Alternatively, you could pair this with a cheese board, with the rich Brettanomyces flavors perfectly aligning with a soft gouda or a terroir-forward alpine cheese. In any case, this is a beer to enjoy with food, a light lunch on a sunny Saturday out on your deck with the breeze blowing and your feet up. What better way to welcome spring?

Age this one upright (so the yeast can settle) in a cool, dark place, and drink it within the next two years to get the best experience from this outstanding Oude Geuze lambic.

Founded in 2016 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium by two longtime friends, Lambiek Fabriek puts a contemporary spin on a classic style. Jo Panneels and Jozef Van Bosstraeten, who had known each other since childhood and had even worked together in Burgundy helping local winemakers with their annual grape harvests, started brewing lambic in 2006, experimenting with styles and ingredients in a converted garage. By 2015, they decided to open a commercial lambic brewery, with Jozef taking on the role of master brewer and Jo becoming the zythologist, assisting with blending and taking on all non-production roles, from finance and accounting to sales and marketing. Their venture has been quite the success, with Lambiek Fabriek racking up numerous awards, including a slew of gold, silver, and bronze medals from the prestigious annual Brussels Beer Challenge.

While wine is well-known for the concept of “terroir” – a wine’s unique character reflecting the region in which it is produced – beer is not typically thought of in this way. However, lambic is perhaps the most prominent exception in the world of beer. This traditional Belgian style relies on spontaneous fermentation using the wild yeasts in the air, creating beers that are unique to their birthplace and unlike anything produced elsewhere.

Lambiek Fabriek brews its lambic using a traditional recipe, which consists of approximately 35% wheat and 65% malted barley, along with aged pellet hops. The stainless steel coolship used at their Zuun location from 2016 to 2021 was locally made and split into two equal halves, each holding 1,200 liters, allowing a full brew to fill the entire coolship. The wort is pumped over at around 95°C and allowed to cool until it reaches about 22-23°C before being transferred to barrels. Master brewer Jozef Van Bosstraeten, assisted by Jo Panneels with blending, ensures each bottling is 5,000 liters. Bottling is semi-automated in Ruisbroek, with a capacity of 1,300 bottles per hour, and the only manual labor involved is adding capsules to the bottles.

In addition to being the master brewer, Jozef Van Bosstraeten is also a cooper. Lambiek Fabriek values having an in-house cooper to maintain barrels and foeders, avoiding reliance on external help. Many of their French oak barrels are first-fill barrels sourced from the Burgundy region in France, where they have connections with local winemakers. As of 2022, the brewery owns around 210 barrels (180 x 400 liters and 30 x 220 liters) and 12 foeders, which were purchased from Italy and Austria, with ages ranging from 30 to 40 years. The smallest 8 foeders hold 47 hectoliters each, while one holds 65 hectoliters, and the largest 3 can contain 70 hectoliters each. The geuze is a blend of lambic aged in 400-liter barrels, while the fruit lambics combine lambic aged in both barrels (of various sizes) and foeders. Some barrels are labeled with a "B" to indicate that the lambic inside is made from organic grains. The 100% organic lambic is used in brews such as "Natur-Elle" and "Organic & Wild Black-Belle."