3 Fonteinen

Items

3 Fonteinen Aardbei	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Nocturne I (light)	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen (375 ml) Oude Kriek	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen (375 ml) Tuverbol	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Druif Muscaris	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Druif Riesling	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Druif Spatburgunder	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Perzik Geel	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Perzik Rood	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Schaarbeekse Kriek	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Wijnbergperzik	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen (375 ml) Cuvee Armand & Gaston	Login	—
3 Fonteinen (375 ml) Oude Geuze	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen (375 ml) 2019 VINTAGE Cuvee Armand & Gaston	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen (375 ml) 2019 VINTAGE Oude Geuze	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Cuvee Armand & Gaston	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze	Login	—	In Stock
3 Fonteinen Nocturne II (dark)	Login	—	In Stock

Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen is one of a handful of traditional lambic producers remaining in Belgium. Founded as a café and lambic steekerij (blendery) in the Pajottenland region in the 1880s, 3 Fonteinen's modern history began in 1953 when the café was purchased by Gaston Debelder. Gaston's dedication to traditional methods -- heavily influenced by famed Flemish author, cultural historian, and friend, Herman Teirlinck, -- was passed on to his son, Armand, who refused to compromise during the period of industrialization and consolidation that saw most lambic blenders and brewers move away from artisanal methods in favor of commercialization, homogeneity, and broad public appeal. While most producers began to filter, pasteurize, sweeten, and use artificial or processed adjuncts, 3 Fonteinen was one of few to remain close to its heritage, close to the land, to value patience in the process, and to continue to do everything by hand with no compromise.

3 Fonteinen continues to respect those tenets today. All of its lambikken are brewed in the traditional method, with a turbid mash, a grain bill of organic, Pajottenland-grown malted barley and raw wheat, and the addition of long-aged hops. After brewing, the unfermented beer (wort) is then cooled from the boil on a traditional open-air vessel, a koelschip, to allow inoculation from native, naturally occurring yeast and bacteria, beginning the spontaneous fermentation. The fermenting lambic matures in used oak barrels, typically sourced from French or Italian winemakers, for anywhere from one to five years. Throughout this élévage, the young lambic is under the influence of saccharomyces, brettanomyces, lactobacillus, pediococcus, and various other yeast and bacteria, going from a malty, sugar-rich base to a completely dry, tart, complex old lambic. Jonge lambik (young) and oude lambik (old) are sometimes served directly from the barrels, but more commonly blended into a geuze or fruit lambic. 3 Fonteinen's geuze is always a blend of 1-, 2-, 3-, and often 4- or 5-year-old lambik, with the younger components contributing sugars for continued fermentation and the older components giving acidity and depth. All geuze is refermented in the bottle with no dosage for at least 12 months before release. A traditional geuze can age gracefully for decades. 3 Fonteinen's fruit lambics typically use a blend of 2- and/or 3-year-old lambikken that then undergo a 3-6 month maceration on whole, organic fruit. No syrups, juices, purées, or otherwise processed fruits are used. Typical fruit lambics are produced with sour cherries (krieken) or raspberries (frambozen), and more recently with whole-cluster grapes (druiven), plums (pruimen), peaches (perziken) and various other local, organic fruits. While remaining dedicated to traditional methods, 3 Fonteinen has also begun to experiment within that framework, conditioning lambic in freshly emptied sherry, porto, and vin jaune casks, among others.

Beyond method, in recent years 3 Fonteinen's main focus has been a return to the land; lambic was originally a product that was very closely tied to place. Today's naming conventions aside (a beer should not be called a lambic unless it was produced in the Pajottenland), the varietals of barley, wheat, and hops that were used for centuries before industrialization were unique to the region and heavily influenced the character of the final product. For nearly a decade now, efforts have been made to revive these nearly extinct base components by working in close partnership with local farmers, going as far as forming a sort of cooperative, the Cereal Collective, to complete a circle between regenerative agriculture, the local economy, and culture. Traditional lambic represents a sort of living history, and may be the only style of beer that has a true terroir, something the brewery respects and embraces above all.

After decades of faithlful service to the preservation of traditional lambic and geuze production, Armand brought on Michaël Blancquaert as a half-time in employee in 2010. Michaël quickly learned the arts of tasting and blending and Armand began to lean on and trust him more and more. Armand said he saw a lot of himself in Michaël, and he became like the son Armand had never had.

Two years later, in 2012, Armand and Michaël decided to combine their 4 brewery locations into one central location. At this time, Werner Van Obberghen joined the team. Michaël and Werner worked on a business plan, with Armand's approval.

In 2016, Armand offically retired, leaving the brewery in Michaël and Werner's hands, though he continued to provide them with his guidance and remained present around the brewery.

Sadly, Armand passed away from cancer on March 6, 2022. Though he is no longer walking around the brewery, his influence and vision remain just as present and 3 Fonteinen continues their committment to brewing and blending traditional lambic and geuze.