This one is for the lambic-lovers out there.
3Fonteinen (Three Fountains) is a world class lambic brewery and blendery. Made famous by father and son Gaston and Armand Debelder, these beers are talked about with the same reverence as Cantillon. There are so many different styles of lambic on offer, it made sense (while being more than slightly self indulgent) to organise a tasting night featuring a number of these beers.
So this is what will make up our tasting:
On arrival we'll have a keg of Flensburger Munich Dunkel (4.8%) on tap. To break up the acidity of the lambics on offer, you'll be able to help yourself to this tap through the tasting.
3F Oude Geuze 6.0% - where else do we start other than the classic Geuze, a blend of 1,2 and 3 year old lambics
3F Oude Kriek 6.0% - macerating hand-picked whole sour cherries on young lambic for at least 4 months. 1kg of fruit per litre of lambic. Then blended again with more young lambic to obtain a minimum intensity of 35% fruit, bottled immediately after second blending
3F Gele Perzik 6.3% - yellow peaches from a small farm in the north of Spain, macerated for fiver months on 1- and 2-year-old lambik before blending. The final fruit intensity is 409 grams of peacher per litre of Perzik. The lambikken originate from three different barrels and eight different brews
3F Braambes Oogst 2021 6.5% - macerated whole blackberries on 2- and 3-year old lambik for almost four months. We blended with some young lambik right before bottling for continued bottle fermentation. This way, the weighted average age of this blend surpasses 29 months at the moment of bottling. The final proportion of fruit used is 398 grams of blackberries per litre of Braam. The lambikken used originate from four different barrels and ten different brews, of which the oldest was brewed in November 2018. 100% 3 Fonteinen brewed lambik
3F Oude Lambik 2017 6.9% - the foundation and our essence: lambik as it should be; pure, spontaneous and complex. For six years, three consecutive brews from March 2017 fermented and matured in the same oak barrel. This fine lambik was bottled in a dark brown bottle and finished with the most excellent cork for even longer cellar ageing
3F Druif Blaufrankisch x Claus Preisinger 7.6% - the second batch of Blaufränkisch grape lambik, macerated full grapes for five months on young lambik before blending with more two-year-old lambik. The weighted average age of this grape beer is more than 12 months. The final fruit intensity is 375 grams of grapes per litre of Druif. All cereals used in brewing the ten lambikken, were sourced within our Pajottenland Cereal Collective. 100% 3 Fonteinen
3F Cask Finish Series: Cognac 8.6% - for this small blend of Cognac geuze, we blended three lambikken that have aged on cognac barrels for more than twenty months. The lambikken originate from five different brews of which more than 60% was brewed with local Pajottenland cereals. As most lambikken have been brewed in 2020, the weighted average age of this blend is over 46 months. The barrels come from a small scale, independent cognac distillery from the Charente region, France, and is renowned for their focus on terroir and absolute quality
And then, for dessert:
Funky Fluid Royal Cookie: Triple Chocolate 12.0% - chocolate imperial stout with three types of cocoa nibs, brewed in collaboration with Beskid Chocolate, a premium Polish 'bean-to-bar' chocolatier founded in 2017
When: Friday 3rd July 2026
Where: The Beer Shed - 96a Fern Street Islington 2296
Time: arrive from 6pm for a 6.15pm start to the tasting
Format: 8 x 100ml (approx) tasters, the Flensburger Munich Dunkel keg as well as a selection of cheeses to enjoy while tasting the lambics
Cost: $90.00 for members, $105.00 for non-member guests