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Flavors · Brabante Flamengo
Beer of spontaneous fermentation, made from a blend of young and aged lambics, which ferments again in the bottle. The tradition comes from the Pajottenland and the Zenne valley in Flemish Brabant, and also from Brussels.
Traditional drink from Brabante Flamengo
Also known as: Oude Gueuze, Vieille Gueuze, geuze, gueuze
Click a photo to enlarge it.
Oude Geuze — Brabante Flamengo, Belgium
To understand geuze you must start with lambic, the beer it comes from. The wort, after boiling, is left to cool in the cold winter air and ferments by itself, with the yeasts and bacteria present in the environment: this is spontaneous fermentation. Then the lambic matures for a long time in wooden barrels.
Oude Geuze is a blend of lambics of different ages. After bottling, it ferments again in the bottle and gains natural carbonation. The result is a dry beer with fresh acidity that can be kept for years and changes flavor over time. The art is in the blending: choosing the lambics and the right proportions and predicting how the beer will develop.
The lambic tradition is old. A decree of 1559 already shows it had been produced for a long time, probably under another name, and the word lambic appears in writing at the end of the 18th century. From the same family comes Oude Kriek, made with cherries macerated in lambic.
Lambic is a regional beer of the Pajottenland and the Zenne valley, southwest of Brussels, and of the capital itself. Most traditional breweries and blenders are located in Flemish Brabant, in places such as Beersel, Lembeek, Gooik and Wambeek. The EU traditional specialty guaranteed protection covers the production method, not the place; the Flemish recognition as a regional product refers to Oude Geuze of the Pajottenland.
Every two years, usually between April and May, the Toer de Geuze opens the region’s breweries and blenders to the public, with buses between participating sites. Geuze is served chilled, in a glass.
Brabante Flamengo
Lambic is a regional beer of the Pajottenland and the Zenne valley (Flemish Brabant) and of Brussels; most traditional establishments are located in Flemish Brabant.
Lambics of different ages, spontaneously fermented beers matured in wooden barrels. In Oude Kriek, cherries macerated in lambic.
Chilled, in a glass. It has natural carbonation from bottle refermentation, and a dry, acidic taste. It can be stored for years.
The Toer de Geuze, every two years, usually between April and May, opens traditional breweries and blenders to the public; confirm dates before you go.
Your questions
Lambic is the spontaneously fermented beer, uncarbonated, matured in barrels. Geuze is a blend of young and aged lambics that ferments again in the bottle and becomes naturally carbonated.
It is when the beer ferments without added yeast: the wort cools exposed to the air and is colonized by the yeasts and bacteria from the environment.
Southwest of Brussels, in the province of Flemish Brabant. Together with the Zenne valley, it is the traditional region of lambic and geuze.
Flavors of Belgium
Butter cookie with almond slices, or chocolate bonbon, shaped like a hand. It recalls the legend of the hero Brabo and the giant Antigoon, which explains the name Antwerpen, and has been a city specialty since 1934.
Round tartlet from Lier, in the province of Antwerp, with a crisp sugar-free pastry and a dark filling of breadcrumbs, cane sugar syrup and spices. The name is protected by a European geographical indication.
Savory pie from Nivelles, in Walloon Brabant, made with fermented fresh cheese, chard, eggs and plenty of butter, served very hot. A local brotherhood evaluates producers and awards quality seals every year.
Rectangular waffle, light and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, served dusted with confectioners' sugar. It is the first specialty presented by Brussels official tourism and appears in Flemish paintings related to celebrations.
Very hard cookie, made only of honey and wheat flour, pressed in wooden molds carved with animals, figures and views of the city. A tradition of Dinant, in the Meuse valley, it should be softened in the mouth, not bitten.
Mixed-fermentation beer, mildly acidic, matured in large upright oak barrels called foeders. The European Union protects the name as a geographical indication, with production in parts of West Flanders.
Little tart of puff pastry filled with matten, the curd of raw cow’s milk, eggs and sugar. It is made in Geraardsbergen and Lierde, in the province of East Flanders, and has a protected geographical indication by the European Union.
Creamy stew from Ghent, with a broth thickened by cream, vegetables like carrot, leek and celery, potato and chicken. The earliest versions were made with river fish, and fish still appears in some of the city’s kitchens.
Cooked fish, served cold in a vinegar jelly with onion, traditionally in a stoneware jar. It has a European geographical indication, produced in Chimay and in neighboring municipalities of the provinces of Hainaut and Namur.
Cereal spirit flavored with juniper and herbs, milder and sweeter than other jenever. It has a European geographical indication: it must be distilled in Hasselt, Zonhoven or Diepenbeek. The city maintains a museum of the drink in a former distillery.
Dense waffle, made from a brioche-like dough with pieces of pearl sugar that caramelize on the griddle. Rounded and without corners, it is eaten hot and without toppings. According to tradition, it was created in Liège in the 18th century.
Open tart of creamy rice pudding on a thin crust, typical of Verviers in the province of Liège. Eaten warm or cold, at any time of day, often with coffee.
Round tart of thin fermented pastry dough with a generous filling of fruit, rice pudding or cream. It is made in Belgian Limburg and Dutch Limburg, and the name is protected by a European geographical indication.
Rabbit slowly cooked with onion, black plum and raisins, served with potato. It is the dish of the Lundi perdu dinner, the Monday after Epiphany, a tradition of Tournai recognized as intangible heritage by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.
