Lambiek Fabriek Harvests Four Medals at Brussels Beer Challenge 2022
Recently launched fruit lambics score high
The results of the Brussels Beer Challenge 2022 have been published. Last year, Lambiek Fabriek won two gold and one bronze medal, which was already a very nice achievement. The young lambic brewery performed even better this year: two gold and two bronze awards. In the Italian style Grape Ale category, the new grape lambics Soleille and Blue-Belle were awarded gold and bronze. Oude Kriek Schar-Elle was named the best amongst the Old style Fruit-Lambics, and in the Old style Gueuze-Lambic category the bronze went to the organic gueuze Natur-Elle.
Jo Panneels: “After the success of our Muscar-Elle, which we made with Muscaris grapes, Jozef and I decided to look for other grape varieties that give good results in combination with our home-brewed lambic. Ultimately, we chose two aromatic varieties grown at the Hoenshof wine estate in Hoepertingen in Limburg, Belgium.”
Jozef Vanbosstraeten, the other half of the brewing duo, added: “Soleille is a fresh and fruity lambic beer with a solid 8.7 percent ABV, to which we added Solaris grapes. These white grapes have a delightful floral bouquet. For our Blue-Belle with an alcohol content of 8%, we used Muscat Bleu, a red grape with a slightly spicy bouquet. It turns out to be two good choices because both recently launched beers were clearly appreciated during the blind tasting by the jury of the Brussels Beer Challenge.”
The other gold medal winner Oude Kriek Schar-Elle is a traditional lambic beer with real Schaerbeek cherries. This Oude Kriek was launched in the autumn of 2021. The Natur-Elle is an organic gueuze. The lambics in this blend are from different years and are brewed with only organically grown ingredients. Both Schar-Elle and Natur-Elle contain 6.2% ABV.
The Brussels Beer Challenge was first organized in 2012 in Brussels. In a relatively short time, the contest has grown into one of the most prestigious beer competitions in the world. This year more than 1800 beers took part. They were classified into 87 categories based on their origin, specificity, and style. The jury, consisting of 85 internationally renowned beer experts, awarded the best beers in each category with a gold, silver, or bronze award.
Lambiek Fabriek was founded in 2016 and is located in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium. Jo Panneels and Jozef Vanbosstraeten brew their own lambic and let it mature in French oak casks.
www.lambiekfabriek.be