cantillon brewery in brussels, belgium

working hard, or hardly working?

while we were in brussels we had the opportunity to visit a local brewery. Cantillon brews a special type of beer that is specific to the region of brussels called, lambic a type of gueuze beer. It a tart beer that had been fermented (which provides natural carbonation) – think of those kombucha teas I drink. They have natural pro-biotics due to the fermenting process. So lets get started on your 'tour.'

first, you enter the mashing house. The raw materials used are wheat (65%), malted barley (35%) and a splash of hops. Wheat and barely are crushed together and make a 'cereal.' after they are mashed they are transferred to a 'mashing tun.' the product stays here for 2 hours and the temperature slowly rises to create the sugar (the sugar is a crucial ingredient – it will be converted to alcohol during the fermentation). The sugar is extracted by adding hot water. Wort, the liquid that remains (sugar from the malt and wheat) is poured in to hop boilers.

next step is the hop boilers. After 3-4 hours of boiling approximately 2,500 liter have evaporated and the remaining liquid is sterile. The 'cooling step,' is the most important for this process. Brewing takes place during the 'cold season (mid october – the beginning of april)' for this very reason. The hop boilers inoculated with natural yeasts when the temperature reaches around 70 degrees. According to legend this fermentation is only possible in brussels (or the senne valley), because of the river's 'special' water.

the liquid is aged for 3 years in wooden barrels. To make a 'gueuze' beer one, two or 3 year old lambic beer is mixed to create the sour distinct taste (the younger the beer – the more sugar that is available). Sometime even local regional produce is mixed (like cherries or raspberries – 2 flavors that we had the chance to taste after our tour) to give the beer a 'flavored' taste.

just chilling in some barrels...

the finished product! this was the cherry flavor.

(the raspberry was much better!)

also- you can find spiderwebs throughout the brewery. These are not destroyed because of the 'circle of life' role they play. The spiders that live in the webs keep the other pests that might attempt to interuppt some of the production to a minimum. Literal harmony.

yummy, spiderwebs!