Belgian Beer Journeys: Into Lambic Country

Some of the breweries and places in the Museum happen to sit rather conveniently close together. So, if you fancy exploring a little Belgian beer culture for yourself, here is one way of joining a few of them up.

This isn't a tour or a fixed itinerary. It's simply a journey we think works particularly well. Follow our order, change it around, linger somewhere you like or miss something out entirely. The Museum's associated Place and Brewery entries have more about the individual stops and can help with planning your visit.

BEST BY: Car

ALLOW: Half a day, or longer if you linger

BEST DAY: Saturday

BEST TIME: Late morning onwards

Head into the Zenne Valley

Just south-west of Brussels, the Zenne Valley is part of the traditional landscape of lambic, gueuze and kriek. This journey brings together two of its best-known producers, in Lembeek and Beersel, with a little local history along the way.

Both places are also relatively easy to reach by train from Brussels, so a car isn't essential. Travelling between them by public transport is less straightforward, however, so you'll need to do a little advance planning if you leave the car behind.

Start with Boon in Lembeek

Begin at Brouwerij Boon in Lembeek.

Boon is one of the major names in traditional lambic and gueuze, and the brewery makes an excellent introduction to how these beers are produced. A guided visit takes you through the brewing process, the remarkable wooden foeders used for ageing and blending, and the story of a brewery that has played an important part in preserving the lambic tradition.

Allow some time afterwards for the bar and brewery shop. The latter is particularly well stocked with Boon beers, glasses and other brewery merchandise, so there's no need to hurry on to the next stop.

If you want to take a brewery tour, check the available times and languages before planning the rest of your day. Saturday works particularly well for this journey because of Boon's visitor arrangements and the opportunity to finish later at 3 Fonteinen.

Lembeek itself need not detain the casual visitor for long. For this journey, the brewery is very much the destination.

A castle between beers

From Lembeek, head the short distance north towards Beersel.

Before returning to lambic, make time for Kasteel van Beersel. This imposing medieval moated castle is one of the most striking historic sights on the southern edge of Brussels and makes a rather good interruption to an afternoon otherwise devoted to fermentation.

The castle also gives Beersel a different character from Lembeek. This is somewhere worth exploring in its own right, rather than simply arriving for the brewery and moving on.

Finish at 3 Fonteinen

Then head to Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen.

3 Fonteinen offers a rather different visitor experience from Boon. There's a shop, but the spacious Lambik-O-Droom bar is an important part of the attraction, with the brewery's lambics and gueuzes to enjoy in appropriately unhurried surroundings.

That makes it a natural place to finish. If you've arranged the small but important matter of a designated driver, there's no particular reason for a half-day journey to remain a half-day journey. Settle in, explore the beers and let the afternoon drift towards evening.

For anyone interested in lambic, visiting Boon and 3 Fonteinen on the same journey is also a useful reminder that a shared beer tradition doesn't produce identical breweries. Each has its own history, approach and atmosphere.

Before you go

Check every venue before travelling. Brewery tours may require advance booking, while opening days and hours can be limited or change seasonally. Beersel Castle has its own opening arrangements too.

If you're travelling by public transport, check the connections between Lembeek and Beersel as well as the trains to and from Brussels. Both destinations are relatively easy to reach from the city. Joining them together is the part that requires a little more planning.