Lambic-Geuze route

The cycling adventure of today is all about lambic and geuze. These are two of the pearls in the Belgian beer culture crown. That deserves a word of explanation, for those who may not be familiar with them. Lambic is a thirst-quenching, tart, complex and refined beer that is mentioned in the same breath with Pajottenland and Zenne Valley. It is fermented spontaneously according to centuries-old tradition and then aged further in wooden barrels. Lambic is a beer in its own right, but it is also the foundation for the famous geuze and kriek beers. A geuze beer consists of a unique blend of different lambics. Moreover, they are made only in this region, Pajottenland and Zenne Valley. Nowhere else in the world are brewers permitted to name their beers with that label. In some cases, this brewing and sampling process is also enriched with cherries or other fruits, which leads to the typical fruity beers of this region.

After that beer intro, now for the cycling adventure. It starts in Halle, a town just southwest of Brussels. We push the pedals a little harder and cycle past the Grote Markt with St. Martin’s Basilica, a Gothic icon whose foundation stone was laid back in 1341. It still proudly towers above the landscape today. And so we quietly leave city life. We make our way to the open landscapes of the Zenne Valley. After barely ten minutes, we find ourselves out in the green, on a separate cycle path. The fresh outdoor air and a lonely rotating windmill welcome us. 

We cross the canal, pass by the Malakoff nature reserve, and shift to a lighter gear. Indeed, the road is starting to climb quite steeply. The narrow but immaculate asphalt road rises between the greenery. The first challenge of the day is upon us, but not to worry for a beautiful resting place soon awaits: the Hallerbos. This gorgeous forest covers more than 500 hectares and existed long before we counted time. Back then it was part of the primeval Silva Carbonaria. Today, it is a beautiful nature reserve to get lost in for hours. Every year in April, the allure of this place becomes even larger. That is when the wild hyacinths are in bloom. They transform parts of the forest into a magnificent, light purple carpet of flowers. A very special sight. For kilometres we cycle along in peace and quiet, among the meters-high trees.

In the meantime, we pedal up and down hills through the beautiful Zenne valley. And so we are gradually coming to the end of our cycling and beer adventure. The toughest part of the route is already behind us, but there are two absolute highlights that await us. In Brewery Oud Beersel, since 1882, old and young lambics have been blended and cut here into bewitching geuze. Of course, we are welcomed here with open arms. After a tasty stop at the cosy Oud Beersel beer house, we cycle on a little further to 3 Fonteinen, an iconic brewery of traditional lambic. In an imposing barrel warehouse, the lambics grow into Oude Geuze or fruit lambic.  In the accompanying Lambiek-o-droom, we can enjoy a guided tour and – how could we not – a tasting.