Cantillon Brewery

Cantillon Brewery

Cantillon Brewery is a Belgian brewery established in 1900 by Paul Cantillon. It is located in the Anderlecht district of Brussels, Belgium. The brewery is known for its traditional and unique brewing methods, which include spontaneous fermentation by wild yeasts and bacteria native to the brewery's location. Cantillon Brewery is one of the few remaining breweries in the world that still produces lambic, gueuze, kriek, and framboise in the traditional method.

History

The Cantillon Brewery was founded by Paul Cantillon, who was previously a brewer at the Fondues Brewery. The brewery was initially located in the Cureghem district of Brussels, but moved to its current location in Anderlecht in 1901. The brewery has remained in the Cantillon family for four generations, with current management under Jean-Pierre Van Roy and his son, Jean Van Roy.

Brewing Process

Cantillon Brewery is renowned for its traditional brewing methods. The brewery uses a process known as spontaneous fermentation, where the wort is exposed to the open air to allow wild yeasts and bacteria to inoculate the brew. This process results in a unique, complex flavor profile that is characteristic of traditional lambic beers.

The brewery also uses traditional aging and blending techniques. The beers are aged in oak or chestnut barrels for up to three years, and different vintages are blended together to create gueuze and fruit lambics. The fruit lambics are made by adding whole fruits, such as cherries for kriek and raspberries for framboise, to the aged lambic and allowing it to ferment for several months.

Products

Cantillon Brewery produces a variety of beers, including:

• Lambic: A traditional Belgian beer style that is spontaneously fermented and aged in barrels.
• Gueuze: A blend of one, two, and three-year-old lambics that is bottled and undergoes secondary fermentation.
• Kriek: A lambic beer that is fermented with sour cherries.
• Framboise: A lambic beer that is fermented with raspberries.

See Also

• Belgian beer
• Spontaneous fermentation
• Lambic
• Gueuze
• Kriek
• Framboise