Lindemans - 200 Years of Lambic
In 1822, Francisca Vandersmissen married Joos Frans Lindemans and the couple moved into the Vandersmissen farm brewery in the town of Vlezenbeek, where they soon began brewing Lambic beers. Thus, Brouwerij Lindemans was born. Today, 200 years later, Lindemans remains one of the truly authentic Lambic breweries in Belgium. It is still a family brewery going back six generations. Lindemans started brewing commercially in 1822. Today, Lindemans’ annual production tops 85,000 liters but, with its all-new modern brewing center, potential production is 17,000,000 liters a year.
The Brewery
Lindemans brewery in Vlezenbeek (L to R): Copper kettle; Coolship; Oak aging casks; Outdoor fermentation tanks; Bottling facility.
The Brewery has been updated several times over the years. The traditional brewery in Vlezenbeek features copper vessels and wooden fermenters. The newer, state-of-the-art brewery in Ruisbroek is called the Lindemans Satellite Brewery. It opened in 2022 and uses a modern stainless brewhouse and stainless tanks. Because the new facility does not have a coolship, all Lambic production will remain in Vlezenbeek. The Satellite Brewery will focus on mixed fermentation beers and blending, but sets the stage for new types of beers and the ability to better meet international market demands.
Fruit Beers
(L to R): Totes containing fruit juice concentrate; Chart showing Lindemans’ blending process; The final product
Much of Lindemans’ reputation comes from its line of fruit Lambics. There is much international demand for these beers and at one time they made up the entirety of Lindemans’ production. The only traditional fruit Lambic is the Cuvee Rene Kriek, which is made by traditional methods with sour cherries and old Lambics in the blend, which is bottle-conditioned.
(L to R): The original Belgian Pecheresse label; The “cleaned-up” version for the U.S. market; The final politically correct version.
The rest of the fruit beers are blends of Lambics and natural fruit juice concentrates. These are immediately pasteurized and finish rather sweet, but are beloved for their intense fruit flavors.
The Lindemans Product Line
As of this writing, Lindemans produces twelve beers, although new beers are added to the product line as they are developed.
Lindemans’ flagship beer is Cuvée René Gueuze (5.2%), named after René Lindemans – one of the brewery’s most influential directors. It is an authentic Oude Gueuze produced in the traditional Lambic style and is highly regarded by beer aficionados.
Cuvée René Oude Kriek (7.0%) is made by macerating sour cherries with aged Lambic beers. It is a classic kriek, in which whole fresh cherries are added to the beer, which is then bottle-conditioned and given additional age.
Lindemans Ginger Gueuze (6.0%) and SpontanBasil (5.5%) are two more traditional gueuzes spiced with ginger and basil respectively.
Lindemans Faro (4.5%) is a bottled version of the classic young Lambic and candi sugar drink that used to be the fashionable beer in Brussels.
Lindemans Framboise (2.5%) is Lambic with raspberries added.
Lindemans Kriek (3.5%) is Lambic with cherries added.
Lindemans Apple/Pomme (3.5%) is Lambic with apples added.
Lindemans Peche (2.5%) is Lambic with peaches added.
Lindemans Cassis (3.5%) is Lambic with blackcurrants added.
Lindemans Strawberry (4.1%) is Lambic with strawberries added.Lindemans Oude Oude Gueuze 200th Anniversary Blend, Cuvee Francisca is a hand-selected blend of four-year-old Lambics to commemorate the brewery’s 200th Anniversary and its founding matriarch.
To this day, Lindemans remains one of the best of the few traditional Lambic breweries left in Belgium.
