On a beautiful sunny Saturday in Brussels, I set out for a hike through the Senne Valley. Walking 17 kilometers and being able to visit three lambic breweries, is one of the main reasons why I love living in Brussels. I started from my apartment on the south side of Brussels, but you could perfectly start at the Midi station as well, or even from train station Uccle Calevoet if you want to cut some kilometers. From the last brewery, Den Herberg, it’s only around one kilometer to the train station in Halle where you can catch the train back to Brussels again.
My route took me all the way south through Uccle and Linkebeek. After nine kilometers of walking, I arrived in Beersel, where I visited Oud Beersel, with only a small detour you could visit the castle of Oud Beersel as well. From Beersel it was only a short, two kilometre, walk to Boerenerf in Huizingen. Another two and a half kilometers from there I visited Den Herberg in Buizingen.
Oud Beersel
As you could have read already in this post about Oud Beersel’s Spring Release, this wasn’t my first visit to Oud Beersel. Just like last time, I opted for their 15 cl tasting glasses, ordered either per three or nine. As I had some kilometers to go and two other breweries to see, I ordered three glasses. I wanted to try some new beers and went for the Thai Lime Infused Lambic, Rhubarb Lambic, and Pipes and Barrels.
Rhubarb Lambic
This lambic beer has some nice funk on the nose, smelling not much different from a regular old lambic. It’s clear with a golden-yellow color and little to no foam. A lot of aromas from the wood on the first sips, ending with a slightly bitter taste and some astringency. Overall, the rhubarb doesn’t really seem to come through in the flavor, but compared to a regular lambic it’s a bit more refreshing and has some citrussy notes. A very enjoyable beer after all.
Thai Lime Infused Lambic
The next beer was a bit more experimental. This lambic was infused with the dried zest from Sour Cellars’ Thai lime try from the United States. Again, this lambic had a beautiful golden-yellow color with little to no foam. The smell was delightfully herby and citrussy, a bit less funky than a regular old lambic. The citrus aromas really shined through in the taste too, and this beer finished with a slightly bitter aftertaste too.
Pipes and Barrels
This beer is a collaboration between Oud Beersel and De Leite. It’s a mix of 30 percent lambic from the first and 70 percent dark beer, Bon Homme, from the latter. Barrels and Pipes. Two big casks or ‘Pipes’ were filled with the blend and the beer was aged for 26 months. De Leite did the same and filled one of their barrels with the same blend, this beer is available with the name Barrels and Pipes.
Boerenerf Eylenbosch
This was the first time I visited this brewery that opened in 2021. Boerenerf opened its doors to visitors this year’s summer. After a total of thirteen kilometers of walking this rest stop was much needed, and I couldn’t have wished for something better. What a relaxing, tranquil, and picturesque place. After ordering an Oude Gueuze, I sat down at one of the picnic tables in the grass and just relaxed while reading a book.
Oude Gueuze 2021
First time trying this gueuze and certainly not the last. A beautiful and delicious gueuze this is. Cloudy and fizzy with a fruity nose and some good barnyard funk. Together with tones of wood and a well-balanced sour taste this results in a perfect complex gueuze.
Before leaving I had a short look around the barrel room and got to speak to the co-owner and brewer/blender, Senne. I told him about my project and asked him if he was interested in an interview for this blog too. At the time this post is online, I might have met with him already so you can expect a new post about that soon! Senne also let me taste a deliciously sweet wild fermented cherry wine-mead hybrid, Ambrosia and after buying a bottle of lambic (Biet, a lambic with beetroot) for my collection I was on my way to the last brewery of my hike.
Den Herberg
Den Herberg is a small brewpub that has been brewing its own lambic since 2007. This was my second time at this place, and from my first visit, I remembered the combination of their Oude Geuze Devillé with some cheese, ham, and pickles was to die for. As I got pretty hungry from walking fifteen kilometers, I knew what to do. I sat down at one of the two streetside tables outside and enjoyed my well-deserved snack and gueuze.
Oude Geuze Devillé
The high expectations from my first visit lived up to the expectations. I think I’ll even go so far as to say that this is one of my favorite gueuzes I had so far. The tartness from the beer combined well again with the fatty and salty ham and cheese. A perfect ending to a perfect day.
If you like walking and drinking lambic beers, I would totally recommend going for a walk in the Senne Valley and visiting some breweries. Besides these three breweries, both Cantillon and 3 Fonteinen would be possible to visit during a walk like this too! And, a bit further west, The Pajottenland offers a great opportunity for visiting lambic breweries on foot too. You could for example visit Brouwerij Angerik, that’s situated in a beautiful area for some walking. I’ll definitely visit The Pajottenland soon for another lambic hike, stay tuned and follow me on Instagram for more to come.