The lambic brewers and blenders of HORAL, Belgium's guild of traditional lambic

Map of 14 locations in Belgium

Lambic is brewed nowhere else: wild yeast from the Senne valley, wort cooled overnight in open vessels, years in oak, then blended into gueuze. HORAL, the High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers, was convened in Beersel in January 1997 by six producers who wanted the word "traditional" defended, and it has since grown by admitting new breweries one at a time, most recently in 2026. Every member here sits within a short drive of Brussels, and every second year they open their doors together for the Toer de Geuze.

Places in this collection

  • Brouwerij Kestemont — The Kestemont family bought the old Goossens brewery buildings in Sint-Gertrudis-Pede in 2016, cooled their first lambic in 2019 and were v…
  • Mort Subite — Formerly De Keersmaeker, which joined HORAL on 19 October 1997 alongside Oud Beersel, the day of the first Toer de Geuze. Now operated by H…
  • Geuzestekerij De Cam — One of the smallest blenderies in Belgium, run single-handed by Karel Goddeau, who took the job in May 2000 while holding down a day shift…
  • Brouwerij Boon — Frank Boon chaired HORAL from 2015 to 2019 and the brewery supplies young lambic to blenders including De Cam and Hanssens. It also bottles…
  • Brouwerij Timmermans — Founder member of HORAL and, by the date on its own stones, the oldest lambic brewery still working. Visits are arranged by request through…
  • Gueuzerie Tilquin — The only HORAL member on the French-speaking side of the language border, blending in Bierghes since it joined the guild in 2012. The shop…
  • SAKO Brewery — The fourteenth member, admitted in January 2026, and the newest name on the HORAL roll. The Koekoekstraat site opens to callers on Saturday…
  • Oud Beersel — Closed its doors in 2003 and left HORAL as a result, restarted at the end of November 2005 and was readmitted on 18 January 2006, the only…
  • Lindemans — A founder member of HORAL and the valley's biggest wort supplier: the blenderies at De Cam and Hanssens both fill their barrels partly from…
  • Lambiek Fabriek — The first of the new generation to be let into HORAL, in January 2020, after which the guild's membership began expanding again. Weekday op…
  • Geuzestekerij Hanssens Artisanaal — A blendery, not a brewery: Hanssens buys young lambic from Lindemans, Girardin and Boon, then ages, blends and fruits it on Vroenenbosstraa…
  • Brouwerij Eylenbosch — The Eylenbosch name sat derelict for decades, familiar to urban explorers before it was familiar to drinkers again. The revived brewery joi…
  • De Troch — One of the six producers who met in Beersel in January 1997 to establish HORAL, alongside Boon, De Cam, Lindemans, Timmermans and 3 Fontein…
  • Den Herberg — Admitted to HORAL in January 2022, the first brewery to join after Girardin and 3 Fonteinen walked out in 2019. The operation shares its ad…

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