Tilquin, Lambic and Gueuze.

We are very excited to have acquired bottles of Oude Mûre Tilquin à l’Ancienne from Gueuzerie Tilquin.

Gueuzerie Tilquin is based in the Senne Valley, Belgium. The only gueuze blendery in the French speaking region of Wallonia. 

A Gueuzerie is not a brewery, but rather a blending and ageing operation. 

Tilquin and others take from breweries and blend and age lambic beer to make there own trademark Gueuze, in this case, Gueuze à l’Ancienne.

At Tilquin, freshly brewed worts, the liquid extracted from the mashing of wheat and barley malt at the very beginning of making beer, are purchased from different producers in the regions of Payottenland and Brussels, then pumped into oak barrels for fermentation with wild yeasts to produce lambic style beer. 

It is worth pointing out that beer can only be called Lambic when produced in the area of Payottenland and at Cantillon in Brussels. 

The way the yeast reacts is known as spontaneous fermentation, meaning the yeast culture is present in the air, the barrels or is uncultured. Most importantly, the yeast is not deliberately introduced by brewers to ferment at a particular time or temperature. 

This process creates a complex varied, tart and vinous pallet. 

The lambic beer created is then used in one of two ways, aged over fruit to create Kriek, Mùre etc or aged for several years without fruit to be blended to create a Gueuze.

Blenders create Gueuze by taking the lambic at 1, 2 and 3 years of age and blending together, before being bottled. Secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle over a period of six months and the beer continues to develop as with all bottle conditioned beers. 

In the case of Mùre and other fruit lambic, a lambic is brewed and the beer is aged over fruit before being bottled and going through secondary fermentation.

Many breweries, like Cantillon, brew, blend and age there own beers, but there is a great skill and focus by Gueuzeries like Tilquin.

The Gueuzerie Tilquin began operations in February 2009. Director Pierre Tilquin is a former bio-engineer who took an intensive course in brewing science and has experience at the legendary lambic breweries 3 Fonteinen and Cantillon.

Oude Mûre Tilquin à l’Ancienne is made from the fermentation of 350g of blackberries per litre. 

A wonderful tart blackberry and citric taste. Complex and fruity with woody notes and a long finish. Medium carbonation and rich mouthfeel. 

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