Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

Background

Located in Beersel, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen traces its roots to 1887 as a café and geuzestekerij (a place that produces geuze by blending old and new lambics acquired from other breweries). In 1953, Gaston Debelder and his wife Raymonde purchased the enterprise and building. They named their business “3 Fonteinen”. In Dutch, the name 3 Fonteinen means three fountains. And in this case, three fountains referred to the three hand pumps used to serve the three types of beer offered in the café: lambic, faro, and kriek. In 1961, the Debelders expanded their business by purchasing a nearby property and added a restaurant.

Gaston worked with his two sons, Armand and Guido, and the café, restaurant and lambic blending business continued to be successful. Then in 1982 Gaston passed the business over to his two sons. Armand assumed the duty of head blender. Guido managed the café and restaurant.

Armand, Gaston and Guido Debelder – photograph courtesy of 3 Fonteinen Café and Restaurant

3 Fonteinen operated strictly as a blendery until 1998. But in 1998, Armand leased a computerized brewing system. Armand brewed his first batch of lambic on December 16, 1998. Moreover, Armand saved to purchase his own installation. To help facilitate the purchase, Armand and his brother split the business, with Armand taking the brewery/blendery (known as Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen) and Guido taking the restaurant café (named 3 Fonteinen Café and Restaurant). 

Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen (left) and 3 Fonteinen Café and Restaurant (right)

In 2010, Armand Debelder hired Michael Blancquaert to learn the art of brewing and blending. And later, Debelder hired Werner Van Obberghen to oversee operations.

Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen purchased a new warehouse facility in the city of Lot, near Beersel, in 2015. The facility initially consolidated barrel and foeder storage. However on September 1st, 2016, the Lot facility opened to the public as 3 Fonteinen Lambik-O-Droom. The Lambik-O-Droom facility houses barrels and foeders of lambic, the bottling and labeling line, as well as all of the conditioning bottles. In addition to the production facility, Lambik-O-Droom houses a full tasting room and a retail shop. This is the location to visit 3 Fonteinen as the brewery is not generally open to the public.

In 2019, Armand Debelder officially retired from the brewery due to severe illness. Hence, he no longer holds a financial stake. But Armand had spent almost 6 years planning the transition. Today, Werner Van Obberghen and Michael Blancquaert own and operate Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen. However, the restaurant still remains under control of the Debelder family.

Visit 3 Fonteinen Lambik-O-Droom for all the action!

Visiting 3 Fonteinen Lambik-O-Droom

Arriving at 3 Fonteinen Lambik-O-Droom, you’ll discover a large facility with spacious outdoor and indoor seating that almost spans the length of the building.

Lambik-O-Droom provides an immersive opportunity to see Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen operations.

Because Armand desired to educate the public, Lambik-O-Droom provides visitors the opportunity to see 3 Fonteinen operations in one place. The site is specifically designed to illustrate the art, craft, traditions and operations of lambic beer brewing, blending, and bottling. Visitors can tour the facility with a 3 Fonteinen beer in hand while watching the 3 Fonteinen team at work. Glass panels separate the tasting room and gift shop from the working areas.

Observing some of the operations areas through glass panels.

Most importantly, current, vintage, and specialty bottles of 3 Fonteinen beer are available for purchase to go or for on-premise consumption.

Try a vintage beer!

3 Fonteinen Café and Restaurant

Although not part of the brewery, a visit to the café restaurant is essential. The restaurant features regional dishes and homemade ice cream. And the restaurant’s beer list includes exclusive 3 Fonteinen beers not served anywhere else in the world. Guido’s nephew, Thomas, manages the restaurant.