Don't miss the racing action as the elite men's peloton tackles 162.6km from Beersel to Overijse Hello and welcome to the 2025 De Brabantse Pijl Taking place on its new slot of Friday rather than Wednesday De Brabantse Pijl signals the transition from the cobbled classics to the hilly classics One man is attracting all the attention at the start - Remco Evenepoel Today is his much anticipated return to racing after a bad injury layoff significantly delayed his start to the season Whether or not he’ll have the form to be a contender in the Ardennes Classics should become clearer today is eager to get back racing again and believes he can be competitive - even taking aim at Tadej Pogačar in the upcoming Ardennes Classics The other headliner on today’s line-up is Wout van Aert The Belgian has still yet to register a win during what has been a frustrating spring campaign but he showed signs of coming closer to top form in the last few weeks with fourth place finishes at both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix The women’s De Brabantse Pijl is already well underway, and attacks are coming thick and fast as they enter the final 50km. You can follow all the action here Iúri Leitão and Antonio Jesús Soto Sébastien Grignard and Alexys Brunel are trying to chase up to them The rest of the peloton seems happy to let them all go The 6 leaders have over a minute on the peloton It seems they will be our break of the day - the question now is whether the chasers can join them Now Brunel and Perracchione have been swallowed up by the peloton Iúri Leitão (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) Antonio Jesús Soto (Equipo Kern Pharma) being led by Evenepoel’s Soudal-QuickStep teammate Thomas Pesenti.  The gap between the leaders and the peloton has grown a bit Visma-Lease a Bike are also contributing to the chase most likely for their man Wout van Aert - although Tiesj Benoot is another option for them in a race he has twice in the past made the podium at Also showing their face at the front of the peloton is Q36.5 the other leading favourite for the race along with Evenepoel and Van Aert The Brit looked in great knick earlier in the season and has spent the last few weeks away from racing as he’s prepared for the run of Hilly Classics beginning today.  There are only a few kilometres left in the women's race. Find out how the finale unfolds here Here’s Cofidis’ Aimé De Gendt taking a turn at the front of the peloton a rider with perfect characteristics for this race and who finished second here last year; and Alex Aranburu whose excellent performances at Itzulia Basque Country elevated him to one of the favourites today The peloton being led by multiple teams is keeping things under control and not giving the break any more of a gap also intends to ride La Flèche Wallonne and Liège Bastogne Liège with the riders taking on a quick succession of small climbs You can read our report on what happened in the women's race here.  The gap's come down a bit in the past few kilometres EF Education-EasyPost are also contributing to the chase They have Dwars door Vlaanderen winner Neilson Powless wearing the number 51 jersey who came close to winning last year before being caught in the final kilometre Evenepoel is currently sat towards the back of the peloton worn after his double Olympic success last summer The riders are climbing Rue François Dubois with no single one taking control of the peloton Bahrain-Victorious and Alpecin-Deceuninck are other teams at the front of what is for now a bunched up peloton The pace isn't exactly relaxed in the peloton The gap to the break remains much the same This will be the first of four times they take on this 1km 4.9% climb on this finishing circuit.  This climb has seen the first attack out of the peloton for a while led by an Intermarché - Wanty rider The team of all three of the race favourites have marked this move - Evenepoel's Soudal-QuickStep Pidcock's Q36.5 and Van Aert's Visma-Lease a Bike and now a Bahrain-Victorious rider has counter-attacked and he has Soudal's Pepijn Reinderink with him and Q36.5 take over at the front of the peloton A group of ten riders have pounced clear of the peloton Wout van Aert has had to make it back into the peloton after dropping back Alpecin and Bahrain have representatives in this group of ten This flurry of activity has seen he break's lead eaten into The ten chasers have been caught by the peloton as they cross the finish line for the first time.  EF Education-EasyPost are leading the peloton This one has the extra difficulty of being cobbled There is a line of four EF riders still setting the pace the steepest of the day - the Moskesstraat which averages 8% for 500 metres over cobbled surface Their lead is down to only about 20 seconds Wout van Aert takes to the front on the climb It's an acceleration rather than an attack Van Aert and Powless and another rider got a small gap over the top Those riders have been joined by about another dozen riders He's got Van Aert and another Visma rider on his wheel Those two have an Uno-X Mobility rider with them and they've also been joined by Quinten Hermans and Jhonatan Narváez He must be feeling really strong as he was some way back Ådne Holter of Uno-X Mobility is 4th on the road on his own Holter is sitting up and allowing a nine-man chase group to catch him The three leaders begin the gradual climb to the finish line again Van Aert and Blackmore's gap continues to grow It's difficult to see such a strong group getting caught The peloton has caught back up to the chase group on the climb They cross the finish line again 47 seconds adrift Evenepoel already seems to be in flying form It's great to see the Belgian back and lighting the race up Evenepoel also has a formidable opponent in Wout van Aert often his Belgian teammate at national level They haven’t raced against each other much - it’s hard to call who out of them is the favourite from here We’ve known about his considerable talent for a while but to be mixing it up with this company feels like a great leap forward And he’s not just sitting on their wheels Can he keep up with their pace on the upcoming climbs The trio remain together as the take on the Hertstraat again Dylan Teuns attacks out of the peloton on the climb EF lead the peloton back up to Teuns' wheel He's got a small gap!...but Evenepoel digs deep and drags both himself Blackmore back to him Evenepoel leads the break onto the Holstheide ascent The group that Powless clipped off with has been brought back by the rest of the peloton The peloton are attacking each other rather than working together to chase Alex Molenaar is the latest rider to have a dig but the trio's lead isn't getting any smaller Alpecin-Deceuninck are leading with two riders setting a fast pace at the top of which they will hear the bell The peloton's work is starting to show - the gap has come down to 37 seconds The stage is set for an exciting chase and thrilling final lap It would really buck the trend in recent races for this group to get caught Usually when riders like Van Aert and Evenepoel go clear early It’s still Alpecin’s domestique who are burying themselves to try and catch them likely in service of Tibor Del Grosso who has been in such stellar form lately Evenepoel accelerates on the Hertstraat.  Evenepoel presses on over the false flat after the summit Van Aert is taking turns again with Evenpoel Blackmore isn’t going to come to them Meanwhile the peloton has drifted further behind after that climb The leaders are nearing the Moskesstraat for the final time Blackmore has been brought back by the peloton Van Aert is having to dig visibly deep to stick to his wheel which is still 35 seconds behind the leaders Evenepoel has just two climbs left to drop Van Aert as Van Aert should have the beating of him in a sprint - though we did say the same about him and Neilson Powless a few weeks ago at Dwars door Vlaanderen Baudin has gone clear from the peloton after his attack on the climb The leaders are onto the penultimate climb of the race It's likely that one of Van Aert and Evenepoel will win this race with Baudin 47 seconds behind and the peloton about 50 seconds.  But which of Van Aert or Evenepoel will it be The final 1300 metres to the finish atop S-Bocht Overijse rises at 4.9% which could provide ample territory for Evenepoel to break Van Aert and Van Aert must believe that's enough to afford him to play games Evenepoel leads Van Aert onto the final climb Evenepoel looks like he's going to back himself in a sprint António Morgado won the sprint in the peloton for third place Van Aert spent most of the sprint in Evenepoel's slipstream but couldn't come around him when he put his nose to the wind Evenepoel said in his post-race interview that he "thought he was beaten already” going into the sprint It was a seriously impressive finish from the Olympic champion who looks remarkably fresh despite so much time out of racing That’s Evenepoel’s first win since the World Championships time trial last September and his first representing Soudal-QuickStep since his time trial stage victory at the Tour de France Meanwhile Van Aert’s winless streak goes on the last time being back in August at the Vuelta a España with a thrilling two-up sprint in the finale a refreshing change from the big solo wins that have decided recent classics The stage is set for the Ardennes Classics and Van Aert still with energy to burn after his cobbled classics campaign We'll be back again for Amstel Gold on Sunday - see you then It’s welcome news for the people of Beersel (Flemish Brabant) and the surrounding area as the moated castle remains a popular attraction ‘It’s great to be able to welcome people again,’ says organiser Priscilla ‘They get a sense of how life used to be lived in the castle.’ locals and the curious can again visit Beersel Castle The moated castle closes to the public during the winter months ‘There's not all that much you can do here in the winter,’ says Priscilla (Tourism Beersel) ‘That's why it's so nice to welcome people once again moated castle that has been preserved as it was built in the Middle Ages There are 3 beautiful towers and a grand courtyard You really get an idea of how knights and soldiers lived and how the castle was defended.’ The castle is important heritage in this municipality alderman for tourism Christel Hanssens explains we organised many extra activities to show residents the way to the castle It’s beautiful heritage with an equally beautiful history!’ “Distinguished by its notable fruity character and hoppy notes.” Leads with a beautiful nose with hints of black pepper and peach Layers of fermentation complexity without overly weird rough edges The funk skews toward wet hay with some light leather lingering in the finish The base beer is still there to provide a soft grainy backdrop and the finish has a soft tartness that accentuates the farmhouse character through the swallow “Bold mineral nose with a soft stone-fruit edge The sip balances very light caramel maltiness (more substantial than expected) with zippy floral and tropical citrus notes High carbonation keeps it tight and vibrant.” The best new craft beers available in a beer store near you New Belgium wood cellar blender Lauren Limbach was gifted a new foeder that she aptly named Dominga—a play on the Spanish word for Sunday She first created a mimosa-inspired golden sour called “Dominga: Goddess of Brunch.” Now we are excited to introduce the cocktail-inspired version Inspired by the classic cocktail of Mexico Dominga packs a refreshing combo of bright grapefruit and lime flavors Oaktoberfest is our oak-inspired homage to the great German tradition of Oktoberfest We go the extra mile of maturing this beer in French oak barrels to create an amazingly smooth mouthfeel The result is a classic German festbier with a hint of West Coast hoppiness and roast coffee—yet each annual release also bears its own subtle imprint we aged the beer for a year in 12-year Elijah Craig barrels These coveted bourbon barrels imparted signature notes of charred oak taking the Parabola experience to new heights Pour some out in your favorite snifter; behold the impossibly opaque color as you allow it to warm up a bit; and then let the dark magic of Parabola stun your palate with its unrivaled flavor and complexity ride Sierra Nevada’s interstellar wave of tropical flavor in this Cosmic Little Thing Head into orbit with this 8 percent ABV hazy double IPA before the next Hazy IPA rotator hits Look for Cosmic Little Thing in six-packs and 19.2 oz singles Out-of-this-world flavor that packs a punch—take a journey with Cosmic Crusher “Cosmic Crusher is our crazy adventure into the realm of imperial juicy IPAs,” says brewmaster Matt Brynildson Cosmic Crusher is built around two ultra-tropical hops—Galaxy and Strata and mouthfeel that can only materialize at high strength crossing the line into a whole new cosmos of punchy mango and pineapple character Luponic Distortion is the Firestone Walker trailblazer that continues to break the rules The classic Luponic Distortion base recipe returns with an all-new hop blend to deliver a fresh blast from the past Brewed with a secret blend of new-age hops the 2024 edition of Luponic Distortion turns up the volume with mind-bending flavors of lychee Available exclusively in the Beer Before Glory IPA Mixed Pack Bankruptcy Court in San Francisco on July 20 show that Magnolia Brewing agreed to a $2.7 million asset purchase agreement with “Ripple by the Bay LLC,” an affiliate of New Belgium Brewing The purchase agreement came after Magnolia spent five months marketing the business to more than 100 potential buyers Magnolia received signed non-disclosure agreements from 24 interested purchasers and met with “seven strategic buyers from large craft breweries and multiple smaller investor groups.” The company would eventually determine that the $2.7 million offer from New Belgium was its “best and highest.” Outside bidders then had until August 7 to submit a higher offer which would have resulted in an auction on August 11 and the court eventually approved a sale to New Belgium via “Ripple by the Bay LLC.” A group led by New Belgium Brewing Company today announced it would acquire San Francisco-based Magnolia Brewing Company as part of a bankruptcy proceeding were not disclosed by either company (see update above) will be a majority-owned subsidiary of New Belgium Brewing Company Elysian Brewing co-founder Dick Cantwell — who is the long-time boyfriend of New Belgium co-founder Kim Jordan — and Belgium’s Brouwerij Oud Beersel have also invested in Magnolia as minority partners whom Jordan said comes from the consumer packaged goods industry and is based in Portland “Our industry has changed so significantly and quickly over the past couple of years that I think this is a great opportunity for us to be able to do a lot of experimentation and collaboration,” Jordan told Brewbound Jordan said the decision to acquire Magnolia out of bankruptcy was driven by a desire to “diversify” the company’s assets and “expand” its community “We are going to learn a ton,” Jordan told Brewbound “Being a learner as opposed to a knower is a really rich place for experimentation and understanding.” Magnolia was founded by Dave McLean in 1997. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2015 following its expansion into a second production brewery and taproom Construction delays coupled with slow development of the neighborhood led to the bankruptcy filing “Magnolia has had quite a journey in San Francisco for nearly two decades including some very challenging and difficult times in recent years,” McLean acknowledged “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity to see Magnolia start a new chapter and to be working with New Belgium Dick Cantwell and Oud Beersel to preserve what we all love about Magnolia while embarking on some exciting new craft beer adventures together.” The company’s original brewpub location in the iconic Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco houses a 7-barrel brewing system Its Dogpatch brewery and taproom — which serves up barbequed meats as well as cocktails — is capable of producing 30-barrel batches “These two tap rooms are right in the heart of historic San Francisco neighborhoods a place Dick [Cantwell] and I call home,” Jordan said via the release “Magnolia makes excellent beer and plays an important role in the community We’re excited about the possibilities and look forward to continuing our journey while honoring Magnolia’s history and presence.” Sales of Magnolia beer increased 3 percent last year according to recent Brewers Association data The New Belgium Brewing Group will continue to operate Magnolia’s Haight-Ashbury and Dogpatch facilities and the company has no plans to rebrand or turn taprooms into New Belgium-themed outposts a spokesman for the Colorado-headquartered brewery told Brewbound “There won’t be any dramatic changes to these taprooms,” he said noting that new small-batch beer offerings and blended wild and sour beers could eventually find their way on tap at both breweries As part of the deal, Cantwell — who was part of the group that sold Seattle’s Elysian Brewing to Anheuser-Busch InBev in early 2015 — will oversee brewing operations alongside McLean “I’m tremendously excited to be back in the beer business and looking forward to working with the team at Magnolia to develop new beers and new ideas,” Cantwell said Jordan added that Cantwell made a “significant financial investment” into the project Oud Beersel will eventually ship containers of its lambic for blending with Magnolia’s beers creating what’s being called “the world’s first dedicated lambic blendery outside of Belgium.” New Belgium has previously partnered with Oud Beersel and Brouerij Boon on its Transatlantique Kriek offering Both Magnolia and Speakeasy found themselves in distressed financial situations after securing loans to the tune of about $7 million from Union Bank of California 21st Amendment also obtained financing from Union Bank and founder Nico Freccia said Brooklyn’s investment would enable his company to pay down a significant amount of debt that was incurred in 2014 when the company announced plans to build a 95,000 sq Additional details of the New Belgium-Magnolia transaction are included the press release below New Belgium Brewing Group Acquires San Francisco’s Magnolia Brewing Company Elysian Founder Dick Cantwell is Back in the Brewing Biz and Belgium’s Oud Beersel Plans to Help Establish World’s First Dedicated Lambic Blendery Outside Belgium (SAN FRANCISCO/FORT COLLINS) A group led by New Belgium Brewing Company has entered into an agreement to purchase the assets of San Francisco’s iconic Magnolia Brewing as part of a bankruptcy proceeding The newly-formed partnership will be a majority-owned subsidiary of New Belgium with Elysian Founder Dick Cantwell and Belgian lambic producer Oud Beersel as minority partners The partnership will continue to operate both Magnolia locations with existing staff and brands working alongside Magnolia founder Dave McLean who will be an employee of the partnership It will be Dick’s first brewing gig since leaving Elysian in April of 2015 after its acquisition by Anheuser-Busch InBev “I’m tremendously excited to be back in the beer business and looking forward to working with the team at Magnolia to develop new beers and new ideas,” said Cantwell “This project is the natural evolution of a longstanding strategy of collaboration between myself New Belgium stands to align with a couple of venerable and long-standing brands as it flexes its experimental muscles on Magnolia’s two brewing systems and ventures further into retail operations The plan is to build an alliance that brings varied talent and experience to a combination of old and new not to turn Magnolia’s Haight Street and Dogpatch locations into New Belgium brewpubs It is likely that much will seem unchanged in Magnolia’s tap lineup even as new beers are developed and introduced the fruits of more patient labors begin to appear “We’ve been looking for ways to diversify our assets and expand our community,” said New Belgium co-founder and Executive Chair Magnolia makes excellent beer and plays an important role in the community Belgian lambic producer Oud Beersel joins the partnership as a contributing experimenter with the goal of eventually shipping containers of its traditionally-produced and spontaneously fermented beers for blending with Magnolia-crafted beers along with the wooden aging vessels for which both New Belgium and Oud Beersel are known To be called lambic the beer must be produced in Belgium and by shipping lambic to San Francisco the world’s first dedicated lambic blendery outside of Belgium will be established The project continues New Belgium’s blending work as embodied in Transatlantique Kriek a beer produced over several years with Oud Beersel and Brouerij Boon wherein beer was shipped from Belgium for blending with New Belgium wood-aged beers New Belgium is also likely to ship beer to San Francisco for blending from its Fort Collins Magnolia Brewing was established by McLean in 1997 at the corner of Haight and Masonic in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district Since then it has been a neighborhood institution filled by locals and tourists alike serving artisanal pub food and producing a mainly English-style lineup of beers from a brewery in the basement Magnolia has produced an array of award- winning beers both of which have been distributed in cans since February of 2017 a barbecue restaurant attached to a 30-barrel production brewery Magnolia encountered financial difficulties in 2015 because of construction delays with Smokestack and slower than anticipated development in the neighborhood which led the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2015 including some very challenging and difficult times in recent years,” said founder and brewmaster Dave McLean which is subject to customary closing conditions Magnolia Brewing Company has been producing some of San Francisco’s most sought-after beers and dining experiences since 1997 when it opened its original Haight-Ashbury brewpub It is known for its award-winning British- influenced and cask- conditioned ales and balanced lower-alcohol session beers such as Bonnie Lee’s Best Bitter and SaraRuby’s Mild Magnolia Brewing is committed to local and artisan sourcing and sustainability in brewery and restaurant operations as well as the spirit of community formed around good beer and food Magnolia operates two restaurants: Magnolia Gastropub housed inside Magnolia Dogpatch’s 10,000 square foot production brewery makers of Fat Tire Belgian Style Ale and a host of award-winning beers is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S New Belgium brews fourteen year-round beers; Citradelic Tangerine IPA Dick Cantwell is among the most well-respected and experienced craft brewers and international beer judges Cantwell founded Elysian Brewing Company in 1996 where he served as head brewer until he left the company in 2015 after he was forced to sell to Anheuser-Busch InBev Elysian was named Large Brewpub of the Year three times at the Great American Beer Festival® (1999 Cantwell received the Brewers Association’s Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing authored Barley Wine with Fal Allen; The Brewers Association’s Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery Second Edition; Wood & Beer: A Brewer’s Guide with Peter Bouckaert and is currently at work on a forthcoming Brewers Publications title about experimental IPAs Cantwell served as the Brewers Association’s Quality Ambassador making presentations across the country at state guild conferences is located in Beersel at 10 km from the Brussels city centre It is one of the last remaining authentic lambic breweries of Belgium and well known for its lambic beer brewed along traditional brewing methods Due to the absence of succession in the family business at the end of 2002 the traditional lambic beers of Oud Beersel were threatened to disappear Shocked by the loss of this cultural and historical patrimony the brewery was taken over by Gert Christiaens in 2005 and business was restarted pursuing the principal aim to protect the time-honored lambic beers as well as the cultural and historical heritage of Oud Beersel for the coming generations This traditional brewery of lambic beers is nowadays managed in a modern way with respect for tradition and the métier The traditional part of the production process of the lambic beers in particular the spontaneous fermentation the maturation of lambic in wooden barrels and the mixture of various lambic casks and vintages constitutes the core business of the company Early Registration Open You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience A Vlaams Belang's election leaflet triggered claims of racism after it included a cartoon depicting a number of figures caricaturing foreigners pushing an elderly white man away from the door of Beersel's local social services In Beersel (Flemish Brabant) a number of residents are reportedly outraged after a cartoon in a Vlaams Belang election leaflet dropped through people’s letterboxes ‘It’s a racist drawing,’ several locals told VRT News who heads the list of candidates for the far right Vlaams Belang in Beersel for the local elections on 13 October There is such a large influx from Brussels The budget needed to pay minimum subsistence allowance but it has to be reasonable,’ argues Slootmans Schools are full of non-native speakers and at some sports clubs the main language is French We want to reintroduce the 1980s settlement law introduced by the late Jean Gol (Francophone liberal) This legislation allowed municipalities with large immigrant communities to refuse to register new migrant inhabitants.’ If you're unhappy with your product in any way Simply email us at shop@goodbeerhunting.com SHIPPINGAll orders will be processed and shipped in about a week's to ten days time This isn't always perfect (we're not Amazon) so if you have a rush please email us ahead at shop@goodbeerhunting.com to make sure we can pull it off in time Your email or personal information will never be shared or sold to anyone Longreads and photographic journeys documenting our ongoing worldwide adventures in beer Armand Debelder—known as “Opa Geuze” or “Grandfather Geuze”—passed away after a two-year battle with prostate cancer with the COVID-19 pandemic putting treatments on hold and a recent diagnosis of diabetes further complicating matters Original photo by Sophie Callewaert Debelder spent decades doing the back-breaking physical labor of brewing and bottling Lambic during the beer style’s darkest times He rallied his colleagues in the Pajottenland around him establishing organizations and festivals which sought to protect the heritage of Geuze he created beautiful Geuzes which have thrilled people all over the world His friend and colleague Frank Boon of Brouwerij Boon told me: “There is no such brewer or blender like Armand.” and close to the border between Flanders and Wallonia—in the farm buildings of his grandfather his parents Gaston Debelder and Raymonde Dedoncker moved the family to the nearby municipality of Beersel and started blending Lambic eventually buying a café on Herman Teirlinckplein called De 3 Fonteinen which would later become their family restaurant delighting guests from all over the Pajottenland with their Flemish stew and bottles of Geuze And he was passionate about food.” Armand Debelder went to hotel school in Anderlecht in the early 1970s but he was always more drawn to the blendery than the kitchen The Debelder brothers lived under the same roof for 42 years; for 25 years of that Armand and his first wife Lieve Heymans lived on the floor directly above Guido and his wife Thérèse Vergels “I took breakfast more with him than with my wife,” says Guido fondly they would close the restaurant for two weeks and go skiing in France Armand moved to the house in front of the brewery He was made an “honorary citizen” (“ereburger”) of Beersel in 2006.  Armand Debelder took over much of the blending work at the 3 Fonteinen restaurant many of the barrels were in poor condition and the temperatures at which they were stored were more suited to the utility space of a restaurant basement than a Lambic maturation cellar It was also a time when Lambic producers were disappearing as consumer tastes seemed to move to sweeter beverages and multinationals bought up smaller breweries and put them out of business another local brewer who himself was keen to see small Lambic operations survive Even though the men were very different in temperament—Boon is known as “The Professor” and Debelder as “The Artist”—they became good friends and successful collaborators Debelder became the first chairperson of new organization HORAL the Hoge Raad voor Ambachtelijke Lambiekbieren (High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers) Given the strong-willed nature and disparate visions of the remaining independent Lambic brewers in the region it was a role that required skills of persuasion and the ability to influence he could have someone,” says Boon of Debelder Debelder and HORAL launched the Toer de Geuze a celebration of Lambic culture during which all HORAL members—at that time and Timmermans—opened their doors to the public on the same weekend They also released the first HORAL Megablend a symbolic blend which contained Lambics from all six of the founding brewers and blenders in the organization HORAL meetings chaired by Debelder were not affairs with formal agendas and were not followed up with minutes or action plans “There were no reports of his meetings,” recalls Boon It was always past midnight when we finished the meeting.” Debelder and 3 Fonteinen parted ways with HORAL over differences of opinion about how Lambic heritage should be protected including issues relating to Geuze dispense and an objection to less traditional beers that were being produced by members within the group But the current vitality of the organization is in no small part due to Debelder’s work and charisma during the 18 years of his chairmanship HORAL is 11 members strong (with newer additions including Hanssens and the group attracts thousands of people to their Toer de Geuze event biannually “Armand touched many people deeply with his passion and love for the craft and heritage of Lambic,” says Gert Christiaens current chairperson of HORAL and owner of Oud Beersel “The Lambic brewers and Geuze blenders of HORAL are deeply grateful for his outstanding contribution to the revival of Lambic beers and cherish their many memories of Armand.” Debelder went to work at 3 Fonteinen to find that a faulty thermostat in his conditioning room had caused 13,000 bottles of Geuze to explode “I just went into the room and the bottles were exploding around me,” Debelder once told me of the incident Though he was devastated at losing so many years of work in one morning and though the business was suddenly on the brink of bankruptcy Debelder distilled what was in the remaining bottles The release—Armand'Spirit (40% ABV)—sold out within hours His brew kit was sold so he could access funds and the Boon and Lindemans families extended him lines of credit on wort so he could continue to blend including Pete Slosberg of Pete’s Brewing Company and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery arranged initiatives to support 3 Fonteinen 3 Fonteinen’s Geuze blends had always impressed but soon Debelder’s beers began finding new audiences in Belgium and in international markets beer-rating website Ratebeer named 3 Fonteinen the best brewery in Belgium 3 Fonteinen’s Geuzes found acclaim for their soft They became synonymous with tradition and quality And they propelled Armand Debelder into international beer stardom a transitional succession period began during which Michaël Blancquaert and Werner Van Obberghen took over the reins at 3 Fonteinen Debelder had been working with both young men for some time: Blancquaert was his assistant and then blending partner Van Obberghen would drink Geuze on the terrace of the 3 Fonteinen restaurant as a teenager and over the years Debelder engaged him in hours of discussion about the strategic possibilities for the future of 3 Fonteinen Debelder soon came to cherish Blancquaert’s work ethic and talent as a blender and Van Obberghen’s skills in strategic thinking both shared Armand’s obsession with values such as quality and tradition He often described the pair as “the sons I never had.”  Blancquaert and Van Obberghen moved operations to a new facility in neighboring Lot in 2015 They opened it to the public in 2016 and christened it the Lambik-o-droom invoking the sense of an arena and punning on the word “droom” (which translates to “dream”) They rebranded 3 Fonteinen in a way which modernized it but ensured it respected Debelder’s blending legacy at the restaurant They also launched a cereal collective with local farmers to revive old varieties of barley and wheat used in Lambic who felt they had to “go back to their own garden” in seeking to further protect Lambic tradition “We will not even try to fit the shoes of Armand because it’s impossible,” says Van Obberghen “But we will continue to walk down the line that Armand created for 3 Fonteinen.” What’s noticeable from the outpouring of messages in the past few days since Debelder’s death is just how many people carry personal memories of their interactions with him: private tours he gave them of the foeder room; vintage bottles he shared with people late into the night; his theatrical pours—what he described as his “show”—setting up long “That’s who Armand was,” says Van Obberghen he could relate to people and inspire them.” I have my own personal memories of Armand Debelder I shared beers with him and ate alongside him I’ll remember the steadfast Flemish farmer’s son turned blender who fought his whole life to preserve the integrity of the drink which represented who he was and where he came from There will be a private family ceremony to say farewell, and his ashes will be scattered at the 3 Fonteinen Brewery at a later date. Rather than flowers or wreaths, he requested that those wishing to send a gift instead donate to the Kinderkankerfonds (“Children’s Cancer Fund”) with the message: “In memoriam Armand Debelder.” and Publications that’ll drive you to drink This blocky building in Beersel, Belgium, is for sale and would make quite the vacation home—not to mention a conversation starter the Brutalist abode was inspired by the work of Tadao Ando and features simple lines and a minimalist aesthetic that combine to create a home that is far from ordinary Fronted by a massive concrete slab-turned-facade the residence’s rear and sides and completely glazed providing privacy from the street and unobstructed views of the garden and surrounding woods from the back the 400-square-meter (about 4,300 square feet) modern house includes five bedrooms and multiple living rooms over three floors A large kitchen opens to an outdoor terrace by way of sliding glass doors on the main level and another one is found on the top floor right off a lounge and is supported by stilts In addition to the home’s main program is a single-story platform that marks the entrance. Buried into the ground, its roof forms a reflecting pool, and a gangplank-like walkway leads to the front door. If any of this intrigues, the unique home is offered at €995,000 Via: Architecten Woning (h/t) The Spaces “In a world where it seems like there’s nothing new,” says Lauren Limbach wood cellar director and blender at New Belgium Brewing “there’s still something nobody else is doing.” Limbach is talking about Le Terroir Green Walnut but it describes the brewery’s whole approach: old meets new new ingredients and modern technology paired with centuries-old brewing techniques and styles Le Terroir Green Walnut embodies this philosophy blending New Belgium’s dry-hopped sour ale with the truly original Green Walnut Lambic from legendary 130-year-old Belgian blendery Oud Beersel There’s a reason they’re called New Belgium but it might not be immediately obvious to fans of Fat Tire and Voodoo Ranger where we started our tradition,” Limbach says where young beer made through modern methods is transformed through barrel-aging and blending into something nuanced and complex just as lambic brewers and blenders have done for centuries Le Terroir Green Walnut is itself a new twist on a modern tradition: the Transatlantique Kriek is an annual transcontinental collaboration brew that began in 2003 mixing varying proportions of oak-aged lambic from across the pond with New Belgium’s Golden Sour Ale Born in the barrels of Frank Boon’s Brouwerij Boon in Belgium the base beer is spontaneously fermented and aged in the foeders of another Belgian legend where Limbach creates a blend that’s a little different each year But 2020 wasn’t just any year. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the cross-continental team had to get creative, aiming to combine the things that made each of the breweries most unique into one special bottle. Christiaens, Limbach says, “makes something nobody else makes”: Oud Beersel’s Green Walnut Lambic is aged for nine months on fresh green walnuts gathered from a tree behind the brewery When the pandemic dried up supply and distribution chains Limbach saw an opportunity to remix a classic and she suggested they use Green Walnut as their base beer instead of the typical Kriek Christiaens agreed; it was a good way to utilize those tanks normally earmarked for export and the team needed to make something beautiful in a challenging time He asked Limbach to choose something cutting-edge outside the typical hop character; she recommended Sabro newer hop “has descriptors I hadn’t seen before,” Limbach says with notes ranging from cedar and whiskey lactones to stone fruit and coconut The hop compliments Green Walnut’s flavor and restrained astringency providing just enough dry-hop character without throwing off the delicate balance—Limbach recalls cutting the amount of hops in half just hours before brewing—as well as the beer’s nonconformist pedigree was something that had never happened before which also describes her approach in the cellar: creating beer that’s special yet replicable; blending young beers with barrel-aged ones; adapting age-old practices through present-day science Almost every beer in New Belgium's cellar starts life as a golden lager brewed on the modern system; this is transferred into foeders where 10 percent of the previous beer is left behind like a sourdough starter to inoculate the next batch This leftover liquid is their house mixed culture and a host of other friends and family”—the microorganisms that give beer much of its character These microorganisms not only live in yeasts and bacterial cultures but in barrels giving beer almost as much of its personality each barrel imparts such distinctive character; Limbach even gives them names such as Esperanza and Peachy Once the beer has been aged for about a year different “ready” foeders are transferred into stainless steel leaving 10 percent behind for the next incoming batch The outgoing beer is a golden sour ale “blended to a deliciously tart perfection,” Limbach says which the team calls Felix; this is then dry-hopped to become Le Terroir on the other side of the world in Belgium’s Lambeek region Oud Beersel creates its spontaneously fermented lambic typically aged for nine months to a year in its own foeders the lambic referments on tart cherries for three months before being shipped to New Belgium; for the Le Terroir Green Walnut it’s mixed with concentrated Green Walnut Lambic Once Limbach and her team receive the beer they blend it with their golden sour and lightly dry hop it for the finishing touch before corking but they’ve retained their old-school roots Le Terroir Green Walnut is dry-hopped on the main system using pellets for larger batches but the traditional Le Terroir corks whole-cone dry hops with live cultures in small batches “so that lovely [Brettanomyces]-hop reaction happens.” While her cellar is a delicately balanced microclimate that can’t be reproduced anywhere else and placement of each barrel remains the same you can produce the exact same beer every time That means each bottle of Le Terroir Green Walnut will be consistently delicious it “cracks open the door for someone who thinks they don’t like sour beer,” Limbach says they’re experiencing something truly original: a beer that could only have been created in those specific places at that particular time under those very strange circumstances New Belgium Brewing is part of a group acquiring San Francisco's Magnolia Brewing Co. the Fort Collins brewery announced Thursday The Fort Collins-based craft brewery teamed with Belgian brewery Oud Beersel and Elysian Brewing co-founder Dick Cantwell on the deal which is part of Magnolia's bankruptcy proceedings The transaction is scheduled to be finalized in September which has two San Francisco locations "We’ve been looking for ways to diversify our assets and expand our community,” said Kim Jordan New Belgium's co-founder and executive chair "We’re excited about the possibilities and look forward to continuing our journey while honoring Magnolia’s history and presence.” Jordan has a home in San Francisco that she shares with Cantwell Cantwell will take over as Magnolia's head brewer He co-founded Seattle's Elysian Brewing in 1996 but left the company in 2015 after being forced to sell the craft brewery to Budweiser parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev Many Elysian products are now produced at the Fort Collins Anheuser-Busch brewery “I’m tremendously excited to be back in the beer business and looking forward to working with the team at Magnolia to develop new beers and new ideas,” Cantwell said in the statement Magnolia Brewing was founded in 1997 in San Francisco's famous Haight-Ashbury district the operation opened a barbecue brewpub called Smokestack The brewery filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2015 Many of Magnolia's flagship beers are expected to remain in production founded in 1991, plan to ship lambic-style beers to Magnolia for blending Magnolia Brewing founder Dave McLean will stay on as an employee “I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity to see Magnolia start a new chapter," McLean said in the statement “Magnolia has had quite a journey in San Francisco for nearly two decades including some very challenging and difficult times in recent years.” The acquisition was announced on the same day Corona-maker Constellation Brands bought out Florida craft brewery Funky Buddha Brewery New Belgium is considered the country's fourth-largest craft brewery The operation reached 50-state distribution earlier this year Follow Jacob Laxen on Twitter and Instagram @jacoblaxen More: New Belgium brewmaster opens new Fort Collins craft brewery In an air-conditioned basement beneath the sleepy streets of Beersel the beer that typifies Pajottenland and the Zenne Valley which lie to the southwest of the Belgian capital The owner of this cellar and the brewery above it grips a cork tightly before he twists it forcefully out of a cask coating the wood and stone that surrounds it as it does so Debelder has stemmed the flow with a stainless steel spile and begins to pour the beer into tall Debelder hands me a glass of 7-month-old lambic produced by his brewery Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen is renowned for producing an intensely flavored lambic a style of beer that is spontaneously fermented using only the wild yeasts and bacteria that live in the direct vicinity of the brewery “Five year old Hallertau Mittelfrüh – our Challenger is even older – that’s what gives it a flavour of green apples.” The beer sings with intensely sour notes of lemon juice and wet hay a delicate effervescence bursts on the palate which only seems to intensify the acidic taste It is quite simply one of the most wonderful things I have ever tasted Drie Fonteinen is one of the founding members of Hoge raad voor ambachtelijke lambiekbieren or HORAL for short ‘The High Council for Artisanal Lambic Brewers.” HORAL was formed by Debelder along with six other producers of lambic and geuze with the aim of protecting and promoting the heritage of the wonderful beers they produce The council’s membership now stands at eleven with all the breweries located within the immediate vicinity of Brussels The reason for this close proximity to one another is because this area’s unique microbial flora is perfect for producing spontaneously fermented beer Lambic and geuze are two of the oldest styles of beer in the world with a history that is thought to date back to the time of the Roman Empire In the 1700’s there were well over 100 lambic brewers and blenders in this region; however as well as an increased local preference for weaker There are now only a handful of lambic producers still in business Perhaps the most well-known of these is Brasserie Cantillon of Brussels Due to its spontaneously fermented nature it’s usually brewed between the months of autumn and spring This is because strains of bacteria that are not desirable in fermentation are much more active during the hot summer months The grist is generally comprised of two-thirds pale two-row barley and one-third unmalted wheat The wort is boiled with aged hops that are at least a year old but flat tank known as a koelschip or coolship Here it is left to cool overnight by the breeze that filters in through open slats or windows in the brewery wall this breeze carries a unique culture of bacteria such as Lactobacillus and wild yeasts such as Brettanomyces The exact microbes that ‘infect’ the beer will vary from one producer of lambic to another This is how each producer can create a beer that has a distinctive signature each lambic brewer has its very own terroir the inoculated wort is then moved into oak barrels or foudres where it will age for months Each of Belgium’s lambic producers will mark its barrels with the symbol of its brewery Drie Fonteinen simply marks its aging beer with a chalked "3." When lambic reaches two to three years old it’s blended with a young lambic of around twelve months so that it can enter secondary fermentation and become oude geuze sparkling beer that has a Champagne-like quality It’s also a common tradition to add sour Morello cherries to lambic as it ferments in order to produce kriek Certain producers of lambic and geuze have experimented with other fruits and herbs in more recent times The relatively recent interest in craft beers has sparked a renewed interest in lambic in particular geuze (spelled gueuze when written in French as opposed to Flemish.) Rare vintages such as Drie Fonteinen’s Armand 4 have been known to change hands for hundreds of dollars This is perhaps because geuze is a perfect style of beer to cellar and age with some brewers even claiming it can be aged indefinitely Armand Debelder runs the gamut of human emotion as he describes a rich history My wife wouldn’t let me.” He pauses and sucks a gulp of air tightly between his teeth “There’s always been a lot of interest from big brewers.” He spoke with a passion that was as clear as the blue sky above us. “I’ve always ran this place with my own money Armand took over the running of Drie Fonteinen from his father Back then they didn’t produce their own lambic a business that aged and blended Lambic purchased from other brewers when Debelder leased a small yet modern Brewhouse He leads us past the brewery and his coolships stacked on top of one another to save space and recounts how Drie Fonteinen’s story almost ended too soon Debelder arrived at his brewery to find disaster The thermostat that kept the cellar used to store refermenting bottles of geuze had malfunctioned causing the space to overheat but HORAL was not about to lose its founding member by providing lambic for Drie Fonteinen to blend and sell Bottles that had exploded were sent to a distillery which used the ruined geuze to produce a 40% ABV eau de vie known as Armand’Spirit – an example of one brewer’s will to survive condensed into bottled form As Debelder finishes the tour he begins to open chilled bottles of his oude geuze He demonstrates the correct pouring technique washing the inside of each glass with beer as he pours so as to create a large straight glass because it is a drink of the people.” While some may consider geuze a special beer for an occasion because it’s artisanal and difficult to produce its heritage reveals it differently: geuze is a beer for everyone to enjoy Armand continues to explain and wax lyrical about geuze “There are a lot of experiences [for geuze] ahead and for us it’s about looking after the people who sell our beer.” He continues with passion A short distance from Beersel is the neighboring town of Lembeek which immediately bares a more striking resemblance to the breweries I’m used to visiting Its factory buildings stand in stark contrast to the relatively small facility at Drie Fonteinen imposing themselves on the surrounding rustic countryside Bines of wild hops line the path that leads to the brewery’s entrance Boon took over the brewery and has arguably done more to promote the interests of lambic and geuze than anyone else He was one of the many brewers in the area that helped Drie Fonteinen get back on their feet after its disaster in 2009 When nearby lambic blender Oud Beersel closed in 2002 Boon continued to sell its lambic under the Oud Beersel name Slowly guided through the brewery along the same path that the lambic follows during production we pass the coolship enclosed in crumbling We move along walkways and meander around the computer-controlled brewhouse Meters and meters of twisted pipe form clean lines and sharp angles as they work their way down stairways and along corridors They lead to a large automatic doorway where we are met by a calm “There was an idea [in Belgium] in the 1990’s that lambic was just vinegar,” Boon explains it’s immediately obvious that Boon is a businessman and more reserved than the emotional Debelder “We had a meeting at Drie Fonteinen and decided that people needed to be educated on what makes a good glass of geuze HORAL is a part of why geuze is becoming so important.” The large door behind him quickly slides open and reveals row after row of neatly lined oak foudres “We currently have 1.6 million litres of lambic in foudres,” he tells us “We hope to expand that to 2 million within a year.” The cool rooms filled with these monster tanks seemingly extend forever “Now who would like to taste some lambic?” He asks Where Drie Fonteinen’s lambic is intensely funky and acidic The difference mirrors the personalities of its creators “Lambic is more about the raw materials than the culture [yeast],” says Boon “It’s what the culture eats that makes the biggest difference to the flavor.” There are a few other characteristics that differentiate the flavour of Boon’s lambic and geuze from other breweries and its water is known to have a very high mineral content “We get wheat and barley specifically designed for us While the lambic brewers of Pajottenland and the Zenne Valley may each have their own terroir Boon is forging his own path by constantly investing in new equipment and technology to produce the best beer possible “In 2013 we installed a new mash tun,” he says Up until then we were using one that was built in 1896.” Boon leads us through the quaint streets of Lembeek for a drink at a local bar and locals stop and greet him along the way We sit at a long table outside that forms part of the town square its mouth-puckering combo of sweet and tart providing immense joy Both Boon and Debelder have made great strides in promoting lambic and geuze around the world but it’s clear they feel their work isn’t finished “I really want to write some new chapters for geuze I’m convinced there is more to be told,” says Boon and with more and more modern palates enjoying sour beer styles there’s never been a better time for geuze Boon even ships large tankers full of its lambic to Fort Collins Colorado where New Belgium Brewing blends it with a strong blond lager to create Transatlantique Kriek perhaps thanks to several glasses of oude geuze geuze is a drink of the people.” Uttering the very same words as Debelder We shake hands and exchange goodbyes before making our way back to Brussels Outside of Belgium people stand in line for hours for a single taste of rare blends and vintages contrasting sharply with the purpose Boon and Debelder perceive for their beer in the towns like Beersel and Lembeek, we know family and friends honor this ideal sitting around the table with several chilled bottles of geuze pausing the conversation only when an empty glass needs refilling — As part of its 25th anniversary celebration New Belgium Brewing is going back to its roots to pair up with four Belgian Breweries for its 2016 Lips of Faith portfolio Lips of Faith offers quarterly beers that push the envelope on flavor This year started with the re-release of Transatlantic Kriek New Belgium’s longest –running collaboration project since 2003’s version with Frank Boon Transtalantic Kriek is a tart cherry lambic brewed for the second time with Oude Beersel brewery in Beersel Oude Beersel starts with a true spontaneously fermented cherry kriek and then New Belgium blends that base beer with 25 percent sour Felix from its wood foeders and 25 percent golden lager The result is a beautifully balanced kriek beer New Belgium’s first true sour collaboration a tart cherry snap and wonderfully dry finish Transatlantique Kriek is 8 percent ABV and is available throughout 2016 in 22-oz Hof ten Dormaal debuted this April in 12-oz four-packs marking a packaging first for Lips of Faith beers which were formerly found only in bombers and on draft This beer is a collaboration with the Jannsens family pairing Old World ingredients with new world innovation The Jannsens provided their Belgium yeast strain Add in Saaz and Mosaic hops and you have spicy tropical accents and a taste of the Belgian countryside in every sip and is now available in 12-oz four-packs and on draft To learn more about the collaboration check out Hof ten Doormaal Collaboration which includes a behind-the-scenes video on making this golden ale This beer will offer a pop of key lime and lemons rose petals and strawberry-tinged Mistral hops will make it the ideal beer for soaking in summer days De Koninck Flowering Citrus Ale is 7.4 percent ABV and will be available in four-packs and on draft June 20 The final beer in this Belgian-collaboration series is a spiced dark strong ale Deep into Belgium’s Forêt d’Orval two brave brewmasters—Orval’s first female brewmaster Anne-Françoise Pypaert and New Belgium’s Peter Bouckaert—crafted Spiced Dark Strong Ale They brought spruce tips and medium-toasted American oak to this brooding chocolaty beer and then wove deeply herbal French Sprisselspalt and spicy Liberty and Willamette hops into the mix A dash of grains of paradise offers a beam of citrusy light Anne-Françoise Spiced Dark Strong Ale is 9.5 percent ABV and will be available in four-packs and on draft October 3 use the New Belgium Libation Location tool: NewBelgium.com/Beer/Finder or download New Belgium’s Beer Modeapp For more information about New Belgium Brewing You can also follow New Belgium on Facebook at Facebook.com/NewBelgium and Twitter @NewBelgium makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers New Belgium brews thirteen year-round beers; Citradelic Tangerine IPA Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel and a gluten-reduced line Residents and visitors to the Vlaamse Rand can now make use of a new share bike system At 33 so-called Hoppin points across Affligem enthusiasts can borrow an electric or an conventional bike to explore the region or make their commute journey At Hoppin points bike sharers can switch to rail bus and tram services and public transport passengers can also rent a share bicycle The Flemish government is eager to see half of all our journeys made sustainably by 2030: on foot 185 of the vehicles are conventional bikes and there are also 80 new electric bikes ‘The share bike system allows people to use a bike to get to their workplace or another location very easily,’ explains Haviland's Stephan Verwee ‘That can be important in a region with many jobseekers They cannot always afford to buy a car and these Hoppin points offer a way of getting around quickly in a safe environment The share bikes can also be used to explore the region.’ The system was launched at the Hoppin point on Belleheide in Roosdaal (Flemish Brabant) Scan the QR code on the bike and you can start cycling only costs 1 euro per hour and for a whole day only 5 euros,’ explains Stijn Quagebeur of the Vlaamse Rand transport region you do have to return the bike to one of the 33 Hoppin points there are 8 drop-off points where you can leave your bike This contrasts with some share bike systems that allow you to leave your bike at any point in a city Here are those rarest of drinks—products of studious craftsmanship and persistent tinkering balancing great character with great drinkability Oud Beersel’s flagship is one of the most award-winning drinks on the planet over the past couple of decades Owner-blender Gert Christiaens rescued the brand from purgatory in 2002 and has guided it down an increasingly confident path While aging and blending lambics brewed to his recipe at Boon he’s added a few creative flourishes along the way—such as lambics with rhubarb or green walnuts—but he never stopped fine-tuning the classic flagship product not knowing what they’re drinking—described notes of black pepper but the panel confirmed what we already knew—“fantastic start to finish … incredible an amazing beer”—while awarding it a top score of 100 Subscribe today to access all of the premium brewing content available (including this article) our subscribers call it "the perfect beer magazine" and "worth every penny." Your subscription is protected by a 100% money back guarantee “A lot of fruitiness on the nose complements the acidity: baked apricot “Big stone-fruit and light citrus aromas with a controlled mineral undertone with sparkling top notes and deeper earthy mineral tones.” Belgium (AP) — The far-right Flemish Interest party had set up the demonstration in the picture-pretty rolling fields south of Brussels ahead of the four-day European Union election starting Thursday The goal was clear: Decrying how farmers would lose fertile land to what they see as overbearing environmentalists trying to turn it into a chain of woods It was also another show how agriculture has been instrumentalized by the populist and hard right groups throughout the 27-nation bloc militant agricultural groups from more than a half dozen nations were converging on Brussels in a show of force that they hoped would sweep the progressive Green Deal climate pact off the table and give farmers the leeway they had for so long in deciding how to till the land with representatives from several EU nations attending the protest that drew hundreds of tractors At last week’s small protest south of the capital farmer Eduard Van Overstraeten was growling you have just been turned into a number,” he said Of the 60 hectares (148 acres) he used to farm for wheat he said he was forced to sell a quarter of it — including his farmhouse — to help make a string of distinct woods around Brussels to become one continuous nature zone to improve biodiversity and fight pollution centering on limiting use of manure and pesticides to forcing parts of farmland to be kept pristine nature zones for the benefit of birds and bees — and eventually the population at large — have driven this influential electoral base of conservative Christian Democrats further to the fringes of the right so others have to come to power,” said Van Overstraeten And just as a wealthy think tank funded by the self-proclaimed illiberal Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has helped Tuesday’s and previous demonstrations in Brussels it is the surging Flemish Interest party that does so at a local level “They are looking for another party that brings a credible story a parliamentarian for the Flemish Interest “It is common sense that you need to protect farmers and food supplies.” It is the crux of the political issue that pits farmers against environmentalists the greens and much of the left against the populist and far-right forces: do you protect farmers and food supplies by giving farmers free rein to work as they see best Or by hemming them in and imposing strict regulations to cut pollution and promote a life closer to nature that would contain the excesses of climate change scientific arguments have taken a second seat to the rumble of the street have started to dither and waver toward the right following months of unrelenting demonstrations across the bloc with hundreds of tractors often blocking essential economic lifelines or many of the Europe’s great cities like Paris and Madrid the EU sought to bring tough laws as part of its Green Deal to make the bloc climate-neutral by 2050 Agriculture accounts for more than 10% of EU greenhouse gas emissions from sources such as the nitrous oxide in fertilizers carbon dioxide from vehicles and methane from cattle For years the EU became the globe’s trendsetter which earned plenty of plaudits on the international stage which was increasingly lost in myriad rules that sometimes pinpointed when could be sowed and reaped and even had satellite surveillance to check on it which railed in the European Parliament and in countless demonstrations about bureaucratic interference ambitious plans have already been curtailed the new coalition plans are rife with measures that largely meet the demands of farmers and counter those of environmentalists The coalition is dominated by the extreme right party of Geert Wilders The groundswell of defiance has driven many to a level of farming militancy not seen in decades often calls its members “fighters,” and some of the demonstrations have resulted in violence Tuesday’s march was supposed to be the culminating point of the months of protests with rumors of up to 100,000 protesters coming Much of Western Europe is going through its wettest spring in living memory and even in early June land is unsown and blights are ravaging it Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser received a request from the makers of the series "Game of Thrones" two years ago our regional radio station Radio 2 reports The creators apparently wanted to shoot a promotion movie in Beersel's iconic castle just south-west of Brussels The castle grounds would be the venue for this trailer but it never happened because the Beersel municipality ruled against the idea Mr Vandaele says that safety issues were to blame and that he had to refuse after taking soundings from the fire services he explains: "There is only one emergency exit in the castle much of the shooting would take place at night and the castle is actually a kind of ruin Safety standards were not being met and I had no other choice than to follow the advice given." The origins of the water castle go back to the 14th century but the present buildings go back to the 15th It was in a bad way in the 19th century but was restored over the past decade It was also highlighted in an album of the famous Willy and Wanda series "The Treasure of Beersel" Remco Evenepoel had a magical return to the peloton on Friday outsprinting Wout van Aert to win the De Brabantse Pijl from Beersel to Overijse Evenepoel was hospitalized after slamming into the open door of a postal van during a training ride The Paris Olympic double gold medallist came away with a broken shoulder blade But damn, we really wanted Wout to win, right? After that tough loss at Dwars door Vlaanderen a victory would’ve been a perfect confidence boost stacked with 21 climbs—three of them cobbled Riders hit three laps of a punchy 20-km finishing circuit with a final uphill drag to the line in Overijse An early break of six ProTeam riders went off the front a bridging move sparked action in the peloton EF Education–EasyPost hit the front to reel it in Attacks from Van Aert and Neilson Powless helped close the gap The Belgian crowd roared them up the first ramps of the finishing climb watching two of the country’s heroes lead the way Sprinting from the front on a gold bike with a matching helmet “I don’t know what’s wrong with my sprint. Of course I wanted to win, especially once we ended up in that situation,” van Aert said after to FloBikes.com “But Remco made it very hard in the final hour His Visma–Lease a Bike squad helped set up the winning move so we helped open up the race,” van Aert said I was surprised at how fast the group thinned out It would’ve suited me better with more guys even though the double Olympic champ was forced to lead it out “Sprinting after a race like that is always brutal he was riding really fast—it became a long The Belgian is a true fighter: he will get his win Next up for both riders is the Amstel Gold race on Sunday Get the digital edition of Canadian Cycling Magazine Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" the annual Brussels Beer Challenge Awards were presented at the Horeca Expo trade fair in Ghent The HORAL Megablend 2024 was a notable winner and took home a gold medal “This Oude Geuze was not made by an individual brewer or blender but is the result of close collaboration between 13 producers from the Pajottenland and the Senne Valley,” says Gert Christiaens chairman of the High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers (HORAL) the then HORAL members decided to make an Oude Geuze together on the popular open brewery event Toer de Geuze It was such a great success that it has become a tradition repeated every two years,” says Christiaens all board members supported the proposal to let the Megablend 2024 compete for a Brussels Beer Challenge award This international beer competition has grown into one of the most important in the world in 12 years The Megablend shares the highest podium with the Oude Gueuze Cuvée René from the Lindemans brewery The Oude Gueuze from Gueuzerie Tilquin won a silver medal The bronze went to the Oude Geuze Devillé from the Den Herberg brewery in Buizingen and the Parrain Oude Geuze from Geuzestekerij Parrain in Beersel and Den Herberg are all members of the High Council Gert Christiaens: “HORAL had never sent a Megablend to a competition before To immediately win one of the highest prizes is which results from the excellence of the collaboration between different companies it shows we have enough ‘common grounds’ within HORAL to work on great projects together The Toer de Geuze weekend and the Megablend perfectly illustrate that positive vibe between colleagues.” All HORAL members contributed to the Megablend 2024 Each producer supplied a certain amount of lambic which former HORAL chairman Frank Boon used to make a beautiful HORAL introduced this ‘collaboration beer’ par excellence to the public earlier this year The 2024 edition is already the ninth in the Megablend series The HORAL Oude Geuze Megablend 2024 is available from the participating producers and in specialist drinks stores a few bottles from previous editions are also still available Third-party news items that are posted on the Guild website’s news section come from press releases and emails received by the Guild These are posted as they have been received and their publication on the Guild website is intended as an informational service only the publication of a story from a third-party source is neither an endorsement of the content please use the contact details that can be found at the bottom of each post Email secretary@beerguild.co.uk Copyright © The British Guild of Beer Writers 2025 Developed by HGA Remco Evenepoel had a fairy tale return from injury on Good Friday beating Wout van Aert for the win in the 1.Pro-rated De Brabantse Pijl from Beersel to Overijse he was hospitalized after colliding with the door of a postal vehicle while out on a training ride The Paris Olympic Games double gold winner suffered fractures in his right shoulder blade three of which were cobbled and none of which were over 1.3 km The riders would race three 20-km the circuits There was a final ascent to the finish line in Overijse A few days ago Soudal-Quick Step released a video of Evenepoel taking a training ride after treating us to a gander at his new scars It’s 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙘𝙤 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙚𝙡 returns to racing week 🔥 — Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep.bsky.social) 2025-04-15T18:06:52.315Z A sixpack of ProTeam fugitives went out to fly their flags over the early hills With 65 km to go a bridging bunch spurred the peloton into action EF Education-EasyPost started to pick it up When cats like van Aert and Neilson Powless started to flex at the front of the peloton the breakaway was doomed to be caught on the Moskesstraat Van Aert and a couple of others were able to go along but Evenepoel bucked off everyone on his back except van Aert the trio’s gap back to the peloton was 45 seconds By the cobbled Moskesstraat ascent with 30 km to go The lead with one lap remaining had been trimmed to 39 seconds Evenepoel made a push on the cobbled climb of Hertstraat Remco dumped his food in anticipation of the final battle The crowd on the finishing climb roared them up the opening grades Evenepoel sprinted from the front and held off his yellow-clad compatriot Riding a gold bike and topped with a gold helmet the Soudal-QuickStep man celebrated with gusto Evenepoel’s next races are the Ardennes Classics: Amstel Gold Race, La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. All these races can be seen at FloBikes Canadian Cycling Magazine may receive commissions and Belgium has one of the best: moules and frites Think of it as the fancier version of the Aussie favourite that is fish and chips — because the fact that seafood and potato go well together is something that every nation clearly knows It's also on the menu at Brewski's returning Moules & Frites & Biére festival which takes over the Petrie Terrace bar for a whole weekend — across Saturday Given all things Belgian are in the spotlight for festival that extends to the tipples flowing through the taps The Bruery and Holgate are all likely to get a look-in — and last year's lineup also included Belgian-style offerings from Australia Dry conditions are forecast for the next few days Across Belgium residents are clearing up homes cellars and garages that were inundated during the heavy rainfall of the past weekend In many places water levels are still high and people have to wait till it drains away before they can start the real clean up There will be a lot of work for the authorities too who will also face the question of what action they can take to prevent a recurrence Rainfall of up to 80 litres per square metre was recorded in some places The subsequent floods caused considerable damage Aalst and in parts of Hainault is still giving cause for concern The civil protection service is deploying all possible officers until the floods are entirely over Residents who suffered damage now have the job of drawing up a file for their insurance company Since a change in the laws in 2007 flood damage is included in all policies and all policy holders are covered The Met Office has been asked to check the weather data for the past few days the flooding will be declared a national disaster opening the way for compensation from the Disaster Fund Flemish Prime Minister Kris Peeters (Christian democrat) visited the stricken area on Monday morning Afterwards he told reporters that lessons should be drawn from the events of the weekend and that these matters should be looked at urgently He added: "We don't want to wait until the next disaster to take action Minister Annemie Turtelboom (Flemish liberal) ,has rejected claims that Belgium's authorities were not properly prepared for the floods Ms Turtelboom insists that the emergency services were up to their job though she does point to the fact that so many authorities are responsible for different aspects of the emergency response to the floods The Interior Minister points to the sandbags that were filled in advance and the heavy equipment that was dispatched after weather forecasters sounded the alarm Ms Turtelboom concedes that tackling a developing crisis like the floods is no easy matter She pointed to the success of past investments: "Crisis management courses have been organised for fire fighters and this is now showing." She also noted that in future it would be handy to possess a list detailing which companies have pumps and heavy equipment at their disposal so that such matters need not be settled at the last moment She added: "There is an integrated approach to the way that the floods are dealt with but a lot of people are involved and decision-making power is divided among many In the past I called for an independent Safety Council like in the Netherlands This Council can assess how prevention measures and crisis management perform after a disaster." The Interior Minister also spoke of future contacts with the insurance sector aimed at drafting a simple form that would allow flood victims to file a damage claim easily