We arrived in Belgium the other day, and I immediately noticed how much more condensed this country is compared to Germany. Not only is this country condensed in terms of population, but also the architecture looks condensed. It was a surprise to find out that the traditional Cantillon Brewery is located in Brussels (in the industrial section). Cantillon, one of only two breweries in Brussels, has been brewing Lambic, Kriek, and Gueuze the traditional way despite huge mass-market competition (who do not brew the traditional way). They brew Lambics by spontaneous fermentation, which means they obtain their yeast cells through the air. This natural, wild way of fermentation is done only in the colder months as to not encourage bacterial growth in the wort. During the tour, the tour guide emphasized how they (Cantillon brewers) only used organic ingredients due to fact that they do not want chemicals to interfere with the spontaneous fermentation. During the tasting, we tasted one-year-old Lambic (which had an acquired sour taste), the Gueuze (which was a bit sweeter and reminded my of a sour patch kid but not in the artificial sugar way), and the Cherry Kriek (which did not have the artificial, overly sweet, and cheery flavoring).
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