Girardin Framboise. Cork 2016. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. A few years old now, but really rather good. Much of the sweetness has subsided, but there is still fruit & a gentle sour kick at the end. I was supposed to be painting, but I got side-tracked by a box of 375s

3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek. Old label, bottled in 2015. Thought I'd dust down my older style glasses. Lovely pop, but not much of a head; mild aroma of cherry stone. Gentle carbonation, and still holding on to a real jammy flavour. Hasn't developed any unpleasant acidity. Lovely.

Tilquin Mûre 2017-18. Muted aroma. Pleasingly tart and funky, and while fruits are still obvious, I'm not quite picking up blackberries specifically. But very nice all the same. Cheers!

Cantillon Racine. A two-year old lambic on the pomace of Chardonnay, Tokay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes - a collab with Radikon (Italy). This really did hit the mark after a long hot day. Bursting with grape flavours, this is very much wine forward for me. It didn't last long...

Having had a lazy day watching the Olympics and cricket, I thought this would be a suitable refreshment. Cantillon Gueuze Loerik (2018). As expected, very mildly carbonated; but l rather like that. Wet hay, lemony, well-balanced acidity and the perfect level of barnyard funk.

RIP Armand. My memories of being in your company are cherished. Such sad news.

Whoppppeeee! Someone is back in Belgium after two long years!

Beautiful sunny day at the 3 Fonteinen Lambik-O-Droom. Finally managed to taste all four Armand'4 seasons - Lente, Zomer, Herfst, and Winter. All tasting great for beers bottled 12 years ago. My favourite was the Lente, as it was so exquisitely balanced.

I visited Oud Beersel's new Bierhuis for the first time today. Very impressed with the reinvention of the old bar. Spacious and well done, and definitely worth a visit. There's food too, and the meatballs in kriek sauce went down well.

We enjoyed a beautiful and sunny morning at Gueuzerie Tilquin yesterday. After drinking some nice beers Pierre showed us the new coolship, which is located in a log cabin. We were also able to see the new brewing kit.

Cantillon Quintessence 2022 was a long time coming, but it was worth the wait. Lots of nice people, and of course lots of nice beer too. Santé.

I recently spent an afternoon sharing bottles with Frank Boon, which was a great honour. My onslaught of questions about barrels and foeders ended up with Frank giving me this section of old stave showing the lambic saturation line. This is now my favourite bit of wood...

It's about time I started reading this book: "Lambic" by Raf Meert. To pair, I thought I should crack a Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait 2015. While it's lost a little condition, it's still a joy that evokes visions of deep red cherries, almonds and a hint of marzipan.

At Wiper and True's taproom in Bristol. Interesting concept. I hope they can sell through the bottles quickly. This is the first weekend they are trying bottle pour flights.

While I have seen this view numerous times before, the awesome sight that is the first foeder room at Boon never fails to amaze me. The smell, the history, the scale... Just beautiful.

Day one of the long lambic weekend... Had my first Publitasting experience today. A 2021 Muscatel Geuze. Beautifully balanced. A cracking beer. Roll on Toer de Geuze 2024. Cheers.

The long lambic weekend, with Toer de Geuze as its centrepiece, was a real blast. As if we'd not had enough, we visited the relatively new Sako Brewery and met Koen Christiaens and Willem Van Herreweghen on the Monday after. I tried their lambic and geuze and it was excellent!

Enjoying a very drinkable three-year old Eylenbosch lambic in a great atmosphere at In 't Spinnekopke. And now for Flemish stew with pork cheeks. A great way to start another Brussels adventure.

Spinnekopke Oude Geuze. Made with 1, 3 and 5 year old lambic from Den Herberg. Bottled in May 2024. This, and plenty more good lambic on the drinks menu. This place is definitely back on the map.

The master at work!