Moeder Lambic Fontainas

Duffman929

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Went here for Zwanze Day. Funny story about this place for me--I was actually here in 2010 on a trip, before I was really into lambics, and didn't know it was this place. How much my beer knowledge has changed in over 2 years.

Place was busy when I came around 7:45, but a group was leaving, so was able to get a table. With Fou Foune and Vigneronne on tap, I wasn't trying to go too deep on the tap list. There were at least mid-20's worth of options. Was disappointed there weren't any sweatshirts in stock.

Overall, the atmosphere was very relaxed and the service was great. No issues with anything, even though it was quite busy. I will for sure be going back later this month.

12-03-2012 00:50:28 | More by Duffman929

snuffy

United Kingdom (England)

4.78/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Moeder Lambic at Place Fontainas just goes from strength to strength. Beer selection is always imaginative along with old favourites. Staff are supremely knowledgeable and always approachable.

Food is limited but when the quiche is this good, that is never a problem. Likely as not will never visit Brussels w/o a trip to ML.

05-13-2013 11:34:27 | More by snuffy

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.33/5  rDev -5.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Visited on 4/7/2013 with Thirstybird during an overnight in Brussels. Since it was a sunny and mild day, many of the patrons were seated at small cafe tables outside. The inside of Moeder Lambic is long and narrow with a wooden bar capable of seating about 25 patrons. Positioned along the long walls were approximately 15 tables capable of seating four. On the far wall, opposite the door, there was a raised seating area with two additional tables - you had to step on some stacked crates to reach the seating area. There were 40+ taps, as well as a separate bottle list. I briefly perused the bottle list, but thought the prices were a bit steep - they did have some vintage Drie Fonteinen beers as well as Hommage. Draft prices were pretty much what I expected and were not unreasonable and they were helpfully listed by style, more or less. I took advantage of the five Cantillon taps and thoroughly enjoyed the Framboise, Faro and Kriek as well as Stouterik from De La Senne. The vibe was pretty laid back and staff were in their early to mid 20's - service was not overly attentive per se, but staff were friendly and helpful when you were able to get their attention. Music was fairly eclectic, but I dug it - a mix of hip hop, trance, blues and a number of other styles added to the hip vibe of the establishment. Overall, it was a very satisfying and pleasant experience, so much so that we returned a couple hours later after being somewhat disappointed by the Delirium Cafe, whereupon we returned for a second round of drinks including a Cantillon Gueuze and a Lupulus from Les Trois Forquets. I'm not sure how Fointainas compares the St. Gilles, but I have to say that Moeder Lambic Fontainas is well worth a visit if you are in Brussels.

04-15-2013 21:54:22 | More by Jwale73

philgill

Ireland

4.77/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Just back from a weekend in Belgium, due to a screw up on our booking for a hotel in Ghent we ended up staying in Brussels instead, just up the road from this gem of a pub. Stylistically it is not your typical tavern, more of a Brooklyn Tavern style booths facing a long bar which has 40 ish unmarked taps. Once we got a table and opened up a menu we knew we had happened upon a perfect bar. Between the three of us we went through the full draft menu, with the exception of the Lambic beers which are just not for our palate the rest of the beers were outstanding. The complexity &balance of flavours was remarkable, we barely found any of them boozey or sickly sweet which given the strength is something else, Only bad point perhaps is the music was a bit loud on our second visit, I would imagine the young, modern, hip vibe might annoy some people but for us it was just fine

04-02-2013 09:47:37 | More by philgill

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

4.64/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.25 | $$

I found Moeder Lambic during my planned walk listed on Cantillon's website. If heading to the Cantillon tour, a stop at Moeder Lambic is a great before or after combination. I thought I had my return down pat when I noted in the morning that the bar is near the Anneessens metro stop. However, when exiting at Anneessens, it's important to follow the signs to Fontainasplein. Underground walkways lead to several separate "pleins" (open places) and they are two blocks from each other. I was hoping for a easy up and getting a beer, and got a walk through an interesting immigrant neighborhood instead.

Zwarte Piet by Brasserie de la Senne here in Brussels is the first beer of the night. Zwarte Piet means "black Pete" and is a helper of Santa Claus in the Netherlands, but I understand little about Pete beyond that. In this case, I got a robust, dark beer that is a nice contrast to the lambics and golden Belgians I've been drinking this week. Flowing brown lace on the glass leads to a deep ruby ale that's opaque, and smooth without being light. Dark cherry and chocolate mix with a spice in the nose and taste that seems to be from theyeast but could also be hops—probably a blend.

Second beer of the night is Bitter Sorachi Ace from a French brewery, Brasserie du Mont Saleve. From my trip, I've noticed that bitter styles are starting to make inroads into Belgium, but my impression is that they still shy away from hops compared to Americans. This is a hazy, pale yellow ale with a giant head in a small footed glass. Very pretty but the taste disappoints. I love Sorachi Ace as a hop when placed front and center in a beer by Brooklyn Brewery, simply called Sorachi Ace. This use is less than masterful, and while I understand the critique of over-hopped American beers, American brewers have really pushed the limits of hop science and know how to use them. This is a nice attempt by Mont Saleve, but it falls a little short.

For dinner, I expanded my horizons and ordered the salmon quiche, which was excellent. Those shocked reading this fact, I added fish back into my ovo-lacto diet recently and this is the first I've tested it overseas. The Bitter Sorachi Ace complimented the quiche fairly well.

Moved on to Noir de Dottignies by Brouwerij de Ranke. A Belgian strong dark ale with a clean tan lace and dark brown to ruby in the glass. A very light nose of dark fruits and alcohol spice on top of a smooth maltiness. Body is a bit light with a slickness letting the same fruits and spice slide right off the back. The beer came with a small amount of malt, but not sure why and the waiter left so quickly that I couldn't ask. Nothing on BA either. This is listed as a "dark and bitter" beer, so my guess is that the sweet malt is supposed to compliment or reduce the Challenger and Saaz hops dosing. Can't say the combination does much for me besides leaving chunky grain in my mouth instead of slightly hoppy dark beer. Confirmed the next night that the malted barley is meant to be a "chip" to snack on—a sweet to counteract the bitterness.

Finished the night with Rose de Gambrinus, the framboise from Cantillon that I visited this morning. I didn't have it on-site since I planned to get here later to try several lambics. Amazing pink head that lingers fluffily on top of a dark red lambic. My info from Cantillon says 150 kg of raspberries are macerated and placed in the kegs per 500 liters of beer and left to soak for five to six months. Incredible raspberry in the nose with a light twang from the lambic pushes its way in from the background. Take a sip and—wow—what sour: vinegar-like kick with the fruit just barely keeping up, almost achieving a balance. This is a framboise for lambic lovers instead of an introductory lambic like Lindeman's with the fruit leading the sour by a ways.

In spite of the weird, techno backbeat from the bar's music, Moeder Lambic is a great beer adventure. Besides, the music isn't loud and the focus of the place is light conversation. I'm pretty sure that one of the workers I saw today at Cantillon is sitting at the bar, so others seem to think that it's a good stop as well. Also, the bar has an especially strong WiFi signal, so I'm catching up on emails while digging deep into the beer list.

Time spent is my recommendation—check out Moeder Lambic.

Pictures at http://pintsizedrevelations.blogspot.com/2013/02/moeder-lambic-fontainas-brussels-belgium.html.

02-05-2013 03:36:35 | More by FightingEntropy

SStein

North Carolina

4.88/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Went there New Year's Eve with my wife and daughter. We got there about 330 and it was fairly busy. It took us a minute to get a booth. Once we got settled we got our beers- I got the Cantillon Faro on cask and my wife got a Quintine Ambree. We both enjoyed our beers. After finishing them and finally got the waiters attention (did I mention it was really busy) we got our second beers- a Monks Stout for me and Cantillon Gueuze for her. We also got a the mixed plate of cheese and meats. There was a nice variety of stuff on the plate.
Overall it was a great experience.

01-02-2013 09:32:43 | More by SStein

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.83/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

This was my first stop upon arriving to Brussels. When I say first stop, I mean this is the first place I parked the car. Left the luggage in there and got straight to business.

The place was not too crowded and I was able to find a seat at a table straight away. Nice vibe. Tall ceiling, spacious, long bar, outdoor seating. I dig it.

My first beer order was the three Cantillons I had been coveting: Cuvee Moeder Kriek, Faro, and Lambic - all on cask. Simply fantastic. All served in Cantillon tulip stemmed glassware. Voila.

The salad with Cantillon lambic dressing was fabulous.

Lots of beers on draft from which to choose, as well as a bottle list with some old favorites. The prices on some of the vintage bottles is quite steep.

Overall, this was an outstanding experience, and an awesome way to kick off my dream vacation.

11-21-2012 15:29:04 | More by Huhzubendah

phenry

Missouri

4.9/5  rDev +6.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

It's been a little bit since I visited here this summer, but Chez Moeder definitely stood out from all the pubs/bars/breweries I visited in my miniature Euro-trip. I had a 6 hour layover in Brussels while catching the train to Koln, so I figured I might as well find some good beer. The walk from the southern train station can be very pleasant or somewhat uncomfortable dependent on the route you take (I'd suggest going south and doing a little sight seeing on the way) but the destination is definitely worth it no matter what course you take.

My parents and I arrived around 2 pm, so it was not crowded at all, just a man at the bar and a couple at a booth. We took a booth (the bartender/waitress suggested we take a booth towards the back of the room since those have more leg room) and ordered drinks. Our server was extremely knowledgeable about the beers they served and could even direct my mother towards a beer of her liking (no easy task mind you). The food, while not a full menu, was extremely well made and very satisfying. Glassware was tailored to each individual beer, and serving temperatures were appropriate to style. The music was present, but not overly loud like some establishments. The prices were about what you'd expect for a downtown location. The service was exemplary as well as the selection of beers.

If I were in Brussels for any reason in the future, I wouldn't hesitate to go out of my way to visit Chez Moeder Lambic again.

09-21-2012 23:46:22 | More by phenry

Timmckee03

France

4.73/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Went to Chez Moeder Lambic and was very impressed. Located a short walk from the Mannekin, clost to the Grand Palace. 40+ taps and a book of bottles to choose from. We has a nice mixed meat and cheese tray to eat that was fantastic. Not a huge food selection but this place is all about the beer. I drank a Cantillion Faro, a house amber ale and a Admiral Nelson single hopped IPA and my wife drank a saison, all were very good. The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly. I will revisit because of the selection any time in Brussels and highly recommend to anyone visiting.

08-04-2012 16:33:11 | More by Timmckee03

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

One of my "must try" stops on the Brussels tour and this place did not dissapoint. Atmosphere was very cool and inviting. Perhaps more modern than i expected, but still cool place.

Selection was wonderful and there was more than enough to keep you entertained for a session of fun. Even better was the service. Our waiter/bartender was friendly/knowledgable and provided great advice. He knew his stuff but was not snooty in the least.

He even got my wife excited to talk about the local beers.

I highly suggest hitting place while in Brussels. Plent of treats on draft and a great bottle selection.

04-20-2012 03:51:53 | More by Reagan1984