Moeder Lambic Fontainas

avenuepub

Louisiana

5/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Thebis without a doubt the bestbbeer bar I have ever visited. Both locations are fabulous. The Fontinanas location is the newer larger spot with quite a lot of taps for a Belgian bar. I own a beer bar in New Orleans and I wish I could do things this well.

The staff has a love and enthusiasm for artisanal beer This is one of the few places in Belgium that is not tied to a specific brewery or company like In Bev which means that they can and do carry only what they want to carry. You will not see any of the omnipresent Belgian beers like Jupiler which was refreshing. Only the very best of Belgian artisanal beer is here. Tiny breweries in Belgium are up against bigger obstacles than we face in the US so bars like Moeder are critical to their survival.
If you can visit only one bar in Belgium...make it Moeder.

06-05-2011 07:49:22 | More by avenuepub

CRooney5787

California

5/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Moeder lambic is located in the center of Brussels. They have Two locations, however Place Fontinas is the newer, bigger, legendary location.
They offer 40 beers of draft, and 6 on hand pump. They always have Cantillon stuff, and normally Drie Fonteinen. Draft prices aren't bad.

Millennium was 200 euro, and LH 12 was 180 and Crianza was 250. I understand if they sold them for cheaper, they'd run out pretty fast, however that's too much for me to spend on a single bottle.

They have a nice little terrace, and serve food. This is not a restaurant, so the plates are more of cheese, sausage, and quiche. (I'm sure they serve other food as well, but don't quote me on that)

All and all, it's a bit touristy, but expected. I would recommend stoping in for a beer.

07-19-2011 15:53:27 | More by CRooney5787

Orangevango

South Carolina

4.94/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Yesterday Caml and I took a trip to Cantillon Brewery and had a marvelous time, we struck up a conversation with a fellow american in the brewery and decided to take a walk to this place which our new companion had heard good things about.

We sat out on a nice patio type area on the sidewalk, where we were promptly provided with a menu which had probably 25 beers on it, classified by color, body, and sweetness. The serving options were 25cL or 1L, which we thought was odd, until we realized that everything was on draft.

There were a goodly number of waiters and waitresses, many of whom were siting at a table together having a beer with one of the people that work at Cantillon. All it took to get your order taken was to turn around and make eye contact, perfect, they didn't hassle you or ignore you either.

We Ordered a Pitcher of IV saison which was delicious, and obviously well kept, then we got a pitcher of 3 Fonteinen unblended lambic which was also fabulous (i would say better than the unblended lambic at Cantillon), finally we got a bottle of Cuvee De Ranke. We were given fresh and appropriate glasses each time.

The pitchers were all around 9-15 euro which I would say is very reasonable.

06-27-2010 19:55:47 | More by Orangevango

Glory

Quebec (Canada)

4.94/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I have been travelling in Belgium for about a month and nowhere else have I had a professional beer service experience like at Moeder Lambic in Brussels.
All the staff members are like beer somelliers, they will tell you what type of malt, hop and even yeast variety in every beer on the menu. You will find great, respectable, sometimes hard to find products at Moeder Lambic. I was in Brussels for 9 days and went there for a beer at least 5 times. I had la Swanze 2010, la Vigneronne, la Foufounne, all from Cantillon, La Noire de Dottignies from la brasserie du Rank, la V Censes and La IV Saison and many more. They defend and represent small independent breweries that work right.
Its a place you have to go when you visit Brussels, you wont regret it

Cheers lads

WS

11-11-2010 06:47:55 | More by Glory

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

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

dasenebler

Maine

4.85/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$

A friend and I visited several beer bars in Brussels this past weekend, and the new Moeder Lambic in the central city stood out against the rest for several reasons.

Let's start with the atmosphere. As others have noted, this is a clean, modern and minimalist place, not a lived-in beer cave. It has nice wooden booths and a long bar facing the attractive taps. Outdoor seating on Place Fontainas in favorable weather. The bar was never crowded, and at times could have even used a few more groups to improve the vibe. The best thing about this establishment is that smoking is prohibited, unlike some of the at times suffocating bars in the city, though mainly one that rhymes with bacterium. The lack of smoke allows one to truly enjoy the bar's world-class tap list.

I think there are 30+ taps at this establishment, all of which are Belgian, save maybe a few guests. Nice assortment of Lambic, Witbier, Blonde, Tripel, Brown, Strong Dark, etc. Good variation of dry vs. sweet vs. sour flavor profiles. I liked that most everything on the list was very drinkable beer, save a few sippers. Several taps of De Ranke, Valeir, Cantillon and Jandrain. Bottle list had many high points, though also very high prices (read below: Millenium Gueuze, €200+). Draught beer was better priced, but still a tad expensive. They don't have everything at this bar, but everything they have is top-notch and worth the premium. Mikkeller Simcoe IPA on-tap was incredibly fresh and delicious.

Waiters and bartenders were very helpful and informative, and they seemed to enjoy working at Moeder. They were genuinely interested in helping you choose the right beer. Service was fast, though the bar was never too busy during our three visits. If the cheese plate was any indicator of the rest of the snacks and quiches on the small menu, then the food is very good.

One of the best beer bars I have ever visited. Brussels has some excellent beer destinations, but this was my favorite. Though its atmosphere is not old-world Brussels, Moeder Lambic is world-class.

10-25-2010 12:42:45 | More by dasenebler

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

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

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