Moeder Lambic Fontainas

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $$$

My first stop in Brussels after some hellish train connections from Oberhausen. I chose the Fontainas location because I thought it would be easiest to find. In fact it's very easy to get to, on a main road with no twisting turns as you leave the Metro.

First off, this didn't have the feel of an old world Belgian pub, it was much more modern and well lit. Still lots of wood though. They had some Techno music playing kind of loud (I later discovered this same disconcerting attribute applies to the St Gilles location).

But it's not all about the atmosphere, the taps list is amazing and the bottles list is shocking. There were 46 taps, including Cantillon Lambic, Cantillon Gueuze, Cantillon Cuvee Moeder Kriek, Cantillon Faro, 3F Lambic, 3F Kriek, + tons of others with mostly French sounding names and not so many Flemish. I'd only heard of about 1/3 of them, which is a great thing.

The bottles list is even better, including some rarities for ludicrously high prices:
3F Millenium Gueuze (250 euros)
Cantillon LH12 (180 euros)
Cantillon Crianza Helena (200 euros)
Cantillon Zwanze 2008 (80 euros)
Cantillon Pinot D'Aunis (35 euros)
3F Hommage (50 euros)
3F Schaebbeekse Kriek (30 euros)
3F Straffe Winter (35 euros)
De Cam Oude Lambiek (28 euros)
and on an on, down to <10 euros...

I would never buy a beer for 200+ euros, that's insulting. Plus, you can find them in other places for cheaper. But the bottles on the lower end aren't too bad price-wise. I had De Cam Oude Lambiek 2000 and it was sublime, one of the best beers I've ever had. I bought another to go.

11-02-2010 05:48:40 | More by TurdFurgison

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

4.3/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

My wife and I visited this place early on a Thursday afternoon, late Oct 2010, while our hotel room was being prepared (we had arrived too early).

The place was almost empty, outside were about 100 vacant chairs, inside the long thin room with a small stage at the far end had two small groups of people clustered around their drinks.

Up on the left as you enter, all along the top of the wall is a chalk list of the tap beers, once settled a young man came over with a smaller chalk board listing the guest selection, which took the total to 46 I believe. We chatted a bit (it was quiet don't forget) with the chap and then ordered our beers. Correct glasses and a small dish of barley malt to nibble on came back very swiftly. I asked to see the bottle menu, very impressive and as already mentioned by other reviewers, a bit on the expensive side. We had another tap beer before booking into our hotel.

We were told to return on the Saturday, because it was their first anniversary and there would be special things going on, so we did: Not so good, outside the 100 chairs were now full and a street band (brass, Dutch/Belgian fun type) was entertaining them, which was great. Inside we managed to find an empty table and were joined by some young locals, again great. A couple of the staff from Cantillon came over to say hello (we had been there on a semi-official visit earlier) and all was going well. Then a very loud Belgian rap band started up on the stage at the far end of the bar, I don't like rap I can half understand, I came to dislike Belgian rap even more. We had to leave, and we were not the only ones making for the door!

I wonder if I should change my name to 'Old Fart'.

So, a great new addition to the draught beer selection in central Brussels. A little too modern and untraditional for me, but I will certainly visit again when in Brussels, to see if it 'beds in' well, which I'm sure it will. I'll also check to see what sort of band is going to be on, if any.

11-05-2010 13:04:33 | More by BlackHaddock

dirtylou

Washington

4.3/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

found this place kind of by accident, while meandering back from Cantillon to the city-centre...the name was on my list, but because of its original location, which is well received

huge tap selection for brussels - 45ish taps, including a handfull from cantillon

staff was friendly, spoke mostly french, but could execute transactions in english. atmosphere was new and vibey - a lot different than other places we went in brussels

i grabbed the bottle list, which was a respectable size book. drinking in belgium and amsterdam can be a bit overwhelming at times - this was no different. we wound up with a bottle of Cantillon Cuvee de Champions, which was awesome. +1 loves the serving baskets that lambics are provided in

if your're making the walk from Cantillon back to the centre, make sure you route through this spot and get one for the road

05-30-2010 22:30:01 | More by dirtylou

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

jrallen34

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

Checked out Moeder on my latest Brussels trip, turned out to be one of the highlights for sure. Located about 2 blocks from the Pissing Boy, so this is a great combo stop. Inside is very new, gleaming wood and metal, a very modern and trendy spot. The beer list consists of about 40ish taps. They are separated nicely on a menu by style and bitterness level. They also have 10 guests tap, and at this time were all Christmas beers. They have a separate cellar list that that includes about 30 aged lambics. They have regular Cantillon's, not regulars like fou founne and mamouche, then really old beers like a 2000 Cam De Lambiek. On a special page they have 4 other rare beers listed at astronomical prices, like LH12 for 180, and Millenium for 250. As a bonus if you ask nicely they will let you buy some of the cellar beers to go. The servers speak decent English and are very knowledgable about the beers, able to give detailed descriptions of all offerings. We even got a 5 minute story the Zwanze 2010 we ordered, including why and how it was brewed, and the inside jokes on the bottle.

If you are looking for a chill place with rare and exclusive beers this is a must stop.

11-27-2010 20:30:16 | More by jrallen34

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

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

Chincino

Massachusetts

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

I visited here during a recent trip to Brussels and would recommend it highly. This was the first beer bar we went to in Belgium and it did not disappoint.

The atmosphere was very relaxed and the beer selection had a good variety of Belgian beers. I had a De Ranke 2010 Hop Harvest and my friend had a Taras Boulba. We split a Cantillon Fou Fonne 2009.

The food selection was good for a beer bar. We split a cheese place and a quiche which came with salad.

Great place to check out if you have the chance.

03-21-2011 11:39:33 | More by Chincino

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

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

When I arrive the outdoor seating is packed, so on the way inside and pony up at the bar. I am handed a beer list and on the cover it says "Stone Brewery vs. Moeder Lambic" well how awesome is that! I notice the 40 taps which about have are Stone products, way cool again. As I am looking, I see cask pumps, and I ask what's with that. Well I guess Lambics are only served out of a barrels if it is cask, my what a slice of heaven. Then I notice behind the bar a fantastic selection of bottles, I finally got my Mikkeller 1000 IBU! As I am ordering a Cantillion cask I notice Greg Koch from Stone behind the bar. He told me that he was getting in the Belgian market and he loved this place. I have been to Stone a couple times and I have to go to Belgium to meet Greg. So nonetheless, great place on its own, but the memory of having a beer with Greg there will last forever!

09-29-2011 21:12:11 | More by OWSLEY069

drtth

Pennsylvania

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

Enjoyed the atmosphere here in part because it was mid day so my friend and I were able to enjoy a quiet lunch, talk about the beer and enjoy both the beer and the food.

The quality of the beer I ordered was outstanding.

The service was quick helpful and friendly (of course there weren't many people in the place).

The selection of beers, with 46 taps, was outstanding, I didn't see a single loser on the list. If I lived in Brussels I'd be a regular here.

The menu for food was limited as the kitchen is relatively small but the food we ordered was attractively presented and of very good quality. Most importanty it was well prepared and tasty.

On the whole, good value for the money.

04-16-2011 16:37:05 | More by drtth