Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen

drewbage

California

4.75/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Visited in March 2006 on a whirlwind tour of Belgium. Thanks to the Bum for the steerage to this place.

Landed on my whim flight and after a brief stop in the Brussels airport for a beer and a ride into town to find a hotel room. Without sleep, I jumped on a train and made my way to the suburbs and Drie Fonteinen.

Let me tell you, as a first meal for a country you can do so much worse than eating here. Wow. Sat down at a nice cozy table by the fire and sampled the local products and the daily special. Food was damn amazing.

The beer? Well, you should know I'm a sucker for a good gueze or kriek and suck me in they did.

Really, this place is amazing. It defies what your expectations are and makes that walk up and down the hill for the train well worth it.

Do not miss if you get a chance.

01-01-2007 09:39:26 | More by drewbage

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

5/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I made it to Belgium, and 3 Fonteinen was right at the top if my list.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is fantastic. Quaint and serene, spacious and inviting. Service with a smile.

I spoke with Armand for a few hours about the brewery, lambic, etc. while enjoying a 1997 Oude Gueze (and a few others as well). The Kriek, lambic, kriekenlambik, faro are all must tries if you are fortunate enough to make it here.

Passion, tradition, quality, it's all here. My experience was so amazing here that I returned for another lengthy visit in lieu of visiting some of Belgium's best breweries. That will have to wait for a subsequent visit. Overall, this was simply mind blowing. A bucket list kind of experience for me.

11-21-2012 05:51:26 | More by Huhzubendah

Thorpe429

Illinois

5/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

This wa my ultimate beer destination. When I got there, it greatly exceeded my expectations. This review covers only the weekend Lambic Room. (My English translation on the name.)

The atmosphere could not be better. There is a row of picnic tables outside plus a charming little indoor area with small tables. It feels like a small-town mom and pop restaurant. The difference here, of course, is that Armand is sitting at one of the tables and is more than happy to chat about his beer and the brewery, and is quick to offer his feelings on lambic and it's tradition. For me, it could not get any better.

The quality of the beer at Drie Fonteinen is unparalleled. The menu offers a wide assortment of lambics, including several vintages of Oude Geuze and several of the "vintage" selections. The Oude Kriek and young kriekenlambick are both available as well. You can also sample unblended lambic or the faro.

Service is quick and polite, and nearly everyone spoke English quite well. There is nothing like being served gueuze by Aand or his wife. Great presentation an proper glassware.

The prices are fair and cheap, especially for all that you get. The small shop is a must-visit as well.

If you did yourself in Belgium, do yourself a favor and visit this place as often as possible!

02-27-2012 12:50:20 | More by Thorpe429

beerpirates

Belgium

4.28/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Easily the best of the lambic spots we visited. Arriving right before the end of the lunch hours (they don’t serve after 2 or 3p), we enjoyed draft lambic, Service is typical European, allowing us to enjoy the patio out back which is unfortunately squared in and thus affords no views of the countryside. The food is stellar (the salmon is a must).

Then we walked over to the tasting room to meet with Armand, soft-spoken and open, sharing stories and hopes for lambic and future brewing. One hour, then two roll by as we open bottles

Then he accompanies us to the shop as we buy lambic, glasses, shirts to go. A fantastic visit, never rushed but perfectly accommodated. I look forward to years of visiting the master.

02-06-2012 17:26:10 | More by beerpirates

LambicKing

Virginia

4.47/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Tucked away in the Beersel hillside. Everytime I'm in the neighborhood, I stop in for at least an oude gueuze or kriek. I've eaten here a handful of times - the food is very high quality (try the gueuze rabbit and a 1997 vintage oude gueuze). Armand often makes an appearance later in the night to socialize with some of the patrons and his friends/family that are also there enjoying their fare and/or working as staff.

Lots of food on the menu and several quality beers available. Setting is rustic, hospitable, and warm. Many locals come to enjoy a quiet dinner with their families.

A must for any lambic/gueuze lover in Belgium or visiting Belgium. You won't regret it.

Catch a tour of the castle on the way to the resto/shop.

08-24-2011 19:02:35 | More by LambicKing

rvdoorn

Netherlands

4.65/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I have been here (the brewery, not the restaurant) so often and everytime it is such a great pleasure to talk with armand about life in general and beer. He is such a kind and passionate man who already is worth the visit. In the brewery shop they have depending on the time of the year, most of the regulars, and sometimes of course limited brews like armand’4 and strafe winter. They also sell some nice products that are prepared with kriek or geuze, like cheese and marmalade. Last time they even had chocolate bonbons with armand spirit. Don’t miss this place

06-03-2011 23:08:23 | More by rvdoorn

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +1.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Review of the restaurant at Drie Fonteinen:

A simple country bistro with simple but quaint decor. Several visits have had slow, but pleasant service (two lunch time visits took over two hours from start to finish). A nice stock of standard Drie Fonteinen beers (Faro, Lambiek, Kriekenlambiek, Oude Kriek, Oude Gueuze) plus the ultimate value: 15Euro 750ml bottle of 1997 Oude Gueuze. The food here is phenomenal. The carbonade is the most tender and flavorful I’ve ever had and the mussels are fresh and well prepared. Being next to the brewery doesn’t hurt either.

05-11-2011 15:22:26 | More by callmemickey

crosamich

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Had a huge day planned on my recent trip to Belgium ending up at drie Fonteinen - Lambik Droom. The night before led to a late start so we changed it up a bit and started with 3F so as not to miss out. The shop is a small place with 5 tables outside and ~10 inside. Usually some lambic, kriekenlambic, gueze on tap. We arrived just after opening in time to join Armand in the cellar to tap and taste a fresh barrel of lambic. Lydie will bring some Gueze-soaked cheese to go along with your drinks. After making it through a few bottles and stocking up on some take-aways we headed off for the next stop. I had mistakenly thought I could buy Millenium Gueze for take-away. So I promised to be back the next day to try that one. Traffic was awful so we went back to 3F to enjoy the rest of the beautiful day. Watched many locals come and go, swapping out empties for new bottles of Oude Gueze. We made it thru every bottle they had to offer and spent most of the day there (with me asking pesky questions the whole time). Lydie and Armand could not have been better hosts. Can't believe they run this all themselves with some part-time help. Frank Boon and son stopped by and were there nearly as long as we were. This is a must stop for anyone visiting Brussels. Easy to find/get to in our rental. If you plan on taking 3F bottles home with you, go here first and load up as nowhere else comes close.
We also stopped at the restaurant: food was good, service was mediocre, beer selction was OK. They sweeten the kriek here to make it more appealing to the masses. Nice way to end the day but Lambik Droom is the priority if time is short. This place won't blow you away but the hosts and the product speak for themselves.

04-27-2011 13:21:55 | More by crosamich

jrallen34

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -6.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $

We drove here from Brussels, a simple and beautiful drive that took about 30 minutes. The town of Beersel is super cute, would be fun to spend some time here. Drie itself has 3 different establishments all within the same block.

- Drie Fonteinen - super nice sit down restaurant with local Belgian cuisine. There was a great menu, at least big, and nice inside. However, everything was in flemish and we could not read one thing on the menu. We asked our server for advice and the guy blew us despite speaking fine English. He offered only 2 suggestions, we got them and they both sucked. As all the other dishes came out they looked awesome, and we were jealous. Not much of a beer menu here at all. Come for food if you have a translator, not a place to drink.

- Lambik Droom - Tasting room owned by Armand's brother. Quaint inside, a place for drinks and a cheese snack. All the Drie regulars than a vintage list. Nice service, when its open a place to go.

- Brouwerji Shop - Here is the brewery shop. They have all the regular beers (oude, kriek, doesjel, oude vintage) and some of the special ones when strafe, zwet, etc. They have 3 types of glassware which is really awesome.

All of them separate they are nothing special. However, going to visit and seeing all 3 and the town, this is a trip that HAS to be made if you are in Brussels and looking for 2-3 hours to kill.

11-29-2010 00:51:53 | More by jrallen34

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev -6.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I stopped here on a Sunday, which is a mistake unless you just want food and the standard beer selection. The tasting room seems much better, but closed on Sundays. Also, there are no trains to/from Beersel on Sat/Sun, at least based on my belated investigation. I took a Metro train as far as I could, then got a ride from a nice lady who could only speak French. Somehow I got by with my high school French, we found the place anyways. The ride back required a cab, still not bad at about 24 euros to Brussels Midi.

The food is excellent, decent prices too. The restaurant has the atmosphere of a restaurant, go figure. Wish the tasting room was open.

They were accomodating enough to let me go through the beer storage room to buy some stuff to go, notably 2006 Oude Gueuze Vintage for a friend and Straffe Winter + Horal's Blend for me.

11-02-2010 10:57:15 | More by TurdFurgison