Patrick Van der Spiegel knows lambic beer. As a resident of Halle, ten miles southwest of Brussels in Belgium’s lambic country, he has lived his life savoring and enjoying lambic. I recently spoke with him regarding two of his projects, “The Land of Geuze” and “Lambic Tours” which both have Facebook and Instagram pages. The Lambic Tours website is here.

Patrick had this to say about his two projects: “The purpose of ‘The Land of Geuze’ is the cultivation and promotion of traditional Lambic brewing and Geuze blending. We also attempt to create an interest in small local bars that help keep the lambic tradition in high regard. Twenty years ago, the interest in traditional Geuze was at its lowest. Now, the tables have turned, and lambic and geuze are internationally recognized beers that are highly respected by beer lovers. We’ve noticed that people travel from all over the world to visit the ‘Pajottenland’, the ‘Zennevallei’ and Brussels. The increase in attention has led to the startup of multiple new projects. New lambic breweries and blenderies are springing up across the region, and new types of fruit Lambics are being developed as we speak. There’s also been a renewed interest from the service industry, which means that many Geuzes are being recommended to pair with all kinds of food dishes. Nowadays, lambics, fruited lambics, and Geuzes are also being used as an ingredient in culinary dishes, and not just as a refreshing drink.”

Patrick continued: “We attempt to inform a wide audience on new developments through Instagram and Facebook. In addition to this, we also organize guided tours and lambic tastings, along with meals at fine local restaurants and cafes, featuring local dishes, on demand. During these tours, we maintain a healthy mixture of visits to breweries and local bars. In this way, you’ll get the best of both worlds. For us ‘Oude Geuze’ is passion, tradition and coziness.”

To sum up, Patrick Van der Spiegel organizes tours to lambic breweries, geuze blenderies, and traditional Belgian pubs in and near the Pajottenland and the Zenne Valley. Patrick guides these tours himself, and can do so in English, Dutch, and French. In addition, there is the possibility to pair these tours with guided tours at breweries or blenderies, with professional tour guides, or lambic brewers/blenders. These tours typically include tasting samples of multiple beers, and an optional lunch or dinner for the whole group.

If you are interested in these custom guided tours, feel free to fill in the contact form on their website (lambictours.com) or send an email to patrick@lambictours.be. It is also possible to send private messages through their Instagram and Facebook pages.

Patrick’s lambic tours can be summed up in one word: Marvelous!