Brouwerij Boon
Pajottenland, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
Brouwerij Boon sits right at the heart of Belgium’s lambic tradition, which means spontaneous fermentation, old barrels, wild yeast and beer that occasionally tastes like cider, white wine and funky farmhouse magic all collided together in the best possible way. Based in Lembeek in the Pajottenland region, Boon has spent decades helping preserve one of the world’s most unique brewing traditions while much of modern beer culture was busy inventing triple marshmallow smoothie IPAs.
The brewery specialises in lambic, gueuze and kriek, all brewed using spontaneous fermentation where the wort cools overnight and naturally picks up wild yeasts from the surrounding air. Which sounds slightly unhinged until you taste how brilliant the results can be. Boon Gueuze blends young and old lambics together to create beers packed with citrus, green apple, oak, hay, earthy funk and razor-sharp acidity balanced by beautiful complexity and dryness.
Kriek brings cherries into the equation too, producing beers that taste genuinely fruity rather than like fizzy sweets dissolved into lager. Everything stays incredibly traditional, right down to the ageing in large oak foeders and the patient blending process that defines great gueuze.
Lambic beer still feels wonderfully strange even after years of craft beer experimentation. Boon captures that weirdness perfectly while keeping the beers elegant, balanced and surprisingly drinkable once your palate adjusts. Funky, acidic and endlessly fascinating stuff.
