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colossus that features on Alvinne's logo. We're greeted by managing director Glenn Castelein, but he is in the middle of painting the foeder room, so it is resident “yeast whisperer”, Marc De Keukeleire, that takes us through a tasting of Alvinne’s beers. Many of the beers use the house yeast, Morpheus, which Marc isolated on a trip to the Auvergne region of central France in 2008. “I was on holiday and there’s not much to do there but read books and catch yeast,” he tells us in that typical dry manner I have quickly come to realise is very Belgian. On having Morpheus analysed, they found it to be two parts saccharomyces and one part lactobacillus. We taste it in action in Alvinne’s fabulously named Berliner Ryesse, a rye Berliner Weisse with cherry and mint, and again in a sample of Cuvee Theo Imperial Saison taken straight from the foeder. TRADITION VS INNOVATION On our last day, we drop in at Brouwerij Van’t Pajottenland, a fairly recent addition to the Lambic scene – and a magnificent one. Husband and wife team Manu De Cort and Sofie Vanwaelem clearly have quite the eye for design – the entire complex is perfectly decorated, from the old London-style double decker bus that houses an edible garden, to the bunches of dried hops adorning the walls of the double-storey barrel room. Downstairs, Lambic-style beers sit in wood, waiting for wild yeasts to do their thing. Upstairs, barrels of whisky age, likewise awaiting the moment that Manu considers them ready for public consumption. Belgium forgot to be innovative “Some people put insulation in their roof – we put whisky,” he says, half smiling. Upstairs, the temperature fluctuates and the resulting expansion and contraction of wood is beneficial for ageing whisky, but beer is a delicate beast and need a steady temperature so it remains on ground level where conditions are more stable. As well as the brewery, Manu and Sophie run De Cort, a distillery producing everything from ‘drinkable frites’ (also known as vodka) to gin, jenever and eventually, whisky. The single malt whisky has currently been in barrel for five years, but Manu isn’t ready to launch yet. I quickly get the sense that he doesn’t do anything by halves – the tasting rooms for both the brewery and the distillery are immaculately decorated, the distillery itself is remarkable, the spirits are all smooth and expertly made. I can't wait to taste the beers. The star, for me at least, is Adam, a beer-cider hybrid that exists because a friend had a hail-damaged apple crop that he couldn’t sell. Van’t Pajottenland puts a heavy focus on sustainability and supporting the local economy, so they bought the apples, made a wild- fermented cider, blended it with Lambic and then waited. The result is a dry, sour, complex and hugely refreshing beverage whose 6.5% ABV would certainly sneak up on you. “Your typical tripel drinker wouldn’t like it but that’s alright,” says Manu. “We don’t have to brew something that everyone likes. We need to brew things that we like – that’s the most important.” Like many of the breweries we have visited, Van’t Pajottenland strikes a fine balance between honouring the traditions of Belgium’s brewing heritage and innovating to ensure that the country’s beer scene continues to thrive and grow. This is where Belgium’s beer strength lies – drawing from a long, rich and proud beer history but relying on innovative brewers to keep Belgian beer relevant. And of course, brewing a good old tripel on the side when necessary, just to lure people in. The barrel room at Van't Pajottenland is home to both whisky and beer Fries are as important as ubiquitous as beer in Flanders - and De Cort makes a liquid version, better known as vodka 38 | Summer 2022 | ontapmag.co.za