Does anyone know that a lambic brewery sits on a farm? This is Girardin. It is a small family-owned lambic brewery. You will find it in Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle. This village is about 11 kilometers from Brussels city center. The brewery’s story began on a farm established in 1845. At that time, it was part of a nobleman’s estate.
Franciscus-Alexius Girardin bought the farm in 1882. The Girardin family initially farmed for their food. Brewing was just a side business. Not much is known about the brewery between 1882 and World War I. Francisus-Alexius was active in the local Catholic church. When the occupying army came, his brewery closed. However, he still brewed at another brewery allowed to stay open.
After World War I, brewing restarted on the farm. Franciscus-Alexius also entered local politics. He served as mayor of Sint-Ulriks-Kappelle from 1904 to 1927.
Jean-Baptiste, one of Franciscus-Alexius’ sons, took over the farm-brewery around 1930. Like today, the Girardin farm grew its own barley and wheat. They also grew beets. The wheat was used right away. However, the barley was sent off to be malted and then returned. Jean-Baptiste followed his father by becoming mayor in 1938. He stayed in office until 1958.
Today, Brouwerij Girardin is known for supplying lambic wort. They supply it to many blenders in the Pajottenland. This was also true in the 1950s. Girardin gave wort to cafes and blenders to make gueuze.
Louis Girardin, Jean-Baptiste’s son, took over in 1962. He continued both farming and brewing. Louis favored the brewing part of the Girardin name. He started modernizing the brewery to stay competitive. He replaced old coal burners with oil burners. Also, he bought malt silos for large-scale storage. This removed the need for frequent malt deliveries.
By the late 1970s, Girardin’s traditional business model declined. They had been selling wort to beer blenders in wooden barrels. Many cafes began to close. In 1979, Louis bought equipment from Van Haute. Van Haute was a closed blender in Groot-Bijgaarden. Louis bought two bottling lines out of necessity. He began producing bottled beer for the first time. They started with gueuze. Later, they added kriek, framboise, and faro.
During the late 1980s and into the new millennium, the brewery invested in new equipment. Louis’s two sons, Jan and Paul, received training. Between 1990 and 1993, a new brewing hall was built. It included more new equipment. Brewing never stopped at Girardin, even during expansion. Now, they also brew a lager-style beer called Ulricher.
The Girardin family’s fourth generation owns the brewery. This started after Louis Girardin’s death in September 2000. Louis’ daughter Marina, along with Jan and Paul, joined the business after school. Jan Girardin, who managed delivery and supply, died in August 2012.
With lambic culture’s revival in Belgium, Girardin has returned to its roots. It bottles and distributes its beer and supplies wort to other blenders. Girardin supplies wort to lambic blenders like 3 Fonteinen, De Cam, and Hanssens. They also supply private consumers and experimental blenders. Armand Debelder of 3 Fonteinen called Girardin the Chateau d’Yquem of lambic producers. He believes it has great lasting properties for blending. The brewery joined HORAL in 2004.
Girardin’s brewing process follows traditional lambic methods. They use two coolships. One is under the tiled roof. The other is in the brewing hall. Temperatures vary in these locations. The temperature can be changed based on the weather. This optimizes inoculation by wild yeasts. Girardin has two brewing systems. The old one has a cast iron kettle. The new one is copper. The original cast iron system is used in winter to ensure consistency. Brewing also occurs in summer to meet demand. This is done in the new brewing hall. Copper heats and cools faster. Also, the belts on the original system slip in summer. Mashing time is adjusted during summer brews. Hops are bought fresh and aged at the brewery. Girardin uses pipes, not foeders, for aging lambic. All fruit beers are made with frozen fruit.
Girardin offers several gueuze beers. These include Fond Gueuze Bierpallieters, Gueuze 1882 Black label, and Gueuze 1882 White label. They also have Gueuze Limited Edition beers. The brewery also produces framboise, kriek, and faro. Also they produce a range of soft-drinks under the name Girli (short for Girardin Lemonade).