Brouwerij Boon

In Lembeek, where lambic remains inseparable from the Senne Valley, Brouwerij Boon became a force in the revival of traditional gueuze. Frank Boon began as a passionate gueuze blender, then built the capacity to brew and mature lambic himself. The result is a family brewery whose identity rests on spontaneous fermentation, long oak maturation and the careful blending of beers shaped by time. A revival rooted in Lembeek Frank Boon began blending gueuze in a small cellar in Halle in 1972, inspired by René De Vits, one of the region’s remaining gueuze blenders. In 1975, Boon took over De Vits’s business and became an independent gueuze blender. The brewery later moved to Lembeek, linking its work directly to the traditional lambic-producing landscape along the Senne. From blending to brewing Boon’s first new lambic brewhouse opened in autumn 1990, built with second-hand equipment and described by the brewery as the first new lambic brewhouse in the region in more than forty years. A larger, automated brewhouse opened in April 2013, increasing capacity while remaining designed for traditional lambic production. Craft carried forward Oak foeders are central to Boon’s method: the brewery matures lambic in large wooden vessels before blending gueuze, kriek and other traditional beers. Boon also established its own cooperage workshop in 2004 to maintain these foeders. Since Frank Boon’s retirement in 2021, sons Jos and Karel have continued the family business. A family brewery that helped restore lambic’s future by pairing traditional spontaneous fermentation and oak maturation with carefully developed brewing capacity. Lembeek, Flemish Brabant, Belgium 1975 1972: Frank Boon began blending gueuze in a small cellar in Halle. 1975: Boon took over René De Vits’s business and became an independent gueuze blender. 1990: The first new lambic brewhouse in the region in more than forty years began brewing at Boon. 2004: Brouwerij Boon established its own cooperage workshop for maintaining lambic foeders. 2021: Frank Boon retired and sons Jos and Karel took over day-to-day control.