Brouwerij De Troch

In Wambeek, Brewery De Troch has kept lambic brewing rooted in a farmhouse setting since the late eighteenth century. Its identity rests on two complementary traditions: spontaneous fermentation in the Pajottenland manner, and an unusually adventurous turn toward fruit-forward lambics. The brewery’s Chapeau range helped make combinations such as banana, mango, and other fruits part of De Troch’s distinctive Belgian beer legacy. A farmhouse brewery with deep roots Regional heritage records date the creation of the lambic brewery to 1795, in a farmhouse whose brewing installation has remained remarkably intact. De Troch’s own history reaches further into family records, identifying Pieter De Troch as a brewer on the site in the late eighteenth century. The brewery stands at Langestraat 20 in Wambeek, now part of Ternat, in Flemish Brabant. Spontaneous fermentation, patiently handled De Troch describes its geuze and kriek as products of spontaneous fermentation and maturation. Wort is cooled in open shallow vats so airborne microorganisms can initiate fermentation, then the lambic ripens in oak casks. For its oude geuze, young and older lambics are blended and undergo a further fermentation in the bottle, preserving a traditional method rather than treating geuze as an ordinary fresh beer. The Chapeau turn toward fruit Around 1984, De Troch became an early pioneer of exotic lambic combinations, bringing beers such as banana and mango to market. The brewery continues to present Chapeau as its fruit-beer identity, while also producing kriek, old gueuze, faro, and other lambic-based beers. This blend of inherited method and deliberate experimentation is what most clearly distinguishes De Troch in Belgian beer history. De Troch’s defining character is traditional spontaneous lambic brewing opened deliberately to unconventional fruit expression. Wambeek, Ternat, Flemish Brabant, Belgium 1795 1795: The De Troch lambic brewery was established in a farmhouse at Wambeek. 1898: Louis De Troch took over the family brewing business. 1974: Jos Raes and M. Vanderhasselt continued the family brewing tradition. 1984: De Troch became an early marketer of exotic lambics, including banana and mango versions. 2012: Pauwel Raes and Kristel Schelfthout took over the brewery.