Guild Learning
Seven Beers, Seven Sins: La Source Turns a Brussels Anniversary into a Ritual
A brewery anniversary can be a polite affair: raise a glass, say a few thank-yous, cut a cake, and try not to spill beer on the candles. La Source Beer Co. chose a livelier script. For its “7 Years BD Party” in Brussels, the brewery built the celebration around seven exclusive beers inspired by the seven deadly sins, alongside free concerts, food stalls and flash tattoos. It is less a tasting flight than a small piece of theatre — with hops.
The number is the message
Seven is doing serious work here. The event’s concept links the brewery’s seventh year to seven beers and the seven deadly sins, turning a date on the calendar into a narrative.
The brewery’s list includes Avarice, a Saison Riwaka; Orgueil, a TIPA; Paresse, a Mimosa Brut IPA; Gourmandise, an almond, cocoa and vanilla Imperial Stout; Envie, a Mojito Sour; Colère, a Habanero Black IPA; and Luxure, a strawberry and coconut Imperial Sour.
A saison is a farmhouse-inspired ale; a sour is a beer with pronounced acidity; an imperial stout is a stronger, fuller-bodied stout. No sermon required — though the labels may encourage a little confession.
A Brussels brewery with a room of its own
La Source describes itself as an artisanal and creative microbrewery based in Brussels, active since October 2019. Its identity is not confined to cans: the brewery also operates a brewpub on Rue Dieudonné Lefèvre, with a seasonal menu, 20 taps and five taps connected directly to 600-litre service tanks.
That detail matters culturally. Beer is presented not only as something to collect or review, but as something encountered at the source, in a room designed for lingering. La Source says the space welcomes children and hosts food-pairing events and free concerts, making the bar part of the brewery’s public face.
The party is bigger than the flight
The anniversary programme gathered several kinds of local creativity under one roof. The event listing described seven free concerts by Belgian bands, with acts including Vaague, Zegel, I Don’t Clean the House, Whoman and Kosmouz.
It also listed pizzas, okonomiyaki, tacos, quesadillas, hot dogs, focaccias, burgers and sweet and savoury pies from named food businesses, plus flash tattoos. The beers were not isolated objects waiting for solemn analysis. They were one element in a day built around music, food, visual identity and participation.
The sensible response is to accept that a birthday beer may want to dance.
Old Belgian habits, new symbols
This kind of event feels contemporary, but its social logic is recognisably Belgian. KU Leuven’s account of Belgian beer culture describes heritage as something communities use to create identity, and notes that Belgian beer culture was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.
The same account stresses that heritage is dynamic rather than frozen behind glass: it survives by adapting to a changing society. La Source’s seven-beer framework can be read in that light — not as a claim to ancient tradition, but as a modern act of place-making.
Brussels, Belgian music, shared food and adventurous brewing become connected through a symbol everyone can understand: seven.
Community is part of the recipe
The most interesting thing here is not whether every flavour pairing sounds restrained. It is that La Source treats the brewery as a meeting point and the release as an invitation.
A themed beer can give a crowd a common language; a concert gives the evening momentum; food makes the gathering less dependent on tasting expertise. That approach fits a broader understanding of Belgian beer culture, where social spaces and shared knowledge matter as much as recipes.
The myth is useful because it opens the door. Once inside, people can decide whether their sin is more likely to be Avarice, Envie or a second pour of Gourmandise.
If you encounter the seven-beer series, resist turning it into a speed challenge. Start with a lighter or more familiar style, share pours when possible, and let the theme guide conversation rather than dictate a ranking. La Source’s brewpub is at Rue Dieudonné Lefèvre 4 in Brussels; check its current opening information before travelling.
La Source’s anniversary ritual suggests that modern Belgian brewing does not need to choose between beer as a product and beer as culture. A can can carry a joke or a symbol; a taproom can become a neighbourhood room; a release can gather musicians, cooks, artists and drinkers around the same table. Seven years, seven sins and seven beers make a neat story. The real celebration is the community willing to play along.