At Lindemans Brewery, there is a story behind every glass

This is one of pioneering spirit and innovation: in the 1980s, a frustrating setback led to the creation of a legendary beer. During the first shipment of Lindemans Oude Kriek to the USA, rough seas led the beer to referment in the bottle, causing the corks to pop out of their bottles and spill beer into the sea below. However, what seemed like an unfortunate mishap turned out to be an opportunity!

René and Nestor Lindemans, our 5th generation brewers, made the decision to pasteurise the beer to prevent refermentation after bottling. This preserved the fruit sugars and aromas while the beer became fruitier and more mellow, with a perfect balance between sweet and sour. Most importantly, the result was also stable enough to withstand overseas transport without any problems. Thus, Lindemans Kriek was born and soon became beloved all over the world, while the traditional style lives on in Lindemans Oude Kriek Cuvée René, an exceptional lambic blend in its own right that is still available today.

It is a story of daring, creativity and the continuous reinvention of lambic, and one of the many that define our brewery’s 200+ years of history.