We’ve long appreciated the complex, perfectly executed beers from De Leite in Belgium, and we’re thrilled to now be their U.S. importer!

In 1997 Luc Vermeersch decided to channel his love of traditional, rustic crafts into the construction of a little garden shed that soon became the home of a tiny brewery and bread oven. When he bought his 30-liter system, the Finnish manufacturer gave him one week of training, and for about a decade the rest of his brewing education was self-taught. After enrolling in a brewing course, however, he started to dream of a larger brewery, and in 2008, De Leite was born!

The next phase of his dream was to produce his own barrel-aged sour beers, so in 2011 he bought his first 14 barrels from wine-grower friends in France. That program quickly expanded into their current array of 105 barriques and 8 4000-5000L foeders.

Cuvee Jeun’Homme: An oak-aged sour-bitter beer. Jeun’Homme starts with a slight citrus bitterness due to its 8 hops and dry hopping afterwards, but it slowly gains its sourness in the oak barrels. The daring combination of bitter and sour is softened by this maturing process and is therefore very pleasant on the tongue.

Cuvee Mam’Zelle: The brewery’s tripel, matured in wine barrels for several months. The lactobacillus present in the wood pores guarantees soft acidification with a refreshing note. The herbs suspended in the barrel during the last months of the aging process add a fuller, more refined flavor. The Mam’Zelle is originally a blonde beer, but maturing gave her a reddish-blonde glow. For this reason, she is called ‘bright blonde.’

Cuvee Soeur’ise Kriek: Tripel aged over sour cherries for at least 6 months. During this time, the brewers allow the delicate acidification to do its job so that all the sugars are broken down, and the cherries relinquish their blood-red color and delicious flavor in the meantime. The result is a Tripel kriek pur sang.