La Mort Subite goes international

21/12/2017

Mort Subite is a Belgian brand of Lambic spontaneously fermented beer, which takes its name from “À la mort subite (The Sudden Death)”, a typical Brussels-style café located in Rue Montagne-aux-Herbes Potagères and originally owned by Théophile Vossen, who invented the beer. Nowadays the beer is produced by the Mort Subite brewery in Kobbeghem, Flemish Brabant.

Mort Subite belongs today to the Belgian brewery group Alken-Maes, part of the Heineken group. But the Dutch brewer Heineken raised the profile of “Mort Subite” to an international brand, as he had done three years ago for Affligem, a Belgian Abbey beer producer. The world's second largest brewer will therefore expand its distribution area to all countries in which it operates, that is, the world, with a few exceptions. It expects to double sales of Mort Subite by 2021. The first destinations where Mort Subite could be distributed are Singapore and the rest of Asia, America and a number of European countries.

Mort Subite Kriek is made by blending young lambic with older lambic. Belgian cherries from Tienen are then added. It is then left to mature in oak barrels for at least 5 months. It has a beautiful rich red colour and is a cool, low-alcohol beer with a tangy flavour from the combination of lambic and fresh cherries.  Although Mort Subite Kriek is the best known, the brewery produces five other types of beer: Mort Subite Original Gueuze, which is matured in oak barrels and fermented again in bottles to obtain a copper-colouring and a bittersweet and tangy taste, Mort Subite Natural Oude Gueuze, a balanced blend of mature (minimum 3 years) and young lambic matured in oak barrels, Mort Subite Xtreme Kriek, which has a fruity, cherry flavour, Mort Subite Xtreme Framboise, which has a fruity raspberry taste, and Mort Subite Witte Lambic, which is a mixture of young lambic and fruit-flavoured pale ale.