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by wickedwillie on January 23rd, 2004

wickedwillie

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What are 'lambics'?

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  • by mgonick78 on April 3rd, 2004

    mgonick78

    Lambics, much like Trappist Ales are a part of a dying, largely Belgian breed. Brewers rely on the wild yeasts floating around in the air outside to turn the mash into beer. This is accomplished by storing the 'beer' in huge vats without lids and exposing the beer to the outdoor air because parts of the roof are on a track much like screen doors that necessitate their ease of opening. Some Lambic producers, are quite eccentric when it comes to the brewing environment, as they do not like to 'disturb' any dust or cobwebs inside the brewery for fear that it may affect what goes inside the beer. While the beer is unfiltered and unpasteurized some sediment remains, however it is pretty ridiculous to believe that insects are found in the beer-anything of that nature found in the beer is always removed. As a connoisseur myself, I have found these beers to be quite similar to other handcrafted, unfiltered, Belgian beers. They are quite tart and acidic,(almost like a hard cider) definitely making them an acquired taste. Some lambics are sweetened to balance this tartness. Traditionally cherries(kriek) were first used, however raspberries(framboise) and peach(peche) are two more common additives. Lambics, like wine, often improve with age(I believe though, that they must mature for at least 2 years before consumption), and you may see variations known as 'Gueze' which is a Lambic mix of both young and mature beers (probably introduced as a way of making lambics more profitable). Another known variation of the Lambic that I know of is 'Faro' which is a lambic sweetened with either sugar or juice of some kind. You can buy these in bottled this way, or as often found in Belgian bars, patrons can make their own Faro from a Lambic they purchased, by simplying taking a spoon of sugar and mixing it in.

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