Lambic beer is made by spontaneous fermentation. This allows the microbes in the air to interact with the wort and create an acidic drink.
It’s also a drink that’s best enjoyed with savory and sweet dishes alike. This drink is great with seafood and spicy food. It can also be combined with fruits to create a tasty beverage.
Origin
This beer has a unique taste because it spontaneously ferments. The wild airborne yeasts that find their way into the brewery and then into the barrels create a diverse and complex blend of flavors.
The result is a sour and complex drink with a variety of different flavors, ranging from fruity to dry and sour to even sweet. Traditionally, lambic beers are made only in the fall and winter, which is a time of year when fermentation happens naturally. This is because the air temperature can be lower at this time of year, which allows for a more balanced balance of microbes.
The Lindemans Family has developed an impressive collection of beers and wines over the years. The beer in their brewery is stored for many years in large barrels, called foeders. This allows the microbes time to do their work. Using a combination of traditional techniques and modern computer controlled brewhouse the brewery produces some of the best lambics around. From their core range of Oud Beersel (light Fram, rich, deep Bakewell-tinted Kriek and smooth Geuze) to their more experimental offerings such as the tangy walnut lambic they’ve earned themselves quite a reputation.
Many American brewers have sought to respectfully recreate these classic Belgian beers and there’s a whole community of blenders who are happy to collaborate and share their knowledge. As a matter of fact, Funk and Jeffrey Stuffings, a farmhouse brewery dedicated to spontaneous fermentation and mixed cultures, and James Howat, a Colorado-based producer who produces exclusively lambics spontaneously fermented, worked together with a variety Belgian brewers.
As American palates become more open to sours, it is likely that these beers will become widely available. Try them out and tell us what you think.
You can also check out our Style
Lambic is a unique style of beer made from spontaneous fermentation. It is a cloudy, effervescent, acidic beer with a thick mouthfeel. It has a unique tartness that resembles hard cider or white wine, and it ages well. Its flavors can range from earthy to fruity and tangy, with notes of leather, goat, and even horse. The beer has no hop taste, but the lactic acidity gives it a complex and sour character.
Brewers create lambic by mixing young and old lambics together in wooden or steel casks. After the secondary fermentation, it is infused with fruit pulp or juice. This produces different types of fruit lambic. These beers offer a balanced sour and fruity taste that is often less challenging for the palate than traditional unblended lambic.
In recent years, lambic brewers have sought to develop new styles of the beer to appeal to more drinkers. The brewers have worked hard to enhance the quality of their beer, reducing the alcohol and acidity. The changes made have reduced the overall acidity of the beer, and increased its clarity and stabilty.
The brewing process of a typical lambic begins with the preparation of the wort, which is a starchy mixture of malted barley and wheat. The wort is then cooled and mixed with water in a coolship or similar device where wild yeasts and bacteria are introduced. After a few months, the beer is transferred into barrels to age. The resulting beer is then either blended into a gueuze or used to make other lambics.
During fermentation, some brewers will add whole fruit to their beer. This creates classics such as kriek (raspberry) and framboise. This enables them to provide a sweeter, more approachable version of the sour and funky style that can appeal to a wider audience. However, in recent years some producers have opted to add fruit syrups directly to the beer rather than letting the wort ferment with whole fruit. Some fruit lambics have a bad reputation for being overly sweet.
Flavor
The unique taste of lambic beer is due to its spontaneous fermentation. The brewing method is unique because no yeast is added. Instead, it relies on airborne yeast to start the fermentation. This gives Lambic beers their unique taste and complexity. The beer also has a distinctive sourness and zesty notes that make it perfect for pairing with foods. Lambic’s sourness can help balance the flavors in many foods. Even seafood can be cut with it. They are great with desserts.
Lambic beer has a variety of flavors that vary depending on the style. Some are sour and dry, while others are fruity and sweet. Fruits and spices can help balance out the sourness. The funkiness of lambic beer is also well-known. These beers can have a musty, cheesy or barnyard flavor. This makes them more complex and interesting to drink than lagers or IPAs.
The sourness of lambic beer can be a turnoff for some people. However, it is important to know that the sourness will subside over time as the beer ferments. Sugar can be added to the beer in order to reduce its sourness. This can be done in the blending stage of the beer brewing process.
After blending, the lambic is siphoned into barrels. It is then left to age for one or more years. The velo de fleur that forms over the top protects it during this period. The beer is protected from oxidation by this layer.
Once the lambic is aged, it can be blended with other beers or with fruits. Store the beer upside down to minimize sediment in your glass. When serving beer, it is recommended that you use a basket. This will prevent any sediment from getting into the glass.
It pairs nicely with aged and soft cheeses. Also, it goes great with meats like ham and sausage. You can serve it with fruit, salads or rich desserts. Serve Gueuze and straight Lambic beer at 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Affordability
Lambic beer is made with patience, skill and passion. It isn’t the type of beverage that you can easily find at a local bar or restaurant, but if you’re lucky enough to stumble upon it, chances are you will be amazed by its complex flavors and history.
Unlike the other types of beer, a lambic has a very unique brewing and fermentation process that is based on spontaneous fermentation with wild microorganisms. This beer is both refreshing and funky. These beers are very similar to natural wines, which have become popular in recent years due to their resurgence among wine enthusiasts.
The typical recipe for lambic beer is 40 percent malted wheat, and 60 percent base malts such as barley or oatmeal. The ingredients are vigorously mixed together using turbid mashing to preserve unfermentable sweets. The wort then undergoes a long boil with aged hops that are added to help preserve the beer during a long fermentation period. The wort is then cooled in an open container, known as a Koelschip, where it is exposed to the microculture of the brewery and natural yeast inoculated in the air.
It takes at least three years for the beer to naturally ferment with wild yeasts, bacteria and fungi that are present in the atmosphere. The beer becomes more complex and sour as the bacteria transform the sugar remaining into ethanol.
The spontaneous fermentation process gives the lambic beer its distinctive taste, but it is also unpredictable. It is due to the fact that different yeasts and bacteria can take over, changing the taste of the beer.
Brewers often add fruit to beer to enhance its sweetness and flavor. Fruit lambics are beers that are brewed with specific fruits. They are labeled accordingly. Fruit lambics that are commonly found include framboise and cassis, kriek or pecheresse, and peche.
