Recently my Beeriety cohort, Alicia, and I took a trot over to Boston’s beautiful Back Bay to check out the Belgian Beer Fest at the Cyclorama. In an all-too-short three hour session, we were able to sample a wide variety of fantastic beers from some excellent American craft breweries as well as several beers fresh from Europe and Canada.
Even among serious beer drinkers, many don’t know much about lambics. They tend to be hard to find and expensive, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try them. Lambics are a delicious and often forgotten corner of the beer world. Here’s an introduction to this quirky and delicious type of beer.
One of the reasons for lambic’s relative obscurity is the limited number of brewers who can actually make it. Much like real champagne only comes from the Champagne region in France, real lambic is only brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium. The name lambic is thought to be derived from a village in the area, “Lembeek.”
The reason for limited area is the unique strains of yeast used in lambics only grow in this region. Instead of the carefully cultivated and preserved strains of yeast that are added to ales and lagers, lambics get their yeast through spontaneous fermentation of wild, natural yeast. The unfermented beer (known as wort) is laid out by the brewer in the open air and wild strains of yeast and bacteria are allowed to naturally find their way into it. Afterwards the lambic is sealed in huge wooden casks, 10 feet tall and over 6 feet wide that can hold almost 11,220 litters of beer each. There it is allowed to ferment and age, usually for over 2 years. Afterwards it will be released and blended in one of several styles.
A blend of young, one-year-old lambic and older two or three-year old lambic which then undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle. These beers tend to be very sour and tart with light and dry mouthfeel, similar to champagne or hard cider. Many find the taste of gueuze to be too overpowering, but it’s really unlike any other beer in the world and has to be tasted to be believed.
This is gueuze which has been blended with fruit juice or brewed with raw fruit. The sweetness of the fruit is used to counterbalance the tart nature of the lambic on its own. Raspberry (framboise), peach (pêche), blackcurrant (cassis), and cherry (kriek) are popular flavors.
Although there are many great “wild ales” brewed in the US and elsewhere which employ some of the bacteria and yeast used in lambics, true lambic has to be from Belgium. When shopping for lambic avoid American attempts at the style like Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic and stick with the imported stuff. Lindemans is probably the biggest producer of lambic. All of their fruit and geuze varieties are worth a try, but their framboise is a personal favorite. Oude Gueuze from Hanssens is probably my favorite gueuze. Cantillon and Boon breweries make some terrific lambics as well.
What do you think of lambic? Next time you try it, let us know by tweeting your beer and adding the #mybeer hashtag.
Riddling the Champagne
Biere de Champagne is a new style in which beer is put through a similar process as the one traditionally used to produce Champagne, known as the méthode Champenoise. The beer making process and Champagne making process are already very similar, but the extra steps taken when producing this style give it unique qualities that any serious beer drinker should try.
Both bottle-condition beer and Champagne go through primary fermentation in large batches and secondary fermentation in the bottle where additional sugars or yeast is added to naturally carbonate the beverage. Unlike most beer, Champagne then goes through a process of collecting (riddling) and removing (disgorging) the sediment from the bottle.
Riddling is performed by placing the bottles at a 45° angle racks known as pupitres. The sediment in the beer or Champagne slowly drifts down to the neck of the bottle. Every few days it is carefully turned and angled further until all of the sediment has been collected, usually taking about 6 to 8 weeks.
The sediment is now removed from the neck by removing the cork and allowing some of the liquid to spill out, a process known as disgorging, which today is automated by machines which freeze the bottleneck but years ago could only be performed by a skilled practitioner.
After all this additional yeast or sugar can be added for what is essentially a third fermentation. Putting beer throughthis process, which can take years if done properly, gives it the subtle complexity, spicy flavor and rich carbonation that Champagne is known for. All of this is balanced by the rich body and balance which only a beer can provide. Actual Champagne yeast is used sometimes to further enhance these flavors.
All of this makes for a wonderfully light and refreshing beer that is akin to Champagne but with the body and hops that are unique to beer. The process is a costly one, as a result there are not many brewers who offer a beer of this style, just a handful of mostly Belgian brewers at the moment. The most well known is probably Deus by Brouwerij Bosteels with Malheur Brut from Brouwerij De Landtsheer coming in at a close second.
Ever tried this new style of beer? If you ever get the chance to try it let us know what you think by tweeting your beer and adding the ‘#mybeer’ hashtag.
