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.

Up first and worth notable mention is the fantastic work being done over at the New Belgium Brewing company. They were kind enough to set up shop at the show and let us in on their “Lips of Faith” series of beers. Some really great things are going on at this up and coming Colorado brewery. I was fortunate enough to find their beers in Seattle while visiting the west coast recently, however their beers are impossible to find up in my normal neck of the woods. For east coast drinkers, the northernmost they can be found is North Carolina – an unfortunate fact considering they had some of the most unique offerings at the entire show.

Next up is Massachusetts’ own Haverhill Brewery. Their mix of year-round and seasonal offerings left a distinct impression on my companion and I. Of particular note was their Leatherlips IPA and their Ascension Belgian IPA. Definitely check out these guys if you get a chance. You won’t be disappointed.

Finally, the proverbial “Best in Show” award goes to another Massachusetts local, the Cambridge Brewing Company. Their impressive lineup included the Cerise Casée, a barrel aged sour, and their Sgt. Pepper, a “Saison au Poivre” which, as culinary students might infer, means it’s made with peppercorns. Every beer at their booth was as wild and unique as the last, earning them the prestigious honour of having me spell honour with a ‘u’ and attributing it to them.

There were plenty of other delicious beers being offered; far too many to list here, not to mention taste at the show over the course of a mere few hours. A few final beers I took note of include:

• Brooklyn Cuvée Noir
• Rodenbach Grand Cru
• Stillwater Cellar Door
• Watch City Bejezus

Overall, we had an excellent time. It was great to see that the spirit of Belgium is alive and well in the states and abroad in the world of beer. Not to mention it was great to spend a cold Saturday with some good people talking about great beer. Be sure to check out your local pubs and craft beer stores for all the gems listed in this article, and please share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to know what everyone thinks of them.

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.

Gueuze (pronounced GER-ser)

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.

Fruit Lambic

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.