2 of 8

Write now Article Tools

Lambic ales are amongst the worlds most specialized and sometimes challenging beers that you will ever come across. They sit quite sour upon the palette and to the untrained tongue can sometimes take some getting used to. However, for the absolute connoisseur the Lambic is the very champagne of beers, and for a gentle sipping on a summer day they are the art of sophistication itself.

The sad news is however that Lambic beers can be very difficult to come across outside Belgium apart from a small selection of bottles (but these 'ill do). Lambics have been brewed in Belgium for over 400 years and are absolutely individual in the world of brewing and can only ever be brewed in Belgium itself. The major difference in how Lambics are brewed, as opposed to the standard beer, is that no yeast is artificially added. Instead the early brew (or wort) is left to the open air in order to capture wild yeast cells, only present in the environment of Brussels. This allows for a natural, almost magical, wild fermentation. In the old days before the encroaching world of safety regulations the beer would be drank without much of a clean up'. The brewer would simply store this and serve it up complete with bacteria and cobwebs. Today though, sadly, we have to have our Lambics without such fun extras and they are regulated' and the bacteria removed. The real threat from bacteria means that these beers can only ever be left out in the winter months; it's just not healthy enough to be left out in the summer. I'm not exactly selling these very well am I, well stay with me they are great?

Unpredictability is at the very heart of the Lambic ale. Being left out in the open means that the large amount of micro-organisms that ferment it, and it is thought that at any one time this could be as much as 86 of them working away, and means that the finer points and tasting notes are somewhat left to chance. Personally I quite like this element of unpredictability; it feels more wild, more real though if you are the brewer I suppose that it could be a bit of a challenge. Anyway there are several types of Lambic in production today some of the main ones are:

Lambic unblended: This is the standard Lambic beer which usually possesses an intense rich, but sour flavour, by the modern palette anyway. Lambics of this nature can be greatly altered in taste depending upon how long it is allowed to age in the barrel. The younger Lambics tend to have a cider-like taste, whereas the aged Lambic has much

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about What you should know about lambic beers?
We want to hear your view. Write now!