Hello Bar None Drinkers and Ravenites and anyone else who happens to have dropped by, and welcome to what is likely the new year (you never know with time-space paradoxes.) As promised, I’m going to take you along with me on my exploration of beer. I’ve never been much of a beer drinker, and I’ve decided that I have reached the age when I should be conversant in the many aspects of malted fermentations. As a road map I will be using the Poxy Boggards song “Bring us More Beer”, for no real reason except that the song was the inspiration for the series. First up: Lambic!
When I started my research on lambic I immediately took notice of a few things. First, lambic is one of the few alcohols out there made without adding yeast. The fermentation process in making lambic is achieved entirely through wild yeasts. This has two effects on the product. Primarily, lambic can only be made in the Patjottenland region in Belgium. This is because the yeast that makes ‘lambic’ is native to the region. Second, the flavor of lambic tends to be a bit more inconstant than with carefully cultivated yeast strains. This is actually what has given lambic its unique processes.
Lambic is usually served as a fruit flavored variety. This is because lambic is made without any hops to flavor it. Fruit varieties are often sweetened and can be put through a second fermentation. Common flavors include Raspberry (Framboise), Sour Cherry (Kriek), Peach (Peche) and Black Currant (Cassis). I tried a number of these flavors, and found them all to be very cider-like (which is a good thing, in my opinion). The lambic I tried tended to have a bit more of an earthy finish than cider, reminding me that there was actually beer in there, as opposed to the wine-like finish of cider.
I should finish with a note that I was only able to locate bottles of Lindemans fruit lambic. My search for the plain variety or any other variety was clipped by finals and the holidays. If I am able to locate some gueuze or faro, other types of lambic, I’ll give a shout later. The fruit lambic of Lindemans is accessible to any drinker, particularly to those who say they don’t like beer.
The Raven and his many testers wish you all a Happy New Year. We’ll take a cup of kindness here, for auld lang syne.
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