What is a Lambic??
George Waddell
'Traditional' Lambic. The label said it was flavored with cherries.
What is this stuff?
Thomas.S...@wu-wien.ac.at
Lambic means that the beer is brewed without yeast.
Instead, the fermentation starts spontaneously, set going by microorganisms that
are contained in the air.
Such a "holy" air can only be breathed around Brussels. Therefore real
lambic beers must be brewed in that area.
Some of them (but not all) are flavored by adding fruits. The "kriek"
contains cherries, the "framboise" tastes like rasberries, the "cassis" like
blueberries, for example. They may be rather sweet (like Timmermans) or
sour (like Cantillon).
The "gueuze" (the "g" is pronounced like the "g" in
"Ghent") is a lambic without fruits.
However, some breweries seem to brew beers that are "lambic-style", but
made outside Belgium. I have never had such a beer. Of course, these beers
are no real lambics.
Cheers,
Thomas
Thomas.S...@wu-wien.ac.at
Vienna Austria
Michael Stewart
I just got around to trying my first lambic recently, but I have read
enough about them that I think I can answer this question competently.
A lambic is Belgian style of beer which is made from barley malt and
unmalted wheat. Any hops used in the beer are allowed to age so that
they lose their flavor. Apparently the hops retain their preservative
powers. The most interesting feature of a lambic is that it is fermented
using wild yeast and bacteria. Fermentation vats are exposed to the open
air and whatever microorganisms are present are allowed to have their
way with the wort. The result is a sour beer with many complex flavors
that can only be made properly in the region of Belgium in which the
local yeast and bacteria are right. The version with cherries is called
kriek and the cherries are added after the original fermentation has
died down, creating an additional period of fermentation.
A great deal more information can be found in Michael Jackson's Great
Beers of Belgium or his Beer Companion.
I tried Lindemans Kriek recently and was dissapointed. It tasted more
like a tart cherry soda than any sort of beer. The complexity I had
been led to expect from a lambic seemed to be largely lacking(although
there were some interesting flavors which were mostly masked by the
cherries). I have since gathered from comments from people on the net
that Lindemans is not exactly one of the more traditional lambics, so
my quest continues to try a really authentic lambic.
--
Michael Stewart
ste...@monk.csl.uiuc.edu
Donald Fisk
: I was recently at a liquor store and they had something called Belgian
: 'Traditional' Lambic. The label said it was flavored with cherries.
: What is this stuff?
A Belgian beer, and an extremely unusual one, brewed by spontaneous
fermentation of a mixture of malted and unmalted wheat, aged hops and
water. Some Lambics are flavoured with fruit such as cherries, rasp-
berries or peaches. What you saw was a kriek lambic.
Le Hibou (mo bheachd fhe/in)
Email: don...@imst.bt.co.uk
Jim Tyson
>In <2ru6q0$8...@great-miami.iac.net>, gwad...@iac.net (George Waddell) writes:
>>I was recently at a liquor store and they had something called Belgian
>>'Traditional' Lambic. The label said it was flavored with cherries.
>>What is this stuff?
>
>Lambic means that the beer is brewed without yeast.
Lambic is quite definitely brewed with yeast.
>Instead, the fermentation starts spontaneously, set going by microorganisms that
>are contained in the air.
That is to say wild yeasts. In this respect Lambic is similar to wine which
is also made without addition of yeast but fermented by the yeasts naturally
present on the fruit. With lambic the yeasts are airborn.
>Such a "holy" air can only be breathed around Brussels. Therefore real
>lambic beers must be brewed in that area.
Specifically in Payottenland east of Brussels in the Zenne valley. The beer
may well be named for the payottenland town of Lembeek.
>Some of them (but not all) are flavored by adding fruits. The "kriek"
>contains cherries, the "framboise" tastes like rasberries, the "cassis" like
>blueberries,
I suspect this is a linguistic error: cassis = blackcurrents (johannisbesser?).
It is also worth noting that fruit beers are now mostly made by the addition
of fruit essences and syrups which is rather a shame. Stick to those made
with real fruit, eg Boons (at least last time I looked...)
>for example. They may be rather sweet (like Timmermans) or
>sour (like Cantillon).
>The "gueuze" (the "g" is pronounced like the "g" in
>"Ghent") is a lambic without fruits.
>
It is a bit more than that. Lambic is lambic and need not have fruit
in it. Then there are the fruit beers based on lambic, everything from
kriek to bananas. Gueuze is blended lambic. If I remember rightly the
method is something like the solera method used for some sherries and for
madeira, that is old is blended with new.
>However, some breweries seem to brew beers that are "lambic-style", but
>made outside Belgium. I have never had such a beer. Of course, these beers
>are no real lambics.
>
Absolutely. Frankly calling a beer made outside of payottenland a lambic
is as fraudulent as callent your average new world fizz champagne and
certainly the French wouldn't let you get away with that and neither
probably would the customers. We need a campaign for real lambic! (personally
I can't stand the stuff without a stiff dose of fruit in it).
Jim.
Thomas.S...@wu-wien.ac.at
>In article <2rvl88$g...@osiris.wu-wien.ac.at> Thomas.S...@wu-wien.ac.at writes:
>>Lambic means that the beer is brewed without yeast.
>
>Lambic is quite definitely brewed with yeast.
Yes of course. I meant "without yeast added artificially".
>>Some of them (but not all) are flavored by adding fruits. The "kriek"
>>contains cherries, the "framboise" tastes like rasberries, the "cassis" like
>>blueberries,
>
>I suspect this is a linguistic error: cassis = blackcurrents (johannisbeer).
Yes it is. I often mix them up (even in my mother tongue), don't know why.
>Jim.
>
Thanks for correcting the mistakes.
Thomas
Thomas.S...@wu-wien.ac.at
Vienna Austria