One day, if you ever find yourself lucky enough to be sitting in the bar of your local drinking a Mort Subite or even a Boon Framboise, someone is bound to ask you what the difference is between a lambic beer and the lager they're drinking. Because there is definitely a difference, no two ways about it!
The most obvious difference is that lambic is a kind of Belgian beer. Another is the style of fermentation: most commercially produced beers have their own yeast strains, carefully developed over the years, and maintained for consistency of the product. On the other hand, lambic beers use the bacteria and wild yeasts in the air around the Senne Valley around Brussels to set off their fermentation process. This means that your first taste of lambic probably isn't what you expect - unless you're prepared for a much drier taste with an aftertaste that verges on the sour. And some lambics have fruit added to them.
It could be something tropical, like pineapple or banana... or something a bit closer to home, like raspberry, peach, blackcurrant, strawberry, apricots, blueberry or apple. And as for those wild yeasts that set off the fermentation process, they just land on the brew, otherwise known as the "wort" that's been left open to the air. Lambic beer has been known to contain up to 86 types of micro organisms, all of which are helping to add to its unique character and taste.
This only happens normally between October and May every year, because during the summer time there are other, less-wanted micro organisms that could land on the wort and spoil it. And if you're brewing thousands of gallons, spoiled beer is the last thing you want. And there's one more major difference: time. Unlike commercial breweries that brew, bottle and ship their product out as fast as they possibly can, lambic brewers are a little less hurried about it all.
Once those natural, wild yeasts have started to do their thing, and the wort has begun to ferment, Belgian brewers place it in wooden barrels for at least a year. Many kinds of lambic beers stay in those barrels for up to three years before bottling, and you can keep a good lambic in its bottle for up to 20 years. And that might be why you don't see very many lambics on sale at your local!
The most obvious difference is that lambic is a kind of Belgian beer. Another is the style of fermentation: most commercially produced beers have their own yeast strains, carefully developed over the years, and maintained for consistency of the product. On the other hand, lambic beers use the bacteria and wild yeasts in the air around the Senne Valley around Brussels to set off their fermentation process. This means that your first taste of lambic probably isn't what you expect - unless you're prepared for a much drier taste with an aftertaste that verges on the sour. And some lambics have fruit added to them.
It could be something tropical, like pineapple or banana... or something a bit closer to home, like raspberry, peach, blackcurrant, strawberry, apricots, blueberry or apple. And as for those wild yeasts that set off the fermentation process, they just land on the brew, otherwise known as the "wort" that's been left open to the air. Lambic beer has been known to contain up to 86 types of micro organisms, all of which are helping to add to its unique character and taste.
This only happens normally between October and May every year, because during the summer time there are other, less-wanted micro organisms that could land on the wort and spoil it. And if you're brewing thousands of gallons, spoiled beer is the last thing you want. And there's one more major difference: time. Unlike commercial breweries that brew, bottle and ship their product out as fast as they possibly can, lambic brewers are a little less hurried about it all.
Once those natural, wild yeasts have started to do their thing, and the wort has begun to ferment, Belgian brewers place it in wooden barrels for at least a year. Many kinds of lambic beers stay in those barrels for up to three years before bottling, and you can keep a good lambic in its bottle for up to 20 years. And that might be why you don't see very many lambics on sale at your local!
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Belgium is home to some of the finest beers in the world, including Trappist, Sour Beers, Pils, Abbey Ales, Kriek and thousands more. Belgique is the best Belgian speciality online beer merchant in the UK, and welcomes customers to the world of Sour Beers beer , gourmet Belgian food and more.
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