Lambics are the real magic of Belgian brewing. With a brewing season running from October to May, there are only so many nights of the year where the temperature is cool enough, and the winds are blowing in the right direction for the natural airborne yeast to fall into the Senne valley west of Brussels and start the spontaneous fermentation process required for these beers.
The Lindemans family have been making lambic since 1822, and one of the few lambic producers to survive through the period where lambic beers became so unpopular that most producers stopped making them.
This beer series from Lindemans (they also similarly produce a cherry, peach, strawberry, blackcurrent and apple version) is among the more well-marketed lambics, so not the most difficult to find if you are looking for these styles.
Quite low in alcohol at 2.5% ABV, raspberry juice is added to some young lambic (around one year old) and is left to mature in a wooden barrel.
One of the few times I’d recommend tasting cold, the result is an invitingly sweet, yet tart and slightly sour beer that serves as a perfect aperitif. If you haven’t explored Belgian lambic beer before, something like this is a great introduction.
by Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste (Bockor)
A well balanced sour beer with the addition of pure fresh cherry juice during fermentation
A Flemish classic, but very obscure abroad. A combination of young unblended lambic with sugar syrup.
