Aroma:
The fruit which has been added to the beer should be the dominant aroma.
A low to moderately sour/acidic character blends with aromas described
as barnyard, earthy, goaty, hay, horsey, and horse blanket (and thus
should be recognizable as a lambic). The fruit aroma commonly blends
with the other aromas. An enteric, smoky, cigar-like, or cheesy aroma
is unfavorable. No hop aroma. No diacetyl.
Appearance:
The variety of fruit generally determines the color though
lighter-colored fruit may have little effect on the color. The color
intensity may fade with age. Clarity is often good, although some fruit
will not drop bright. A thick rocky, mousse-like head, sometimes a
shade of fruit, is generally long-lasting. Always effervescent.
Flavor:
The fruit added to the beer should be evident. A low to moderate sour
and more commonly (sometimes high) acidic character is present. The
classic barnyard characteristics may be low to high. When young, the
beer will present its full fruity taste. As it ages, the lambic taste
will become dominant at the expense of the fruit character – thus fruit
lambics are not intended for long aging. A low, complementary sweetness
may be present, but higher levels are uncharacteristic. A mild vanilla
and/or oak flavor is occasionally noticeable. An enteric, smoky or
cigar-like character is undesirable. Hop bitterness is generally
absent. No hop flavor. No diacetyl.
Mouthfeel:
Light to medium-light body. In spite of the low finishing gravity, the
many mouth-filling flavors prevent the beer from tasting like water.
Has a low to high tart, puckering quality without being sharply
astringent. Some versions have a low warming character. Highly
carbonated.
Overall Impression:
Complex, fruity, pleasantly sour/acidic, balanced, pale, wheat-based ale
fermented by a variety of Belgian microbiota. A lambic with fruit, not
just a fruit beer.
Comments:
Fruit-based lambics are often produced like gueuze by mixing one, two,
and three-year old lambic. “Young” lambic contains fermentable sugars
while old lambic has the characteristic “wild” taste of the Senne River
valley. Fruit is commonly added halfway through aging and the yeast and
bacteria will ferment all sugars from the fruit. Fruit may also be
added to unblended lambic. The most traditional styles of fruit lambics
include kriek (cherries), framboise (raspberries) and druivenlambik
(muscat grapes).
ENTRANT MUST SPECIFY THE TYPE OF FRUIT(S) USED IN MAKING THE LAMBIC.
Any overly sweet lambics (e.g., Lindemans or Belle Vue clones) would
do better entered in the 16E Belgian Specialty category since this
category does not describe beers with that character. IBUs are
approximate since aged hops are used; Belgians use hops for
anti-bacterial properties more than bittering in lambics.
History:
Spontaneously fermented sour ales from the area in and around Brussels
(the Senne Valley) stem from a farmhouse brewing tradition several
centuries old. Their numbers are constantly dwindling and some are
untraditionally sweetening their products (post-fermentation) with sugar
or sweet fruit to make them more palatable to a wider audience. Fruit
was traditionally added to lambic or gueuze, either by the blender or
publican, to increase the variety of beers available in local cafes.
Ingredients:
Unmalted wheat (30-40%), Pilsner malt and aged (surannes) hops (3 years)
are used. The aged hops are used more for preservative effects than
bitterness, and makes actual bitterness levels difficult to estimate.
Traditional products use 10-30% fruit (25%, if cherry). Fruits
traditionally used include tart cherries (with pits), raspberries or
Muscat grapes. More recent examples include peaches, apricots or merlot
grapes. Tart or acidic fruit is traditionally used as its purpose is
not to sweeten the beer but to add a new dimension. Traditionally these
beers are spontaneously fermented with naturally-occurring yeast and
bacteria in predominately oaken barrels. Home-brewed and craft-brewed
versions are more typically made with pure cultures of yeast commonly
including Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus in
an attempt to recreate the effects of the dominant microbiota of
Brussels and the surrounding countryside of the Senne River valley.
Cultures taken from bottles are sometimes used but there is no simple
way of knowing what organisms are still viable.
|
Vital Statistics:
|
OG: 1.040 – 1.060
|
|
IBUs: 0 – 10
|
FG: 1.000 – 1.010
|
SRM: 3 – 7
(varies w/ fruit)
|
ABV: 5 – 7%
|
Commercial Examples:
Boon Framboise Marriage Parfait, Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait, Boon Oude
Kriek, Cantillon Fou’ Foune (apricot), Cantillon Kriek, Cantillon Lou
Pepe Kriek, Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise, Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus,
Cantillon St. Lamvinus (merlot grape), Cantillon Vigneronne (Muscat
grape), De Cam Oude Kriek, Drie Fonteinen Kriek, Girardin Kriek,
Hanssens Oude Kriek, Oud Beersel Kriek, Mort Subite Kriek
E)BRl(L(I4mg~~60_57.JPG)
