Traditional wooden Lambic barrels; the L on the barrel indicates the brewery.

Lambic is a very distinctive style of beer brewed only in the Pajottenland region of Belgium (southwest of Brussels). Photograph by Colin Gregory Palmer. ... Photograph by Colin Gregory Palmer. ... For other uses, see Beer (disambiguation). ... The Pajottenland (in English occasionally Payottenland) is a part of the Flemish Brabant province west of the Brussels Capital Region. ... Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: , Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area  - Region 162 km²  (62. ...

Unlike conventional ales and lagers, which are fermented by carefully cultivated strains of brewer's yeasts, Lambic beer is instead produced by spontaneous fermentation: it is exposed to the wild yeasts and bacteria that are said to be native to the Senne valley, in which Brussels lies. It is this unusual process which gives the beer its distinctive flavour: dry, vinous, and cidery, with a slightly sour aftertaste. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lager is a well attenuated beer brewed in cool conditions using a slow-acting brewers yeast, known as a bottom-fermenting yeast, and then stored (or lagered) for a period in cool conditions to clear away particles and certain flavour compounds to produce a clean taste. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Fermentation (biochemistry). ... Typical divisions Ascomycota (sac fungi) Saccharomycotina (true yeasts) Taphrinomycotina Schizosaccharomycetes (fission yeasts) Basidiomycota (club fungi) Urediniomycetes Sporidiales Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with approximately 1,500 species described. ... The Senne (French) or Zenne (Dutch) is a small river that flows through Brussels. ...

Brewing

Today the beer is generally brewed from a grist containing approximately 70% barley malt and 30% unmalted wheat. When the wort has cooled, it is left exposed to the open air so that fermentation may occur spontaneously. Whilst this exposure is a critical feature of the style, many of the key yeasts and bacteria are now understood to reside within the brewery and its (usually timber) fermenting vessels in numbers far greater than any delivered by the breeze. Up to 86 microorganisms have been identified in Lambic beer, the most significant ones being Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces lambicus. The process is generally only possible between October and May as in the summer months there are too many unfavourable organisms in the air that could spoil the beer. Grist Magazine, Environmental News & Commentary (est. ... Binomial name L. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is an annual cereal grain, which serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. ... Malted barley Malting is a process applied to cereal grains, in which the grains are made to germinate and then are quickly dried before the plant develops. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ... WORT 89. ... Binomial name Brettanomyces bruxellensis Kufferath and von Laer Brettanomyces bruxellensis (the anamorph of Dekkera bruxellensis) is a spoilage yeast of the wine industry where it is often referred to as brett. ...

Since at least the 11th century and probably earlier, hops have been used in beer for their natural preservative qualities as well as for the pleasant bitterness, flavour, and aroma they impart. Today they still provide bitterness, flavor, and aroma in almost all beer styles except Lambic. Since the method of inoculation and long fermentation time of Lambic beers increases the risk of spoilage, Lambic brewers still use large amounts of hops for their antibacterial properties. In order to avoid making the beer extremely bitter, however, aged, dry hops (which have lost much of their bitterness) are used. Consequently, Lambics often have a strong, cheese-like, "old hop" aroma, in contrast to the resiny, herbal, earthy hop bitterness found in other styles. Hop umbel (branched floral structure resembling nested-inverted umbrellas) in a Hallertau hop yard Hops are a flower used primarily as a flavouring and stability agent in beer, as well as in herbal medicine. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is in need of attention; please see the talk page. ...

Industrial barrels of Lambic

After the fermentation process starts, the lambic is siphoned into old oak or chestnut barrels from the Porto region of Portugal or the Jerez region of Spain. Some of the brewers prefer used wine barrels. The lambic is left to ferment and mature for one to two or even three years. It forms a "velo de flor" of yeast that gives some protection from oxidation, in a similar way to vin jaune and sherry; the barrels are not topped up. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2608x1952, 1175 KB) aluminium beer barrels picture taken on april 4th 2005 in brewery Lindemans File links The following pages link to this file: Lambic ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2608x1952, 1175 KB) aluminium beer barrels picture taken on april 4th 2005 in brewery Lindemans File links The following pages link to this file: Lambic ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Norte  - Subregion Grande Porto  - District or A.R. Porto Mayor Rui Rio  - Party PSD Area 41. ... see: Jerez de la Frontera Jerez was a small independent emirate created c. ... Image:Velo de flor. ... Vin jaune (literally yellow wine) is an unusual wine made in the Jura region of France. ... Sherry solera For other uses, see Sherry (disambiguation). ...

Another important feature of Lambic is that it is usually a blend of at least two different beers; many 'producers' are in fact blenders who buy beers from other brewers, and blend two or more together to create the desired result. A good gueuze, for example, may have occupied space in several different cellars over 6 years or more. Despite this complex production, the locals are justifiably proud of their unique beer, and recent years has seen an explosion of interest around the world for this unusual beverage. Whilst those outside of the area are most likely to find the bottled gueuze and fruit versions, there are a wide variety of styles available to the local drinker, and they are often blended again or sweetened with sugar or flavoured syrups before drinking, as some examples can be extremely tart. Gueuze is a Lambic style beer. ... Magnification of grains of sugar, showing their monoclinic hemihedral crystalline structure. ... In cooking, Syrup (from the Arabian šarab via Latin siropus) is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugar, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. ...

Lambic beer is widely consumed in Brussels and environs, and frequently features as an ingredient in Belgian cuisine. Belgium is a nation of Gourmands rather than Gourmets which translates into big cuisine rather than fine cuisine. ...

Types of lambic

Lambic (pure)

Unblended lambic is a cloudy, uncarbonated, bracingly sour beverage available on tap in only a few locations. Generally three years old. A bottled offering from Cantillon named Grand Cru can be found outside of Belgium.

Coolship, where the wort is inoculated with wild yeast spores

Gueuze lambic Cantillon Brewery (Brasserie-Brouwerij Cantillon) is a small Belgian traditional family brewery based in Brussels and founded in 1900. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2608x1952, 904 KB) copper koelschip where the wordt cools down and gets infected by wild yeasts picture taken on april 4th 2005 in brewery Timmermans File links The following pages link to this file: Lambic ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2608x1952, 904 KB) copper koelschip where the wordt cools down and gets infected by wild yeasts picture taken on april 4th 2005 in brewery Timmermans File links The following pages link to this file: Lambic ... Gueuze is a Lambic style beer. ...

A mixture of young (one-year) and old (two and three-year) lambics which has been bottled. It undergoes secondary fermentation (the so-called méthode champenoise), producing carbon dioxide, because the young lambics are not yet fully fermented. It keeps in the bottle; a good gueuze will be given a year to referment in the bottle, but can be kept for 10-20 years. An obscure German ale style, Gose, is not to be confused with gueuze.

Faro A traditional, pre-lager, beer style of Leipzig, Germany. ...

A low-alcohol, slightly sweet table beer made from lambic to which brown sugar has been added. It is an unblended three-year-old lambic and is usually sold on draught, not bottled.

Fruit Brown sugar typical of that bought in Western supermarkets Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. ... Draught beer keg fonts at the Delirium Café in Brussels Draught beer (also called draft beer or tap beer) has several related though slightly different understandings. ...

Lambic with the addition of sour cherry (kriek), raspberry (framboise), peach (pêche), blackcurrant (cassis), grape (druif), or strawberry (aardbei), as either whole fruit or syrup. Other, rarer fruit lambic flavorings include apple (pomme), banana, pineapple, apricot, plum, cloudberry, and lemon. Fruit lambics are usually bottled with secondary fermentation. Although fruit lambics are among the most famous Belgian fruit beers, the use of names such as kriek, framboise or frambozen, cassis, etc. does not necessarily imply that the beer is made from lambic. The fruit beers produced by the Liefmans brewery, for example, actually use a brown ale (Oud Bruin), rather than a lambic as a base. Many of the non-traditional fruit beers derived from lambic that were commercialized in the last decades are considered to be low quality products by most beer enthusiasts. These products are typically artificially sweetened and based on syrups instead of fresh fruit, resulting in a taste experience that is quite remote from the traditional products.

Most, if not all varieties listed above have TSG Status. Binomial name Prunus cerasus L. The Sour Cherry or Morello Cherry, (Prunus cerasus) is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. ... Kriek is a Belgian beer fermented with cherries. ... Cultivated raspberries The raspberry (plural, raspberries) is the edible fruit of a number of species of the genus Rubus. ... A bottle of Lindemans Framboise Lambic. ... Binomial name (L.) Batsch Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... It is a myth that people either go crazy for the flavor or they totally dislike it. ... It has been suggested that Veraison be merged into this article or section. ... Species 20+ species; see text The strawberry (Fragaria) is a genus of plants in the family Rosaceae and the fruit of these plants. ... Binomial name Borkh. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Binomial name (L.) Merr. ... Binomial name Prunus armeniaca L. For other uses, see Apricot (disambiguation). ... Species See text. ... Binomial name L. The cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), also called bakeapple in Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island is a slow-growing alpine or sub-Arctic species of Rubus, producing amber-colored edible fruit. ... Binomial name (L.) Burm. ... Oud Bruin, also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of beer originating from the Flemish region of Belgium. ... Protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) are geographical indications defined in European Union Law to protect regional foods. ...

Etymology

The name "Lambic" entered English via French, but comes from the Dutch language. Lambic is probably derived from the name "Lembeek", referring to the municipality of Lembeek near Halle, close to Brussels.^{[citation needed]} Dutch (  ) is a West Germanic language spoken by around 23 million people, mainly in the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname, but also by smaller groups of speakers in parts of France, Germany and several former Dutch colonies. ... A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly referring to a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. ... The church in Lembeek Lembeek is a village in the municipality of Halle, Belgium. ... Halle is a Flemish city and municipality in the province of Flemish-Brabant (Belgium). ... Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: , Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area  - Region 162 km²  (62. ...

Trivia

• Lambik is also the name of a famous Belgian comic strip character in the comic strip Suske en Wiske (Spike & Suzy) by Willy Vandersteen. Vandersteen liked Lambic beer so much he named the character after it.

This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Spike and Suzy or Bob & Bobette (both in the United Kingdom) or Willy and Wanda (in the United States) is an originally Flemish series of comic books called Suske en Wiske originally conceived by Willy Vandersteen in the 1940s. ... Willy Vandersteen (February 15, 1913 at Antwerp - August 28, 1990) was a Flemish creator of comic books. ...

Belgian lambic breweries

Some beers made from lambic

• Belle Vue owned by InBev (Sweetened - except Sélection Lambic)
• Boon (Sweetened & Traditional)
• Brasserie Cantillon (Traditional)
• De Keersmaeker owned by Scottish & Newcastle, better known by its brand name Mort Subite (Sweetened - except Gueuze Fond)
• De Troch who also produce the Chapeau lambics (Sweetened)
• 3 Fonteinen (Traditional)
• Girardin (Traditional)
• Lindemans Brewery (Sweetened)
• Oud Beersel (recently reopened), now brewed by Frank Boon (Traditional)
• Timmermans (Sweetened - except "Traditional" line)

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 462 pixelsFull resolution (1453 × 840 pixel, file size: 518 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Bières à base de lambic (faro, gueuze, kriek, framboise et fraise des brasseries Boon, Drie Fonteinen, Hansens, Lindemans, Timmermans et De Troch). ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 462 pixelsFull resolution (1453 × 840 pixel, file size: 518 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Bières à base de lambic (faro, gueuze, kriek, framboise et fraise des brasseries Boon, Drie Fonteinen, Hansens, Lindemans, Timmermans et De Troch). ... Belle-Vue Brewery is the name of a Brussels based brewery now owned by InBev, and the brand name of the Belgian lambic beers it produces. ... InBev (Euronext: INB, NYSE: ABV) is the largest beer company in the industry. ... The Boon brewery is a Belgian brewery situated in Lembeek, near Brussels, that mainly produces geuze and kriek beer. ... Cantillon Brewery (Brasserie-Brouwerij Cantillon) is a small Belgian traditional family brewery based in Brussels and founded in 1900. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Maes pils be merged into this article or section. ... Barony robe and chapeau Chapeau is a French term signifying a hat or other covering for the head. ... A bottle of 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze. ... Lindemans Brewery (Brouwerij Lindemans) is a Belgian family brewery based in Vlezenbeek, a small town in the Flemish Brabant southwest of Brussels. ... Oud Beersel is a Belgian lambic brewery. ... The Boon brewery is a Belgian brewery situated in Lembeek, near Brussels, that mainly produces geuze and kriek beer. ...

Belgian lambic blenders

• De Cam a new gueuze blender (Traditional)
• Hanssens (Traditional)
• Van Honsebrouck who produce the St. Louis beers (Sweetened - except Gueuze Fond Tradition)

References

• H. Verachtert, Lambic and gueuze brewing: mixed cultures in action, Foundation Biotechnical and Industrial Fermentation research, Vol. 7 Finland pp. 243-263.
• Jean-Xavier Guinard, Classic Beerstyle Series nr. 3, Lambic, Brewers Publications, a division of the Association of Brewers (1990).
• Dirk Van Oevelen, Microbiology and biochemistry of the natural wort fermentation in the production of Lambic and gueuze, PhD Thesis, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (1979)
• Tim Webb, Chris Pollard, and Joris Pattyn. LambicLand/LambikLand. ISBN 0-9547789-0-1
• References
• EC TSG Beer List

External links

• HORAL
• 3 Fonteinen
• The Lambic Beers
• Oud Beersel Brewery
• Lindemans
• Cantillon
• Shelton Brothers — US importers for 3 Fonteinen and Cantillon