An Overview of Lambic

History

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Lambic Geography

Pajottenland

Pajottenland (sometimes Pajottenland in English) is an extremely fertile agricultural region of Belgium situated in a valley to the south-west of Brussels between the rivers Senne and Dendre. This is the principal area for lambic production in the country. Only a small part of Brussels, the western section of Neerpede, is considered to be part of the Pajottenland region. Other cities located in this area, many of which are closely associated with lambic breweries, blenders, and cafes are Affligem, Asse, Bever, Dilbeek Gammerages, Gooik, Herne, Leeuw-Saint-Pierre, Lennik, Liedekerke, Pepingen, Roosdaal and Ternat. The area gets its name from the Walloon word for a soldier from the region, a Payot.

Senne/Zenne and Dendre/Dender River valley

The Senne (French) / Zenne (Dutch) valley is as closely associated with lambic production as the Pajottenland. The Senne River is a small river that runs through the heart of Brussels and was notorious for being one of the most polluted rivers in Belgium. In fact, at one point the river was covered to help alleviate the pollution and flooding problems caused within the city. Today the Senne is split in two and treated at new facilities before rejoining and continuing south. In total the river is 64 miles/103km long and flows through or near near many of the lambic producing towns in Belgium. To the west of the Senne is another shorter river known as the Dendre (French) / Dender (Dutch) River. Though not often cited in lambic lore, the Dendre River is the second river that helps to cradle the valley known as Pajottenland.

The Language of Lambic

Main article: The Language of Lambic

The language of lambic can be as complex as the beer itself. Belgium is a country divided up into very distinct linguistic regions whose inhabitants have their own words for many of the commonly used terms associated with the lambic tradition and process. Both Dutch and French speaking brewers and blenders are in operation today leaving many curious lambic drinkers wondering how this all came to be.

Brewing Lambic

Brewing Process

TYLER Main article: Brewing Lambic

Though there are industrial-scale lambic breweries with very large production runs, the main ingredients always consist of pale two-row malt (approximately 2/3 of the bill), unmalted wheat (approximately 1/3 of the bill), aged hops, wheat, water, and microbial flora. When the wort is ready, it is transferred into the koelschip to cool and become inoculated for a twenty-four hour period and then transferred to the oak barrels where it will continue to develop until it is either blended into gueuze or used in a variety of other lambic styles. There have been significant changes in the brewing process since the 19th century, according to Guinard including the ratio of malt to wheat, mash temperatures, and controls on the exposure of the wort before being transferred to barrels. Today, the traditional process has been mostly standardized among the traditional brewers.

Microbiology and Biochemistry

NICK Additional Information: Microbiology and Biochemistry

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Lambic Styles

• Unblended lambic

Unblended lambic, or pure lambic, is the result of the brewing process and spontaneous fermentation of the wort. After the lambic wort is left in the koelschip to pick up the wild yeast it is then transferred to oak barrels to begin aging. Though much of the lambic brewed goes to the production of geuze, some is held back to age and can be released in various stages. Pure lambic can take on different names at its various ages including jonge lambic (young lambic) and oude lambiek/vieux lambic (old lambic). Though pure lambic is not as prevalant as other forms of blended lambic, breweries such as Cantillon and De Cam regularly release pure lambic in bottles at approximately 2-3 years of age. A characteristic of pure lambic is that it is generally flat, without any carbonation. In certain cases, sugars may be added to the pure lambic at bottling to produce a secondary fermentation in the bottle creating carbonation.

• Gueuze/Geuze

Gueuze (or Geuze) is the result of blending a young lambic (approximately one year old) with an old lambic (approximately two to three years old, or older). The blending of gueuze is a precise practice for which each blender has their own process. The resulting blend of lambics typically ends up in either 750ml or 375ml bottles that are laid to rest in the brewery's cellar to referment in the bottle. This secondary fermentation in the bottle produces a finely carbonated drink that is traditionally served from pouring baskets. Generally gueuze is a blend of one, two, and three year old lambics, however 3 Fonteinen has released a Golden Blend that consists of a small portion of four year old lambic as well. Sometimes the resulting gueuze blends do not carbonate in the bottle resulting in "lazy" beers that can remain flat for years. See Cantillon's Loerik, 3 Fonteinen's Doesjel and Golden Doesjel and Lindemans Loerik for examples.

• Fruited lambic

Various fruits have a long history of augmenting the taste of lambic. Traditionally, fruit lambic is made my macerating whole fruit with young lambic in wooden casks. A second fermentation of the sugars from the lambic and the fruit then takes place. After maturation the lambic is typically bottled with with a small amount of young lambic or liquor to aid natural carbonation in the bottle. Some breweries such as Lindeman's and De Troch also use various fruit syrups to flavor their lambics.

Kriek (cherry), Framboise (raspberry), and Druif (grape) are all commonly used among lambic producers. Other fruits include peach, black currant, apricot, apple, and a wide variety of more exotic fruits such as Cantillon's use of bilberries in their Blåbær Lambik and Neill and Ross's use of blackberries in Shot in the Dark.

• Faro

Historically Faro is a lower-alcohol, sweetened beer made with a blend of lambic and another freshly brewed beer (sometimes called a mars beer) in varying amounts. Faros are also known to have candy sugar, brown sugar, or cane molasses added to enhance the flavor. According to Guinard, Faro "was a blend of equal amounts of lambic and mars... and was a sweet, light table beer that had to be brewed and sold before the heat of summer to avoid fermentation accidents and spoilage." Non-lambic beers that were blended in to create the Faro were only brewed until the month of March, from which these beers derived their name. The custom of blending in mars beers into contemporary Faro has subsided and they are now a blended version of young lambic sweetened with dark candy sugar and caramel coming in around 4.5% ABV. Recent commercial examples include 3 Fonteinen's Straffe Winter and De Cam's Oude Faro De Cam