What Is Lambic Beer?

Lambic beer is a type of beer brewed in Belgium.

It is also called Brussels Beer, or Belgian Lambic. The brewing process starts by using wheat and barley malt as the base for the recipe to create wort (unfermented beer). Yeast and water are then added to convert sugars into alcohol. After fermentation, Lambic is aged for up to 3 years in barrels with wild yeast and bacteria before being blended back together again. This aging process gives Lambic beer its unique flavour profile that cannot be replicated anywhere else! Due to the small quantity of this style of beer produced and its unique ingredients and style of brewing, it is considered to be craft beer.

The history of this style of beer can be traced back all the way to 1791 when it was first produced by Henri Piedboeuf who created one barrel at a time which he sold to his customers. In 1822, the Piedboeuf brewery was turned into a cooperative for Lambic production that allowed barrel owners to share their barrels with other brewers as well. Today, this style of beer is made by more than thirty breweries located in Belgium and the Netherlands along with one brewery in France which have been tasked with producing Lambic for supply all around the world for commercial sale.

Lambic beer is made by boiling a mixture of water, unmalted wheat and malted barley along with hops which are added to the mix in two distinctive phases. The hopped liquid will then be cooled down before yeast is introduced to it and left alone to ferment at its own pace while being stored inside traditional oak casks for greater flavour and aroma, creating one of the most distinctively complex styles of beer that exists to this day. Lambics are typically served in a distinctive tulip glass where the head can build up so as to be able to retain more aroma while they are consumed, and it is then common for these beers to be paired with rich foods like stinky cheese or the salty cured meat.

How Traditional Belgian-Style Lambic is made

Traditional style Belgian Lambic is made in a two-stage process. The first stage is the brewing of pale, unhopped barley malt with some raw wheat or oats to produce an unfiltered wort that will be exposed to spontaneous fermentation by local bacteria and wild yeasts in wooden barrels. The second stage entails maturing this mixture for one year at least under conditions which are created to make the final product sour and to add fruitiness. These conditions include storing the barrels in a cool, dark place with plenty of aging time as well as adding fresh or unfermented wort on a regular basis to ensure that there is enough sugar for the fermentation process. In addition, some brewers will "feed" their batches of Lambic by topping them up every so often with more young beer from another barrel which helps give it more flavour variety while also ensuring its longevity.

The final brew results in an acidic mouthfeel due to natural lactic acid being produced by specific strains of wild yeasts during spontaneous fermentation.

Lambic beer should be consumed fresh, and most of the time it is consumed in Belgium as a "taste" or on tap at breweries where they are made. However, there are some British pubs that serve craft beer in London who offer Lambic beer if you're lucky enough to live near one!

This style of beer is also ideal for pairing with food. Some dishes that pair well with Lambic are French onion soup, mussels and fries.

The end of the summer is coming, and with it will come a new season for Lambic beer. A style that has been brewed in Belgium since 1838, this sour brew was originally made to be consumed during the winter months when other beers were too warm to drink. As time went on and brewers figured out how to control fermentation temperatures, they began producing this beverage all year long, but still only produce them from October until April!

It is unfortunate that it is a very difficult style of beer to find in many local areas, however with more and more people recognising the flavour and aroma offers by Lambic, it is sure to take its place among the favoured beer styles of the world. Since the countries producing this style of beverage do export their products, it is more than likely that this will be available all over the world.

For those looking for Lambic and other craft beer in London such as Habesha Beer, it is best to search online, since there are many ecommerce stores that have started up specifically for craft spirits, and include home delivery as well. So, all you need to do is order them online and get them delivered right to your door, easily and conveniently. If you are looking for a unique taste sensation, then seek out and try out a Lambic beer today. You won’t be disappointed.

License: You have permission to republish this article in any format, even commercially, but you must keep all links intact. Attribution required.