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Most lambic brewers will blend together
lambics of several different ages to
produce what is known
as
geuze
(pronounced
both “goose” or “gur-
zah”). Aged lambic
has a bracing acidity,
while young lambic
is not fully fermented
and still has some residual
sweetness. Geuze blends
together these characteristics
into a palatable, complex brew.
Lambic can range from being
refined and effervescent like a fine
champagne, to downright funky and weird
with an appeal similar to stinky cheese. A good
portion of lambic exists as non-vintaged blends;
every once in a while, however, a lambic brewer like
Boon will release a vintaged bottling.
SWEETENED,
THEN BOTTLED
F
rank Boon is one of the legendary lambic brewers
of the Senne Valley, and every couple of years he
will encounter barrels that form perfection. The blend
is bottled as a vintage known as Mariage Parfait, French
for “perfect marriage.” The ‘09 Oude Geuze
Mariage Parfait is a magnificent
collection of aromas including white grape, lemon, and unripe peaches followed by hints
of white pepper and a musty leather note. The apricot and honey sweetness is in perfect
harmony with the acidity and finishes in an abrupt dryness. Mariage Parfait is an ideal
example of the cascading symphony of experience that is geuze.
For those who find acidity offensive, there exists the lambic style
faro
. This
is a geuze that has been sweetened with dark candi sugar, caramel, or molasses.
Traditionally the addition of sugar would happen at
the bar, though modern faros are sweetened
at the brewery, pasteurized, and then
bottled. Pasteurization allows them to travel
without the microorganisms consuming the
sugar and over-carbonating the beer.
Historically, another way for lambic
bars to expand their offerings was to age
part of their geuze on Schaarbeek cherries,
a rare variety of sour Morello cherries
indigenous to the region. This style became
known as Kriek, a Flemish type of “cherry.” In
later years, raspberries were used to produce the
Framboise style. The fruit aging eventually began to be
done at the breweries and now a wide range of fruits are
used, including peaches, apples, and even bananas. However,
these are modern additions and not founded in history.
MARKETING DAYDREAMS
Y
ou may have heard the term
lambic
before, but there is a good
chance that it was not in the proper context. The name
lambic
has been a bit bastardized by the Brouwerij Lindemans and their
followers. These sweetened fruit lambics are overbearing, crass, and
lack the finesse of a true fruit-aged lambic. Fruit sugars are highly
fermentable and will dry out the beer, leaving no sweetness and only
the essence of the fruit in the flavors. These sweetened lambics use
pasteurization or aspartame, which is sweet but unfermentable, and
then fruit purées or flavored extracts to give this intensely sweet
fruit character. The great beer writer Michael Jackson
best described these sweetened fruit lambics as
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winter
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