The Common Connoissuer | Beer Styles

Lambic

Unlike conventional ales and typical beers, which are fermented with a
carefully apportioned amount of yeast, Lambic beer is produced by
spontaneous fermentation and exposed to the wild yeasts and bacteria that are
native to Brussels. Lambic beer is dry, acidic, and often sour and tends to be a
bit weaker than other beers.

There are primarily two types of Lambic: Unblended (also referred to as “pure”)
or fruit. In the case of Fruit Lambics, whole fruits are traditionally added after
fermentation, and then it is subjected to additional aging. Because of the need
to taste the fruit flavor, e.g. cherry, strawberry or raspberry, malt and hop
characters are typically very low. Unblended lambics are cloudy,
uncarbonated and typically aged for three years.

Traditionally, lambics are produced between October and May, as during the
summer months there are too many unfavorable organisms in the air that
could spoil the beer.

Common examples:
Lindemans (largest producer)
De Troch
Van Honsebrouck

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