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BeerAg · 12-31-2008, 01:31 AM

So, the wife is in love with fruit lambic.

Anyone have a good reference on how to homebrew this stuff? It seems to have a pretty high level of difficulty.

nealf · 12-31-2008, 01:33 PM

Here is the method I followed when I created my lambic:

The Brewing Network.com - The Jamil Show: Lambic, Gueuze, Fruit Lambic - The Jamil Show 06-02-08

I wouldn't say its much harder than any other all grain batch, just takes much more time.

Neal

BeerAg · 12-31-2008, 02:48 PM

How did the lambic turn out?

I don't mind waiting a year or so for the batch to finish, as long as I have a reasonable chance of success.

torgan · 12-31-2008, 03:01 PM

If you are looking for something quick and simple there are some pre-hopped Malt can kits, by I believe BrewFerm that I've tried that are really easy, and respectible in flavor. You might check your local brew store.

BrewSource.com | Brewferm Malt Extract Kits (Belgium) | home brewing

I've tried the Frambois and the Kriek. Not bad.

**niquejim** · 12-31-2008, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by torgan

If you are looking for something quick and simple there are some pre-hopped can kits, by I believe BrewFerm that I've tried that are really easy, and respectible in flavor. You might check your local brew store.

Quick and lambic only belong in the same sentence when speaking about how long they will last once they are ready to drink

torgan · 12-31-2008, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niquejim

Quick and lambic only belong in the same sentence when speaking about how long they will last once they are ready to drink

Very true, but I thought I'd offer up the suggestion.

**niquejim** · 12-31-2008, 03:15 PM

That's why I

'd

torgan · 12-31-2008, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niquejim

That's why I

'd

Which is why I

'd

nealf · 12-31-2008, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeerAg

How did the lambic turn out?

I only pitched the bugs about 2 weeks ago. The wait has just began

Are you planning on fruiting your lambic or leaving it straight? I am doing 1 mango (thanks niquejim) and one straight.

lamarguy · 12-31-2008, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeerAg

Anyone have a good reference on how to homebrew this stuff? It seems to have a pretty high level of difficulty.

It's easy, it just takes a little more prep work. I recently bottled a clone of Lindeman's Gueze and it turned out well. The kicker is, I went from kettle to bottle in two months. So, yes, it can be done in a short time frame.

The steps I followed were:

Harvest yeast/bacteria from Lindeman's Gueze bottle.
Build up harvested yeast/bacteria in starter three times, tasting weekly to test for signs of lacto and brett activity. In my case, 4 weeks was the magic number
Age 2 oz of noble hops in a toaster oven at 200F for 4 hours. Cover and let "air out" for a couple of days.
Brew generic 30% wheat, 50% barley ale. OG should be around 1.050.
Pitch american ale yeast and yeast/bacteria starter at the same time. Ferment at ~68F for 5 days and ~74F for the remaining time.
Leave in primary for 4 weeks. This gives the bacteria a chance to consume some of the autolysis products.
Transfer to a secondary vessel for 4 weeks.
Crash chill to 40F for 2 days and bottle. Add a very small (1/4 packet) of dry champagne yeast to the batch.

I bottled two versions: (1) true lambic and (2) back-sweetened lambic. I used one packet of splenda per 12oz bottle for the back-sweetened version. Both versions are highly carbonated to help cut the sourness.