Framboise lambic - beer or not a beer

[beer_guy_dave]

Just had my first taste of Framboise Lambic. It is excellent in its own way
(my wife actually loves it and hates all beer), but its not like any beer I've ever had or made. It is labelled as a fruit beer. Question - are there any hops involved in making this? With the one small glass I had, I didn't detect even faint hop flavor or aroma. Question number 2 - is it even possible to try to make this at home?

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Dave

 

[Dkmount721]

Yes it is a beer. I am glad you tried it to be honest, lambics and other sour beers are wonderful. They use old hops in lambics.

They use spontaneous fermentation and long drawn out blending processes in making lambic, you could technically make them at home, but they are a complex beast.

Here is the HBT wiki entry

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Lambic

You might google it and see what you find as well, it's awesome.

 

[Beer_Maker]

My GF wants me to make her some, but I am very reluctant. Not so much because of the complex brewing process, but because of the little nasties that are required to brew it. I have good sanitation practices, but I'm not sure I want to risk it.

 

[krisagon]

LIndemans fruit lambics also allegedly contain artificial sweeteners to get them to that really sweet point.
Ewww.

 

[Revvy]

LIndemans fruit lambics also allegedly contain artificial sweeteners to get them to that really sweet point.
Ewww.

You mean like Lactose, or splenda, or other things that many of us commonly use to sweeten our own beers???

The Lindenman's lambics are the only beers that my GF likes, and at least it has gotten ther to attempt to try other fruit beers (though unsuccesfully) and to be somewhat open and understanding about my hobby. So I don't complain about her choices. I think it's a pretty good crossover quaffing beer, it's not as unnaproachable as other lambics are, I mean I'm still on the fence about other ones.

I think it's a nice "alternative" to wine, expecially for things like summer picnics and such.

I'm still a little nervous about brewing one, though I just found out that I think, Forrest or one of the other online retailers, has a colone kit for it. So I may down the line consider brewing her a batch. Though it would nearly have to be a dead on clone of it, because she's tried other Peach Lambics and hasn't liked them as much as that one.

 

[culturejam]

Yes, it's a beer.

Just because it's not like any other beer you've tasted doesn't make it not beer.

 

[Dkmount721]

The Lindenman's lambics are the only beers that my GF likes, and at least it has gotten ther to attempt to try other fruit beers (though unsuccesfully) and to be somewhat open and understanding about my hobby. So I don't complain about her choices. I think it's a pretty good crossover quaffing beer, it's not as unnaproachable as other lambics are, I mean I'm still on the fence about other ones.

My wife is the same exact way.

I tell you what I would like to try is a faro.

 

[Patirck]

I'm still a little nervous about brewing one, though I just found out that I think, Forrest or one of the other online retailers, has a colone kit for it. So I may down the line consider brewing her a batch. Though it would nearly have to be a dead on clone of it, because she's tried other Peach Lambics and hasn't liked them as much as that one.

Is there a kit to make a lambic clone? I tried finding an online supplier named forrest but had no luck. Can you provide a link?

 

[JonW]

The wife and I downed two 750's of Lindemans Framboise yesterday. It's great stuff.

For breakfast, we mix Framboise and Champagne. Over the years, I've converted many family members from mimosa to Framboise/Champagne.

Also, our local BJ's brewery/restaurant have Lindemans Framboise on tap.

 

[Dkmount721]

For breakfast, we mix Framboise and Champagne. Over the years, I've converted many family members from mimosa to Framboise/Champagne

Now why would you want to go and ruin perfectly good framboise like that?

Not to derail;
Sorry just kidding pal, that actually might be worth giving a shot.

 

[Ace_Club]

I'm brewing a Framboise right now. It spent 9 months for the first portion of the primary and then I just racked it, in November, onto 9# of raspberries. It will sit on those for another 9 months and then into the bottles for 6 to 9 months. I'll keep them sour, but if I want to back-sweeten, I'll just add some splenda to the glass.

I didn't use a kit, but rather there was a very good article in BYO earlier this year with a very simple extract recipe. I'd suggest if any of you really want to try one to get started sooner rather than later as they take an extra long time to make.

As an aside, I did not use old hops in my recipes, rather I just used a small amount of fresh hops. I didn't want to have to wait an extra year to let the hops age.

 

[Heckle]

Northern Brewer has a cherry lambic kit called "Dawson's Kreik". It is not sweet like a Lindemans but I guess you could back sweeten it. I actually have a batch of it in the basement where it has been sitting for almost a year now bulk aging.

 

[Bobby_M]

You can also buy raspberry concentrate syrup and a hand pump so that you can add a teaspoon to your glass before pouring. It's a much better idea to spot sweeten so the whole batch isn't dosed at the same time.

 

[dunnright00]

For breakfast, we mix Framboise and Champagne. Over the years, I've converted many family members from mimosa to Framboise/Champagne.

We've made floats with Framboise and Vanilla Ice Cream.
Yum!!

 

[KCBrewer]

Is there a kit to make a lambic clone? I tried finding an online supplier named forrest but had no luck. Can you provide a link?

Forrest is the owner of Austin Homebrew Supply, http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php. I didn't look for the lambic Revvy referred to, but that is the site he was referring to.

 

[RIT_Warrior]

My GF wants me to make her some, but I am very reluctant. Not so much because of the complex brewing process, but because of the little nasties that are required to brew it. I have good sanitation practices, but I'm not sure I want to risk it.

Check this out:

http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=29637

This guy makes a lindemans "inspired" beer by infecting it after the mash but before the boil right in his brewpot. It takes 18-24 hours, and after the sourness is where he wants it he starts his boil, which will sterilize everything. He then proceeds as he would for a regular fruit beer.

 

[Revvy]

My bad, it wasn't Austin homebrew, it was Annapolis Home Brew's Beer Recipe Kits FRUIT BEERS.

 

[Patirck]

My bad, it wasn't Austin homebrew, it was Annapolis Home Brew's Beer Recipe Kits FRUIT BEERS.

Thanks for the update! I looked on the site and wow! This is an expensive kit - about $90 with shipping. I think I'll look for a recipe and go from there. It seems any way I cut it, this is something that has to be aged for a looooonnnnggggg time.

 

[Revvy]

Whoa, I never even bothered to look at the price. Yeah, that is pretty steep.

 

[Ace_Club]

That price is not too far out of line. My own recipe that I made was $34 for the base lambic. The 9# of raspberries was an additional $55. So you really have to look at the ingredients. You could probably make a plain lambic for not much money, and probably even a fruit lambic if you had access to cheap fruit. Otherwise it will be a fairly expensive beer to make.

 

[Hannable1975]

Check this out:

http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=29637

This guy makes a lindemans "inspired" beer by infecting it after the mash but before the boil right in his brewpot. It takes 18-24 hours, and after the sourness is where he wants it he starts his boil, which will sterilize everything. He then proceeds as he would for a regular fruit beer.

Hmmmmmm....... maybe I will make this in a few weeks ....

 

[Brewer_Steve]

I just brewed a Lambic-style beer on Chirstmas day.

70% 2-row
30% unmalted wheat

I followed a ridiculously complex turbid mash schedule, but I'm not sure if it's necessary.

OG came out a little high at 1.058

I was given some really old Perl hops from a local brewery about 2 years ago which I've been saving to attempt a Lambic-style when I had enough courage. I used 8 oz of hops in 10 gallons of wort. You want so much hops for their preservative qualities, but you want them old so that they don't impart any bitterness.

After the boil, I drained the hot wort into HDPE pails and brought them down to my basement to let them cool naturally.

The next day, I pitched wyeast 3278 (Belgian Lambic Blend) and it's just now showing the first signs of fermentation. I'm planning on leaving them about 18 months in primary, then tasting them and deciding what type of fruit would be appropriate for the flavours that I end up with.

I have to say that it was really fun to read up on Lambics and finally try to brew my first one. I wanted to try one about 2 years ago, but was too intimidated. I'm glad that I finally gave it a try. It's almost like learning how to brew all over again (you want a starchy wort, weird mash temps, old hops, no-chill, autolysis, bacteria, etc.

If you're thinking about trying this epic brew, read this. It's a very good source of information that got me started:
http://www.brewery.org/library/LmbicJL0696.html

 

[wonderbread23]

I just brewed a Lambic-style beer on Chirstmas day.

After the boil, I drained the hot wort into HDPE pails and brought them down to my basement to let them cool naturally

I'd be a bit worried about leaving it in plastic for a year. Plastic has a much higher rate of O2 diffusion than glass or even barrels, which can promote too much acetic character in a funky beer. I believe most brewers do a brief primary in plastic and then transfer to secondary glass to pitch the bugs.

 

[Brewer_Steve]

I'd be a bit worried about leaving it in plastic for a year. Plastic has a much higher rate of O2 diffusion than glass or even barrels, which can promote too much acetic character in a funky beer. I believe most brewers do a brief primary in plastic and then transfer to secondary glass to pitch the bugs.

I'm not leaving it in a pail.
I let it cool in pails overnight, then transferred to glass carboys for the long 18 month primary fermentation.
My bugs are already in there. The bugs need sugars to eat, and I'm planning on letting it sit on the yeast cake in primary for the entire time. When the yeast dies (autolysis), it provides nutrients for the bugs. At least that's how I understand it.

 

[Patirck]

Hmmmmmm....... maybe I will make this in a few weeks ....

This is on my todo list for the january/february time frame. I love lambics but don't have the patience to wait for a year and then find out I screwed up the complex process somewhere.

 

[Hannable1975]

This is on my todo list for the january/february time frame. I love lambics but don't have the patience to wait for a year and then find out I screwed up the complex process somewhere.

Agreed, and after reading the thread and seeing the use of American Ale II, I just happen to have a newly brewed beer sitting on that right now - so it's gonna be an easy brew and pitch to cake no starter needed beer for me

 

[KoedBrew]

My bugs are already in there. The bugs need sugars to eat, and I'm planning on letting it sit on the yeast cake in primary for the entire time. When the yeast dies (autolysis), it provides nutrients for the bugs.

I'm kind of new to brewing and most of the references I get, but what the hell are the Bugs and why would I want to feed them?

 

[Brewer_Steve]

I'm kind of new to brewing and most of the references I get, but what the hell are the Bugs and why would I want to feed them?

A Lambic is a beer that gets infected with different types of bacteria. The yeast I used has Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. In a Lambic-style beer aged a couple years, those nasties will hopefully make it taste great. If a normal beer were to get infected with those bugs, it would taste disgusting. Some people find Lambics to taste disgusting. I'm not one of them though.

 

[KoedBrew]

Ok thanks, that makes sense. I do like the Lambic....My wife loves it, but I can't drink a lot of it.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

You could try making a regular wheat beer and then racking it onto raspberries. It won't have the lambic taste, but then again Lindeman's frambroise doesn't really either. I'm not hating on their products -- I like them but I recognize what they are.

You could go the kit route but it's a pretty simple 60% malted barley (pilsner or 2 row)/40% unmalted wheat, but you can use malted wheat and still produce something enjoyable. I just started brewing up my own a few weeks ago by using a triple decoction mash and a single hop addition to get to 8-10 IBUs. You don't have to get aged hops if they aren't available or too pricey. 8-10 IBUs of fresh hops won't give you a lot of hops flavor. Just look at BMC beers. That's where they are. Pitch a sour or lambic blend and revisit in a year. Age on fruit if desired.

I don't fear cross contamination in my equipment. I have a BB of lambic next to my other fermenters with no sign of contamination. I used the same racking equipment on an infected beer, a wild beer and regular beers without incident. I just clean really well and seriously sanitize everything after an infection or wild beer.