Lambic Discussion Thread

[stupac2]

Cross-post from Facebook. Zero fuxx given. The Drie is a 2005.

One of those is not lambic. Reported.

 

[Bill2]

http://belgiuminabox.com/blog/2013/10/cantillon-connaisseurs-box-fall-2013/

It's an interesting package, but I find Iris's inclusion somewhat baffling given the name. Unless he's counting non-dried hops as a fruit...

I believe he adds elderflowers to Iris, which is what turns it into a fruited lambic. Not sure why it's fruited though.

 

[Michigan1]

I believe he adds elderflowers to Iris, which is what turns it into a fruited lambic. Not sure why it's fruited though.

That would be Mamouche. Iris is an unblended lambic

 

[Bill2]

That would be Mamouche. Iris is an unblended lambic

Iris has carbonation, what do you mean it's unblended?

 

[stupac2]

I think this should clear some things up:

he Cantillon brewery is closely linked to Brussels, a city which has the iris as its symbol. As the name indicates, the "marsh iris" is a plant growing in humid areas. The historical center of Brussels is built on swamps where this flower used to grow abundantly.

In 1998, the Brussels Museum of the Gueuze celebrated its 20th anniversary. The Cantillon brewery decided to make a new spontaneous fermentation beer for this occasion, named after this symbolic flower.

It is a completely original beer which, contrary to the other products of the Brewery, is not brewed with 35% of wheat. The Iris, which is only made with malt of the pale ale type (giving a more amber colour to the beer) conserves the typical flavour of the spontaneous fermentation, the complex aromas and the vinous taste.

The hopping is different too. Lambic is made with 100% dried hops, for the Iris we use 50% of dried hops and 50% of fresh hops. The latter cause a superb acidity, the former, due to their tannins, enable to conserve the beer while preserving all its qualities.

After two years in the barrel, the Iris undergoes a second fresh hopping two weeks before the bottling. A linen bag, filled with hops, is soaked in the beer for two weeks. This technique, called "cold hopping", gives the beer a more intense savour and makes the smell and the taste more bitter.

Iris is brewed only once every season and all the beers come from the same brewing. This is why the beer is dated. The second fermentation is obtained by adding liquor.

Although it is a spontaneous fermentation beer, the Iris is very different from the Lambic. The amber colour and the bitter and slightly caramelized taste make it a complex beer.

Iris Cantillon is available in 75 cl (1/1) bottles

 

[Michigan1]

Iris has carbonation, what do you mean it's unblended?

I think this should clear some things up:

Well, there ya go!

And thanks for the fancy "T", stupac2 fine folks who designed Cantillon's website!

 

[stupac2]

Well, there ya go!

And thanks for the fancy "T", stupac2!

Don't thank me, thank the fine folks who designed Cantillon's website.

 

[Michigan1]

Don't thank me, thank the fine folks who designed Cantillon's website.

edited and fixed

 

[SeaWatchman]

Iris. is. amazing.

375ml bottles of it FTW

 

[stupac2]

Iris. is. amazing.

375ml bottles of it FTW

I'm just not that big of a fan. Thought the 2004 375's were pretty good but I'd rather have gueuze.

 

[ASUBeer]

Iris is what american wilds wish they were. I love that beer.

 

[SeaWatchman]

Iris is what american wilds wish they were. I love that beer.

A truer statement has never been made.

 

[Michigan1]

A truer statement has never been made.

All squares have 4 sides.

 

[drgarage1]

A truer statement has never been made.

I know of very few American wilds that are trying to taste anything like Iris. I do love that beer, but it's hardly the objective of, say, Temptation.

 

[stupac2]

I know of very few American wilds that are trying to taste anything like Iris. I do love that beer, but it's hardly the objective of, say, Temptation.

And I'd rather drink Temptation anyway.

 

[SeaWatchman]

And I'd rather drink Temptation anyway.

American Wild Ales thread is ------------------------------------------------> thataway

 

[stupac2]

American Wild Ales thread is ------------------------------------------------> thataway

FINE, I'LL MAKE MY OWN THREAD, WITH BLACKJACK. AND HOOKERS.

 

[stupac2]

American Wild Ales thread is ------------------------------------------------> thataway

BET YOU DIDN'T THINK I WOULD: http://TalkBeer.com/community/threads/american-wild-ale-thread.1883/

 

[xnicknj]

So is it still possible to get Blauw at de Heeren? I'm not expecting it to be sitting on a shelf somewhere but I'll be out there next year so I'm trying to compile a list of places to go/bottles to seek out.

 

[stupac2]

So is it still possible to get Blauw at de Heeren? I'm not expecting it to be sitting on a shelf somewhere but I'll be out there next year so I'm trying to compile a list of places to go/bottles to seek out.

It's not available to go, but I believe you can still drink it there. You may want to call/e-mail ahead, because they keep a lot of bottles off-site.

 

[xnicknj]

It's not available to go, but I believe you can still drink it there. You may want to call/e-mail ahead, because they keep a lot of bottles off-site.

Thanks I'll def do that, on-site would def be cool. Belgium is one spot on my honeymoon so it'll be more of a "eat, drink, explore" experience rather than "wale huntin bro" trip.

 

[stupac2]

Thanks I'll def do that, on-site would def be cool. Belgium is one spot on my honeymoon so it'll be more of a "eat, drink, explore" experience rather than "wale huntin bro" trip.

Fortunately for you, De Heeren has great food.

Oh, and check out my post on traveling to Belgium, should be helpful.

 

[HenrikO]

Thanks I'll def do that, on-site would def be cool. Belgium is one spot on my honeymoon so it'll be more of a "eat, drink, explore" experience rather than "wale huntin bro" trip.

"Eat, drink, explore?" Don't bring that weak-ass **** here, bro. Walez!

Seriously - sounds great, take the opportunity to drink off the beaten track. De Cam lambics/geuzes, De Glazen Toren, De Dochter van der Korenaar... Lots of great Belgian beer doesn't even make it to the US.

 

[ASUBeer]

Just ordered my first De Cam Lambiek Specials. Looking forward to trying those. I love De Cam and the talk of the. Lambiek Specials on here was too hard to resist.

 

[ASUBeer]

BiaB has Lou Pepe Framboise ('10 sticker) btw.

 

[Michigan1]

Can somebody tell me why most lambics age well. Why don't they turn quickly like some other beers? What exactly makes them optimal candidates for cellaring?

 

[quirkzoo1]

Can somebody tell me why most lambics age well. Why don't they turn quickly like some other beers? What exactly makes them optimal candidates for cellaring?

Total guess here, but Brettanomyces has very good oxygen scavenging properties, so it gobbles up any oxygen before that oxygen can stale the beer. I know that some breweries (New Belgium I believe) even did some experiments where they added very small amounts of brett to try to get the oxygen scavenging but at such a low concentration that you wouldn't get any off flavors. Needless to say, it didn't work.

 

[ShawDeuce221]

Can somebody tell me why most lambics age well. Why don't they turn quickly like some other beers? What exactly makes them optimal candidates for cellaring?

Hops. Lambics actually receive a good dose of aged hops in the boil. They will not come off as a hoppy beer (with respect to an APA or IPA as we know them) due to the low alpha acid in the hops. The age on the hops drop the alpha acids to <1% possibly even 0% but they still retain their preservative qualities. This, in turn, preserves the beer not only through the long ass fermentation process but then carries over into the cellar.
**This is how I understand why hopping is important in the age-ability of lambics, if I'm off, please correct me**

Some one else can handle the acid that is produced by the bacterias and how that helps.

 

[eyesonsaison]

Can somebody tell me why most lambics age well. Why don't they turn quickly like some other beers? What exactly makes them optimal candidates for cellaring?

If you're talking about lambic v. AWA, I think that's a question a lot of American brewers are currently trying to figure out.

If you're talking about lambic v. saccharomyces beers, I think it's a more simple answer. What good can come of a well-cellared barrel aged stout or barelywine? Barrel integration (i.e. spirit notes falling off), perhaps a bit of beneficial oxidation if you're lucky (sherry notes, dark fruit, whatever)? These beers are a balance of volatile ingredients, and so will inherently fall out of balance with time.

Lambic is alive, and constantly going through metabolic changes. Long after a lambic has fermented all the alcohol that it's going to produce, there are still plenty of dextrins (in no small part due to raw wheat, I imagine) which will be chewed up and spit out by wild yeasts and bacteria. It is also true that hop flavor and spirit-barrel character (two of the more volatile ingredients I alluded to before) are generally non-factors in lambic. Lastly, as mentioned above, brett is a powerful antioxidant.

 

[quirkzoo1]

Hops. Lambics actually receive a good dose of aged hops in the boil. They will not come off as a hoppy beer (with respect to an APA or IPA as we know them) due to the low alpha acid in the hops. The age on the hops drop the alpha acids to <1% possibly even 0% but they still retain their preservative qualities. This, in turn, preserves the beer not only through the long ass fermentation process but then carries over into the cellar.
**This is how I understand why hopping is important in the age-ability of lambics, if I'm off, please correct me**

Some one else can handle the acid that is produced by the bacterias and how that helps.

I think this is a little bit off according to my understanding. I believe that the aged hops supposedly help with the initial "wild" innoculation, in that they prevent many of the undesirable bacteria floating around in the air to take over. I do not think that the anti-microbial properties of hops influence the ability of lambic to age (though I too may be wrong on this).