Lambic Discussion Thread

[stupac2]

Does anyone have any experience with highly carbed beers like this? Does the carb normally settle down? How long? Do 375's or 750's make a difference? Just wondering what to expect, I've beers with lots of carb but never held on to them for too long. I'd like to age a few of these.

Just from a physical perspective the carb will either leak out from the bottle (which you don't want) or it will stay in there. If there's enough yeast activity left it could get more carbed, but besides a leak it won't get any less carbed. (This is assuming that there's nothing metabolizing the CO2, which is a very safe assumption unless Armand has started bottle conditioning with algae, and that the chemistry isn't favorable for the CO2 to react with the water and form carbonic acid in any quantity, which I think is a safe assumption.)

 

[cfh64]

Just from a physical perspective the carb will either leak out from the bottle (which you don't want) or it will stay in there. If there's enough yeast activity left it could get more carbed, but besides a leak it won't get any less carbed. (This is assuming that there's nothing metabolizing the CO2, which is a very safe assumption unless Armand has started bottle conditioning with algae, and that the chemistry isn't favorable for the CO2 to react with the water and form carbonic acid in any quantity, which I think is a safe assumption.)

Well ****, that's not what I was hoping to hear but thanks for info. Scientific as always

 

[Snarf1]

Just from a physical perspective the carb will either leak out from the bottle (which you don't want) or it will stay in there. If there's enough yeast activity left it could get more carbed, but besides a leak it won't get any less carbed. (This is assuming that there's nothing metabolizing the CO2, which is a very safe assumption unless Armand has started bottle conditioning with algae, and that the chemistry isn't favorable for the CO2 to react with the water and form carbonic acid in any quantity, which I think is a safe assumption.)

Often the problem with young blends and I'm assuming with a&g, isn't necessarily that the beer is overcarbed, but that it hasn't fully carbed and that the co2 hasn't fully disolved into solution. So no, the carb level won't decrease, but the co2 will enter solution and the beer won't gush or launch the cork. If you look at the pic above, you can even see the very coarse bubbles in the head, compared to the fine bubbles one expects in a well conditioned beer.

 

[tennispl]

Often the problem with young blends and I'm assuming with a&g, isn't necessarily that the beer is overcarbed, but that it hasn't fully carbed and that the co2 hasn't fully disolved into solution. So no, the carb level won't decrease, but the co2 will enter solution and the beer won't gush or launch the cork. If you look at the pic above, you can even see the very coarse bubbles in the head, compared to the fine bubbles one expects in a well conditioned beer.

You're a course bubble.

 

[Beerontwowheels]

You're a course bubble.

 

[Snarf1]

You're a course bubble.

*coarse?

 

[tennispl]

*coarse?

****

 

[bsc]

had a 14 fou last weekend that was just wayyyy too acidic for my tastes. I feel similarly about most vintages of vig though and I know everyone loves it so YMMV.

Drain poured a 14 a month or two ago. Was like drinking battery acid, just terrible.

 

[stupac2]

Often the problem with young blends and I'm assuming with a&g, isn't necessarily that the beer is overcarbed, but that it hasn't fully carbed and that the co2 hasn't fully disolved into solution. So no, the carb level won't decrease, but the co2 will enter solution and the beer won't gush or launch the cork. If you look at the pic above, you can even see the very coarse bubbles in the head, compared to the fine bubbles one expects in a well conditioned beer.

Isn't that a process that happens on the order of a week? I suppose some of these people are getting bottles shaken-up from shipment and then opening them pretty quickly, so that wouldn't help, but after a week or two in the fridge (cold increases CO2 absorption, IIRC) it should be fine, right? I don't have a lot of physical intuition for the timescales here, most stuff in physics happens either "really damn fast" or "too slow to matter".

Well ****, that's not what I was hoping to hear but thanks for info. Scientific as always

If it makes you feel any better, plenty of 3F bottles are stupidly carbed and age just fine. The 1999 Kriek and 2003 Gueuze we opened a few weeks ago both opened themselves (the gueuze dramatically so, in the manner of the reports I've heard about A&G, though it gushed too), but obviously held up just fine over dumb amounts of aging. The even had two cages on it, so I guess if you're feeling particularly paranoid I guess you could go that route. The season set also has some carb issues, you hear about self-opened Herfst bottles pretty regularly. I wouldn't worry about it unless you start hearing reports of exploding bottles.

 

[ant880]

You're a course bubble.

*coarse?

****

 

[jmgrub]

x-post:

This was everything I hoped it would be.

 

[HeadytheElder]

Man, tough to read this 2014 Fou hate. I domed a bottle of it a few months ago and thought it was drinking perfectly. The fruit and funk were in perfect sync. I don't remember the acidity being an issue at all. The best Fou has ever tasted to me.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Digita7693]

I'm firmly in the camp of fresh to a year, year and a half is best. I thought the 2007 bottles that were at Cantillon recently for onsite were just pure acid, not a fan. To each their own.

 

[HeadytheElder]

I'm firmly in the camp of fresh to a year, year and a half is best. I thought the 2007 bottles that were at Cantillon recently for onsite were just pure acid, not a fan. To each their own.

That is a good camp to be in.

 

[Padraig]

Man, tough to read this 2014 Fou hate. I domed a bottle of it a few months ago and thought it was drinking perfectly. The fruit and funk were in perfect sync. I don't remember the acidity being an issue at all. The best Fou has ever tasted to me.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well that's two for and two against.

 

[andrewdrinks]

The best Fou is the next one you drink. I can't remember being disappointed with a bottle of any vintage.

 

[Saind]

The best Fou is the next one you drink. I can't remember being disappointed with a bottle of any vintage.

I wasn't a fan of that 2008 they had a while back either. But the 2015 batch at the brewery now is amazing

 

[Digita7693]

The best Fou is the next one you drink. I can't remember being disappointed with a bottle of any vintage.

I have not been disappointed with any vintage, as long as it has been drunk within about a year. Drinking 5 year old, 7 year old etc Fou is just, in my multiple experiences, an exercise in how much sour acid you can take. I personally would prefer a nice and fresh fruited lambic where the fruit still shines through.

 

[LukeAleTime]

I have a 2014 in my fridge. Untappd tells me I loved the bottle I tried about a year ago.

 

[Fux]

I'm firmly in the camp of fresh to a year, year and a half is best. I thought the 2007 bottles that were at Cantillon recently for onsite were just pure acid, not a fan. To each their own.

There seems to be a lot of variation. I got a very sour one at first but friends of mine opened one which was not that sour and still focused on the fruit. Generally speaking, I agree with you, between 1 and 2 year is perfect for this beer.

 

[Stevedore1]

What does everyone think about the 2011 vs 2014 releases of 3F Golden Blend? Close or further apart? I think the 2011 was blended mostly with 3F in-house brew, but of course the 2014 less so.

 

[64vdub]

What does everyone think about the 2011 vs 2014 releases of 3F Golden Blend? Close or further apart? I think the 2011 was blended mostly with 3F in-house brew, but of course the 2014 less so.

2011 (drank in 2014) was an absolutely wonderful beer. The new batch is very good, but not at 2011 level...I thought the 11' was heavy in that typical 3F profile, with a kinda bright funk, while the 14' (750ml drank 3 months ago) seemed to be going in that direction, but was still quite lemon-y tart at this point. I loved them both different, and I will be doing a 375ml side by side between the two vintages soon. I'm sure others will chime in. Cheers!

 

[Saind]

http://www.beergium.com/en/brouwerij-3-fonteinen/1050-3-fonteinen-cuvee-armand-gaston-75cl.html

 

[SinH4]

http://www.beergium.com/en/brouwerij-3-fonteinen/1050-3-fonteinen-cuvee-armand-gaston-75cl.html

Shops which apparently don't sent to the US have the huge advantage that things last longer than a few seconds

It was the same with the De Molen Shop last week.

 

[wyatt1]

It says worldwide delivery right on the home page.

 

[Beerontwowheels]

Shops which apparently don't sent to the US have the huge advantage that things last longer than a few seconds

It was the same with the De Molen Shop last week.

Beergium doesn't ship to the US?

Also, what was available last week at the de molen web shop?

 

[SeaWatchman]

A special Bokkereyder blend for my wedding this past weekend. So good.

 

[mvl339]

http://www.beergium.com/en/brouwerij-3-fonteinen/1050-3-fonteinen-cuvee-armand-gaston-75cl.html

Thanks for the heads up, not a bad price...
What's with them not having paypal as an option on checkout? It's listed as an option on their info page... Have to pay these stupid cc foreign transaction fees.

 

[boogercrack]

Thanks for the heads up, not a bad price...
What's with them not having paypal as an option on checkout? It's listed as an option on their info page... Have to pay these stupid cc foreign transaction fees.

get a better credit card?

 

[Rowingbrewer1]

A special Bokkereyder blend for my wedding this past weekend. So good.

Congrats on the wedding. I just got married 7/2/16, and while at a brewery I was without exclusive lambic bottlings for the event. they wouldnt even let me bring in any bottles for my wife and I to toast with