the ultimate beer
For the beer expert **Luis Vida, co-founder of La Canibal in Lavapiés**, lambic, "as a family of old beers that includes several styles, comes to occupy in the beer culture the space of sherry in wine ” and, he adds, “it also supposes a final subject, a higher state by beerloverismo ”.
And is that the beer lambic is once again an effervescent trend Among the brewers... And among non-brewers, because, believe it, this beer fascinates, it leaves no one indifferent. What does lambic have to arouse passions and that beerloverism that Vida talks about? Let's go to the origin.
Pajottenland, Belgium
We traveled to the Pajottenland region in Belgium, to the southwest of Brussels, in the middle of the Zenne valley, an essential river in the elaboration of this style of beer due to the quantity of indigenous yeasts that it contains, and that intervene in the "lambic" fermentation.
Curiously, this river , which passes through the Belgian capital, was known to be tremendously polluted , a dubious quality that, however, is one of the key aspects to make these peculiar beers (not the pollution itself, but some bugs that roam freely in the liquid element and the banks of the river).
And it is that water and living organisms, yeasts and bacteria Above all, they are responsible for this centenary beer exists, and for this reason, lambic can only be made in that Belgian region. The rest is pure imitation.
The foundation of a lambic is the spontaneous fermentation, without inoculating yeasts, and the process is slow from the boiling of the must, which can last several hours. Then comes the fermentation produced in large wooden barrels (used, of course) and that can last months and even years.
This is where elements that make lambics come into play. true cult beers , since in the process intervene not just “classic” yeasts that ferment, for example, wine, but other agents that will give aromas and flavors, to put it mildly, somewhat extreme: wet hair, stable, aromas of closed…
What better plan than a beer route through Brussels?
As well as the constant presence of the aromas of "brett" , some mushrooms that participate in the feast of sugar and will leave odors that, in excess and to canonical eyes, they are considered a defect, especially when they appear in wines.
Of course, a little brett in a balanced beer It's like when you add a very chic accessory to a black suit, It makes the whole very happy and gives it that little bit of charm, whatever the orthodox say.
The fermentation is completed with the addition of hops , an ingredient found in most beers around the world. But the lambics could not carry just any, and incorporate old hops , which do not provide any flavor and yes they fulfill a sanitary function in the lambic . You're starting to like the lambic vibe, don't deny it, winelover.
After fermentation comes ageing, which can vary between one and three years , in which the beer continues to evolve thanks to the amount of inner life it contains.
In addition to this parallelism with wine (bretts, use of barrels, aging and absence of bubbles in some styles), lambics can be of various types, from young, or straight, to the exclusive oude gueuze that mix lambics with a year of old age, going through the gueuze , which combine one, two and three year old lambics with young lambics and return to ferment, already mixed, in the bottle, similar to how champagne does.
Kriek-style beer is more fruity
In addition, some types incorporate Fresh fruits (cherries, raspberries) to processing, giving rise to the kriek . You like it, I know...
Cantillon, lambic passion in Brussels
To find out what this lambic thing is all about without having to go to the Zenne valley there is a temple of these beers in ** Brussels **. Since 1900, Cantillon has been brewing lambics and has become a place of pilgrimage for geeky brewers. keep using the same production equipment that it used at the beginning and it is supplied with organic grain and hops.
Visit Cantillon, the temple of lambic beer
In its premises you can find tap lambics, bottles of different styles and jewels such as the Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella , complex, fruity, herbaceous, fluid and intense at the same time, or the exceptional Lou Pepe, a kriek brimming with fruit and from which you will not want to finish the last drink... because it will be a sign that you have nothing left in the glass.
Lambics in Spain
It's not too easy to find these beers outside of Belgium , but the fever for lambics (understood as a moderate fever, beerloverism taken to the extreme is, by definition, a minority) has reached this far and in places like La Caníbal in Madrid you can find some references.
** La Tape ** is another of the capital's lambic hotspots where try different labels , advised by the beer sommelier Julio Gonzalez , lover and connoisseur of these rarities.
In Barcelona , **Lambicus Bar and Lambicus Shop** are a corner to find these belgian oddities that, being you a winelover, can horrify you, or lure you forever to that brewing dark side to which you always swore that you would not return.