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Introduction
The Brabant beer 'Lambik' and the variants that are derived from this known as ‘Geuze' and ‘Kriek' are known by beer-lovers across the globe. But what makes this beer so unique? Well, its taste certainly; bitter rather than sour. But primarily the production process.
Brewing beer
The basis of every beer is a starchy mash. During the brewing process, enzymes convert starch into sugars and then yeast converts these sugars into alcohol and carbonic acid.
In Africa, they use bananas as the starchy mash and, in South America, they use cassava. Barely is usually used in Europe and this is malted (allowed to germinate) and then milled. When mixed with hot water, the enzymes from the malt then convert the starch to sugar. The result is a type of sugar-water called wort. This is then cooked with herbs. The primary herb is the hop; this is used because of its bitterness and preservative characteristics. In a later phase, yeast is added to the wort so that the sugars can be converted into alcohol.
Uniqueness of Lambic
Lambic is special as it incorporates not only barley but also a third of unmalted wheat. This is a more expensive grain, illustrating that Brabant has been a very rich area in the past. The brewers also incorporate more hops than with other beers and the hops are between 2 and 3 years old (aged hops). This means that they have lost their bitterness but have retained their preservative characteristics.
The unique aspect of Lambic beer, however, is that the brewers make use of the wild yeast cells that float around in the air. The result is spontaneous fermentation, a centuries-old technique that faded out of use once Louis Pasteur set out, one and a half centuries ago, how beer and wine are made and the role that yeast plays therein. Since then, brewers have cultivated strains of yeast and brewing has become a sterile and controlled process, with the brew remaining hermetically sealed from the air. But not so in Brabant. Here, the hot wort is poured into a shallow, open container where it is allowed to cool. During this cooling process, wild yeast cells penetrate the wort.
Thereafter, Lambic is left to mature in old, wooden wine vats. This alters the clarity, taste and alcohol content. Young (flat) lambic is murky and a little sweet. After several years in the vat, however, lambic becomes clearer, sharper and sourer as all of the sugars have been turned into alcohol. There is not much carbonic acid in lambic; the wooden vats are not airtight and it is therefore released.
Geuze
This became a competitive disadvantage when, in the nineteenth century, fizzy, pilsner beers emerged. It was for this reason that brewers made a fizzy and frothy variety of Lambic called Geuze. To make this, old and young Lambic was mixed together and then allowed to ferment again in the bottle; an idea probably picked up from champagne producers. That is where the sturdy bottles came from too. An additional advantage was that the beer could be kept for longer in the bottle.
Kriek and other fruit beers
Another variant of Lambic is Kriek. To make this, you mix a vat of Lambic with whole sour cherries (‘Kriek' cherries). After six months, you will have created a ‘kriekenlambik' or ‘Kriek' for short. If you use raspberries, you will create raspberry Lambic (framboise). Later, fruit beers using grapes or strawberries were also created.
From kapsullekesgeus to old Geuze
In the first half of the 20th century, Geuze and Kriek were hugely popular in Belgium but their popularity began to diminish after the Second World War. A Geuze is more expensive than a pilsner because it requires more work and capital. There are almost 4 years between brewing Lambic and pouring a glass of Geuze. The champagne bottle containing 75cl was not a commercial hit and, in addition, consumer tastes were becoming sweeter.
For this reason, a handy 25cl bottle with a crown cap was introduced to the market. The beer was sweetened (using substances such as fruit syrup) and sometimes even mixed with cheap beer.
Only a few, small producers continued to work in the old-fashioned way. Their products can be recognised as a result of the protected names of oude Geuze (old Geuze) and oude Kriek (old Kriek). In the wake of the slow food movement, however, they have been winning back popularity both at home and abroad. The number of producers has been dropping for decades but is now beginning to increase. And industrial producers are also introducing old beers to the market once again.
Both the industrial and the old varieties have been known in Europe since 1997 as a guaranteed traditional speciality (GTS). Horal (High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers) was set up in 1997. This non-profit organisation unites 10 manufacturers and organises a collective open-day, the Toer de Geuze every 2 years.
a few typical terms
- faro: originally a cheap version of Lambic, made from a second decoction or sour surplus brew that was sometimes mixed with cane sugar.
- lambikstoemper: a metal stamper for crushing the sugar cube in a glass of Lambic or Geuze. Since 1999, there has also been an association of local beer-lovers call the Lambikstoempers.
- geuzesteker: someone who buys Lambic from one or more brewers and then mixes it and produces Geuze.
- ziel: the dent in the underside of a bottle.
- kapsullekesgeus: industrial Geuze made with a crown cap.
- fond: yeast sediment that settles at the base of a bottle of old Geuze or old Kriek which should not be poured.
- Pottekaas (pottekees): a mixture of Brussels cheese (ettekees) and 'mandjeskaas' (a fresh cheese from Beersel that has been allowed to drain in baskets for a few hours). Pottekaas and ‘mandjeskaas' are traditionally eaten on a slice of traditional, farmhouse bread with radishes, spring onions or chives and a glass of Lambic or Geuze to wash it down.