Effervescent Refractions » lambic

Boon Framboise Mariage Parfait

Stephane — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:17:23 +0000

Rosy-bodied and pink-topped, it’s tough to look manly with a glass of Boon’s craft in hand. Aromatically though, the fruit’s luscious intensity is about as delicate as a jackhammer. Strawberry cheesecake, grape candy, red apple and raspberry jelly; there’s pie crust and peaches, brown sugar and cookies. All this is only meagerly balanced by well-aged hops, but no matter, the variegated fruit flavors are truly inspiring. As for the flavor, imagine The Shining’s elevators spewing torrents of raspberry syrup instead of blood. Surprisingly dry, the fruit is full but not cloying and the fine carbonation adds wonderful texture to the experience. Hints of fig, browned butter, oak and black cherry, a finishing touch of blackcurrant, it’s an impressive brew. If it had further explored those sour notes of leather, this certainly would approach perfection in the realm of fruit lambics. For those outsiders who deem a pink fruit beer girly, let me again borrow from Jack Nicholson’s oeuvre and say “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE FRUIT!”

rating: 90/100

Drie Fonteinen J&J Roze

Stephane — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:41:15 +0000

Much touted, highly elusive, here’s a beer from a favorite brewer that just couldn’t disappoint. The frosty orange hue shows pretty nuances of pink, topped of a simple white cream. The nose displays a flabbergasting array of fruits and flowers. The house character is reflected through notes of peach, apricot, oaky vanilla and the unique sweetness of brown sugar. Lavender and rose add an unusual but remarkably pleasant touch, as the aroma slowly unfolds. Mango, apple, tangerine and pineapple proceed one after the other as the brew warms up expressively. The background is a true lambic foundation of cheesy, dusty, cobwebby scents that marry beautifully with honey and cotton candy. The flavor perfectly balances sweet, sour and dry. Raspberry and cherry are prominent at first as the palate shifts to an enjoyable dry Gruyère flavor and finishes on a smoky cedar note. The sourness remains smooth, almost yogurt-like, never impeding on the equilibrium of fruits and spices. Cinnamon, clove, white pepper and potpourri appear subtly with time. Like many high-quality lambics, this one becomes incredibly complex and delicious near room temperature. Another outstanding gueuze from Drie Fonteinen.

rating: 86/100

Cantillon Iris

Stephane — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:08:23 +0000

I must admit, I always approach Cantillon with apprehension. I’m as fanatic about lambic as one can be, but time and time again Cantillon has never quite done it for me. Still, I appreciate the beauty of the effort; it’s sad to see the tradition wane and for that reason alone I feel compelled to continue enjoying their brews as much as I possibly can. The Iris pours a cloudy but bright orange hue, glowing deeply with the color of a fresh apricot. The creamy off-white head is fairly ordinary which makes me wonder why crazy head formations are rarely seen among lambics. The aroma is exciting, and bests most Cantillons I’ve had before. Beautifully funky, the house character is present but softer and perhaps more cheesy than usual (a positive note, in my regard). Apricot lends a certain tartness, as do the tangerines and peaches. The cheesecake and brown sugar add a luscious sweetness to balance the nose. Surprisingly ash also is apparent, giving a slight smoky note that I wouldn’t have expected. The flavor isn’t as puckering as usual but Cantillon’s touch is certainly present. Perhaps more dilute, this lambic is greatly refreshing especially served on the cool side. The minerality is pleasant, working well with both fresh hops and fresh cheese. Green apple and melon add zest and balance while the long finish continues to echo a flavorful cheesy funk profile. Didn’t think I would attain Cantillon enlightenment on this brew, but I’m certainly happy I did. An excellent lambic!

rating: 84/100

De Neve Gueuze

Stephane — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 22:09:32 +0000

Served in its tumbler and straw basket at De Heeren, I was excited to try yet another vintage gueuze, this time De Neve’s 1999. I regrettably find the tumbler to be a rather unpropitious glass for most aspects of beer drinking, so what may have truly stood out in appearance was unfortunately diminished. Slightly hazy and deep apricot in color, what head formed was creamy and white, rather beautiful I must say, but stunted by the glass’ poor shape. The aroma is quite enticing, though at first overwhelmingly sour. A simple blend of red apples, peach, apricot and lemon form the fruity team, while caramel and brown sugar assist in supporting sweetness. Very little funkiness to speak of, and this becomes obvious on the palate. Apricot and banana nectar build a thick pulp-like consistency, added to the same red apples and brown sugar. The sourness here is quite intense, but isn’t redeemed by balancing complexity and so goes to waste, washing up on the back palate to leave a long apple aftertaste. I may seem critical of this gueuze, but it really is a fun brew, I was simply hoping for more and would rather return to tried and true examples.

rating: 76/100

Cantillon Saint Lamvinus

Stephane — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:44:08 +0000

Saint Lamvinus had long lurked in the shadows of my cellar, creeping out of its lambic corner from time to time, titillating but never convincing as I remained impervious to its charm, waiting for time work its metamorphosing dexterity. Finally on a winter eve, it was uncorked and of its bright cardinal body spewed a bubbly white foam. Cherry appeared strongly upon the nose alongside Cantillon’s classic sourness and a woody complexity. Sweet tonalities of white wine, brown sugar and raisin accompanied the delicate balance of vanilla and raspberry, along with a slightly cheesy note. Flowing organically onto the palate, it seemed the nose was reflected with accented sourness, red currant, white pepper and the slightest hint of grape. The rubbery and somewhat unpleasant acerbity that I often associate with Cantillon was present again, which combined with the surprisingly minimal vinous aspect felt rather underwhelming. The long sticky and fruity sour aftertaste is vaguely redeeming but I found that I would much rather a simple bottle of Cantillon’s Kriek than go through the trouble of acquiring and caring for such an esoteric yet uninspiring bottle.

rating: 74/100

Girardin Kriek

Stephane — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 20:36:24 +0000

Girardin has already earned much respect from me for their exceptional pair of gueuzes, so from there forward it’s all bonus points. There’s an elegance about Girardin’s balance that I genuinely appreciate and clearly emerges in this kriek as well, proving a consistency that I respect and pushing the brewery up in my top two favorites of the lambic world (Drie Fonteinen has them all beat, though). Poured, it seems darker than any kriek I’ve seen, blushing of a dense frosted Bordeaux hue and polished with an opulent faded pink cream. Whoa! My grand-mother’s clafoutis is more present than ever, the cherries shining through clearly but fused with a rich doughy sweetness and a profuse almond fragrance. White pepper, cork, grape juice, figs and brown sugar lend admirable complexity to the nose. With time, a deep richness evolves, reminding of plum and molasses to which the slightest touch of funk adheres in a combination of cranberries, goat cheese and Emmental. An avalanche of red fruit cascades upon the tongue melding cherries, raspberries, grape juice and wild strawberries. The sweetness upfront glides gradually to a dry sourness rich in brown sugar, biscuity malts and salient almonds. Full-flavored and not overly sour, this is an excellent kriek to which I can ascribe only one small flaw. The squalid Emmental and stale hops that work to great effect for Girardin’s gueuzes appear here in the aftertaste but does not match the cherries as well as I might have expected. An otherwise delicious effort, well worth seeking and drinking young.

rating: 80/100

De Cam Geuze

Stephane — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 22:40:06 +0000

As my lambic week-end came to a close, I decided I ought to give De Cam’s geuze a try for the sake of being thorough (not to mention my love of the style). Up until then, my knowledge of the spontaneously-fermented covered a healthy range but one involving above all the primary protagonists, which sadly seem to be swamping what used to be a rich and diverse tradition. Nonetheless one can only respect the few remaining brewers untainted by the sweet smell of money, and De Cam is surely one of them. Served in the classic tumbler (though not my glassware of choice), this geuze appeared golden and clear, not exceptionally attractive in color but topped of a resplendent alpine head - dense, spongy and coalescing to a husky hoop. To the nose, sweet dried fruits composed a mingling array introduced by raisin and banana, followed by the juicier pear and apple aroma. A noticeable blend of mild cheddar and gouda produced the necessary funk profile, to which the acrimonious scent of rubber added an unpleasant tonality. Proceeding to the tongue, one notices all the basic elements of geuze notably a dry sourness, hints of apple and rubber again, but generally a lack of originality and direction. While some blenders emphasize the sour, others the fruit, and others yet the barnyard scents, I found that De Cam took a very primordial approach which I suppose allows a certain accessibility but seems merely the sketch of a great geuze. The finishing cheesy note and lightly nutty aftertaste does redeem this nevertheless excellent example, but it is clearly not one of the phenomenal.

rating: 80/100

Cantillon Baie d’Argousier

Stephane — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:37:49 +0000

After only a small sample of Sebastian’s (DerDoppelbock) begging powers, Jean at Cantillon was generous enough to offer a bottle of his sea buckthorn lambic destined for Helsinki. We made it our final tasting of the evening after a rather remarkable suite of lambics highlighted by ancient De Trochs and Belle-Vue Sélection. Poured, its lurid yellow color was shrouded as a witbier, and topped of a generous white lather. The scent had a classic touch of Cantillon, that sour must that permeates their range. There’s a distinctly bitter aroma I can only attribute to the sea buckthorn berries, a fruit I am unfamiliar with and unique in a quality I can’t quite describe. Added to the nose is a complex and arid mix of Gruyère, hazelnuts and manure. The flavor was again dominated by the enigmatic fruit, a bitter sensation reminiscent of red currant added to the puckering explosion of lemon in oak. Overall an interesting experiment, but one that I may have enjoyed more out of the context of our fabulous tasting and definitely would have had I a stronger connection with the fruit.

rating: 72/100

Belle-Vue Sélection Lambic

Stephane — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:24:36 +0000

Belle-Vue has sadly become yet another symbol of the crumbling lambic tradition and one more strike on the shortening list of obstructionists. Yet, like many of the brewery’s coconspirators its roots lies in a very tangible and rather exceptional product. I was lucky enough to try the Gueuze Sélection, one of the few remaining examples due for extinction. The vintage was 1999 and poured a burnt orange body wreathed in mirabelle yellow highlights and a ring of white foam. The nose is filled with a myriad of luscious fruits. Apricot, cherry, orange, lemon, apple and melon liqueur share the scene with a tint of vanilla and a chewy, cheesy character that I can’t quite put my finger on. There’s a definite individuality pronounced by the aroma, dissociating this gueuze from any other and defining the personality of the blender. I find it fascinating to notice within the style’s very restrictive palette, tones repeatedly emphasized by the artist and unique aspects found in none other. The flavor of Belle-Vue’s Sélection parades this even further with intensely and almost gratuitously sour mordant which serves to underscore the smelly socks, Comté-like pungency. Apricot and lemon tones echo what can be salvaged from the fruity fragrance as an attempt to leverage the lacerating acidity while its well carbonated texture tells me this lambic may still be on its way to a peak. While I prefer the refined and more balanced offerings of the region, it was truly an experience to remember.

rating: 82/100

De Troch Kriek

Stephane — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 16:23:44 +0000

After the Gueuze, myself and Sebastian (DerDoppelbock) gave De Troch’s Kriek a try. Again the bottle was from Joris’ cellar, around 20 years of age, unlabeled and sealed with a crumbling cork that had seemingly begun rotting from the inside. Though not a single bubble formed, the aspect of the liquid itself glinted of a beautiful clear copper red shade. An herbal fragrance reminiscent of cherry tea subtly filled the nose, accompanied by thyme, rosemary and a sweet pipe tobacco blend. Luscious Charentais melon dominates followed by attenuated vanilla and brown sugar scents. The herbal tea and tobacco duo proceeds onto the palate with a medicinal but not unpleasant tonality. Sweet cherry and strawberry flavors are paired with lavender, rosemary, straw and a light coffee finish. Sourness is noticeable but far from emphasized, especially as the nearly uncarbonated texture favors a candy-like wet cherry slickness. Once more, an impressive beer that has aged with grace, though I must admit I wouldn’t hang on to these gems much longer as my example seemed noticeably downhill from its peak.

rating: 80/100