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Lambic and Gueuze
A spontaneously fermented Belgian sour wheat beer, wild and complex, blended as gueuze or steeped with fruit.
About the Lambic and Gueuze style
Lambic is made in the Pajottenland region near Brussels by cooling the wort in a shallow open vessel overnight, letting the wild yeasts and bacteria of the air and the brewery settle into it. It then ferments and matures in oak barrels for one to three years.
Young and old lambics are blended to make gueuze, a sparkling, complex, tart beer, or steeped with cherries or raspberries to make kriek and framboise. It is one of the world's oldest and most distinctive beer traditions.
Lambic is a type of beer brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium southwest of Brussels since the 13th century. Types of lambic beer include gueuze, kriek lambic, and framboise. Lambic differs from most other beers in that it is fermented through exposure to wild yeasts and bacteria native to the Zenne valley, as opposed to exposure to carefully cultivated strains of brewer's yeast.
Grain, hops and yeast
Malt and grain: Pale malt with a large proportion of unmalted wheat, mashed traditionally for the wild fermentation.
Hop character: Aged hops used only for their preservative effect, contributing no fresh hop flavour or aroma.
Yeast and fermentation: A spontaneous mixed fermentation by wild yeast and bacteria, including Brettanomyces and lactic bacteria, over months to years.
A typical Lambic and Gueuze runs 5 to 8% alcohol by volume, with a bitterness of about 0 to 10 IBU and a colour of 5 to 13 SRM. It is traditionally served in a gueuze flute or tulip. These figures describe the usual range for the style; a given example may sit a little outside them.
Serving and carbonation
Serve a gueuze cold, around 5 to 8 degrees Celsius, in a flute or tulip, with a high, Champagne-like carbonation. It is a complex, tart, sipping beer that keeps and ages for years, so it is one style where age is a virtue rather than a fault.
Fermentation in brief
Traditional lambic is spontaneously fermented by the wild microbes of the air and the barrel, a mixed culture of wild yeast, Brettanomyces and lactic bacteria working over months to years. Homebrewers reproduce it with a blended sour culture and long barrel or carboy ageing, then blend for balance.
Classic examples
Well-known commercial examples of the style include Cantillon Gueuze, 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze and Boon Oude Geuze. Tasting a benchmark example is the best way to understand what a style should be before brewing your own.
| Vital statistic | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Origin | Belgium (Pajottenland) |
| Strength (ABV) | 5 to 8% |
| Bitterness (IBU) | 0 to 10 |
| Colour (SRM) | 5 to 13 |
| Traditional glass | Gueuze flute or tulip |
Typical published ranges. Individual examples vary.
Set up your Lambic and Gueuze on tap
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Sources: BJCP Beer Style Guidelines ยท Wikipedia