Best Easier to Find Fruit Lambics

Sure, if you're going to include the appellate, then that's true. But there are a few American made beers that are referred to as "lambic" without the same knee-jerk "no they're not" reaction. Resurgam and Le Roar Grrrz for example; those also do not include the wild Lambeek yeast, but rather local wild yeast.

Lagering is just letting the beer sit around

The bold parts of this quote (from Raspberry Tart) sound very much like (current) lambic technique to me.

This also makes it sound like excepting the appellate, they in fact are brewed as lambics.

 

following. interested in this thread.

 

My point is that none of the 750 ml bottles of NG beers are even remotely close to a taste, quality, style, etc of a Belgian fruited lambic such as a Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen. To mention them together is a disservice to the aforementioned Belgians.

 

I agree with the first half of your statement, but disagree with the latter half. That's like saying that referring to Guinness as a stout is a disservice to BCBS; the fact is that both are stouts.

Besides, this thread has nothing to do with Cantillon, the whole point of this conversation is "easier to find" and Cantillon certainly is not that (in the US).

 

Actually it differs in the strain of yeast and its symbiotic bacteria that are doing the fermentation, etc. So just as Sourdough bread made in San Francisco will taste different from the Sourdough made in, say the Steppes of Russia, the beers will have different flavors from those critical bugs and creatures. This is why some people reserve the term "lambic" for beers from a particular region of Belgium. For example, two notable producers such as Allagash and Russian River specifically avoid "lambic."

 

Most of the Allagash small bottles and coolships have been phenomenal.
Tilquin is pretty close to the same quality as 3F or Loons and is much easier to find
Uplands are sour as fuck, and are easy to get in Chicago, but are not a lambic...IMO
Boon, Hanssens, Beersel all have some quality offerings. They are all over the shelves at Binny's.

Just stay away form anything that has a ton of artificial color and sweetener in it (ie Lindemanns)

 

Sure, that's what I was referring to above with the term appellate, similar to sparkling wine made outside Champagne, France can't be Champagne, and beer made outside Koln, Germand can't be Kolsch. I'm not discounting terroir, just pointing out that the Allagash/RR/Bullfrog wild ales don't engender the same "that's not even close to lambic" response as the New Glarus beers do, despite similar brewing technique among them.

I wish all of the things you list here were easy to find.

 

Lambic are like Champagne. Cant be a lambic if its not from belgium and cant be a champagne if its not from france

 

I think they need a turbid mash, as well. Really though, if you're looking for a flavor profile there are many breweries that use spontaneous fermentation here in the us.

 

The reaction people have is a different issue. Some folks mislabel their beers and get away with it, some refuse to use the label "lambic" and make a point of indicating that they are not doing Lambics (e.g., RR and Allagash). Its not just the fermentation technique of spontaneous fermentations, otherwise that would make soudough bread starters Lambics...

 

Someone mentioned the Mikkeller Spontan series. These are tasty, readily available, but pricy as hell.

 

Thought to find, but tilquin generally sits on the shelf the longest. They have a plum sour that is wonderful.

 

Fair enough, but I'm not saying that spontaneous fermentation alone makes a beer a lambic, even stylistically (ignoring terroir). NG, as well as RR/Allagash/Bullfrog, not only use spontaneous fermentation, they also use oak vessels and aged hops, both of which are important to lambic brewing.

To be truly "lambic" it does need to be brewed in that region, similar to Champagne or Kolsch, as it is that region's specific wild yeast/bacteria that uniquely makes the beer; the point I'm making is more closely related to "lambic style".

 

I dont usually say this on here no would i normally on the internet But YOU ARE WRONG.

Authentic lambics are only produced in the Senne River Valley region of Belgium near Brussels. Beer that is spontaneously fermented but is not from Belgium cannot be true lambic beer.

 

Hanssens gets my vote. They tend to be more available than 3F and (especially) Cantillon. Tilquin sells out instantly in some places and sits in others...so it's worth a look, too.

While I love the New Glarus fruit beers, even more than "real" lambics, I don't think they're all that close. By all means grab some, but don't expect them to approximate any except maybe very loosely Lindemans.

 

So the yeast doesn't matter?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambic

 

Lambic or fruits shouldn't even be considered "beer" because they don't follow Reinheitsgebot laws from Germany.

 

Even if you use everything or even an exact clone of a Cantillon and brew it at your house in the USA. It still would not be a "Lambic" because you didnt brew it in Senne River Valley region of Belgium near Brussels.

you will tequinically only have a sour beer. or spontaneously fermented beer

 

Germany no longer follows Reinheitsgebot law and us now Provisional German Beer Law. because if Reinheitsgebot law was still in place no beer with yeast added would be beer

 

Uh...why do you think I posted the link? Did you care to actually take my post into context?