Pity the irony.
That I should discover Melbourn Bros. Spontaneous Fermentation Cherry beer of the Lambic style, only because my local purveyor of fine beers is putting it on close-out because the distributor is no longer carrying it in this region.
The sour cherry flavor is phenomenal. I put it against Lindeman's Kriek lambic, any day, for 1/4 the price or less. Brewed in Lincolnshire, England, the Melbourn Bros. beer can't properly call it a "lambic" any more than the better California sparkling white wines could call themselves a Champaigne-- it wasn't brewed from the spontaneous wild yeasts and bacterias [!] blowing in the windows of the breweries around Belgium.
It has 6 ingredients: Water, Barley Malt, Wheat, Hops, Yeast, and Cherries.
I've tried the stawberry, and it's fit to drink, too.
Even the bottles are worthwhile-- extra heavy-duty and with a hard shoulder in the old style, to pour the unfiltered beer into a glass in one pour, leaving the dap of yeast and cherry sediment in the bottom of the bottle and giving you a clear glass of red goodness.
I may have to find me a source. Maybe the same one that will finally bring me a bottle of Stone's Ruination.
Labels: beer
4 Comments:
When I first arrived in Europe on the first trip there, my local friends took me to a pub on the Grande Place in Brussels and I had a Kriek Cherry there. Glorious. There's something about being close to the source. And anywhere you have that kind of beer, there's something that tickles my knees about the tartness of a good lambic. Will check out the label you mention - sounds great!
If you like the fruit flavors of lambics, you might also like Unibroue's Éphémère - it's a lovely green apple ale.
Matt, that sounds really good. I may pop down to Spec's, here in Houston, and see if they have either of these. If I find they have Melbourn Bros., I will let you know. Your choice then to come to Sodom on the Bayou or not.
Mmmm...Lambic.
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