Lindemans Framboise

Beer is the chameleon of the alcohol world. It can lubricate uncomfortable gatherings and transform any meeting into a party. Turn an otherwise bland meal into something stupendous or blossom new flavors from an old favorite recipe. It can improve solitary introspection while making a quiet moment thunderous. There is a beer for everyone, every meal, and every occasion. There's even one that can simultaneously satiate two people that have opposite tastes in alcohol.

A beer's style is determined by the type of  yeast used to convert its sugars into alcohol. There are three different types of yeast: Top-fermenting warm temperature yeast, bottom-fermenting cool temperature yeast, and wild spontaneous fermenting yeast. Top/warm fermenting yeasts produce beers that tend to be darker, more aromatic, and fruitier called ales. Bottom/cool yeasts produce beers that tend to be dryer, cleaner, and lighter because the cool yeast ferments slower and consumes more of the sugar. These beers are called lagers. Both of these are painstakingly pure strains of very specific brewer's yeasts that have been cultivated in controlled environments for centuries. The third type of yeast, wild spontaneous fermenting yeast, is drastically different. So much so that the beer it produces, called lambic, can sometimes be misinterpreted a another type of alcohol.  

Lambic is produced with wild yeast from the countryside of the Senne Valley in Belgium where the breweries reside. The breweries literally open a series of doors and expose their wort to the fresh valley air causing yeast and bacteria to collect, causing fermentation. The use of wild yeast creates a very tart, lightly carbonated, acidic beer that is off-putting to many not familiar with the style. To help cut the tartness sweet fresh fruit is sometimes added to the fermentation process. The flavors of the fruit combine with the natural acidic tart of the lambic to create what I feel is two separate drinks in one solitary bottle. A fruit lambic.

Thanks to my wife and her friend I was able to discover this polished gem. Lindeman's Framboise (frun-buwaz) (raspberry) (razz-bery) Lambic. Looking more like a sparkling wine or champagne than a beer , the framboise was something fascinatingly different from the get-go. Huge juicy raspberries explode on nose when the cork is popped. The velvety deep maroon beer gives birth to a pinkish fizzy foam that laces the rim of the glass. The sweet, fresh raspberry takes the lead and dominates this one. No fake syrupy crap here! Tiny effervescent bubbles press the aromatics out and allow for a full taste of the juicy fruit. The tart of the lambic rolls over your tongue in perfect harmony with the raspberries and the sharp acidity of the lambic creates a beautiful clean release. This is the perfect balance between sweet and tart. A perfect sweet and bubbly treat for my wife and a mysterious tart delight for me. With no red card it gets 2 red shirts out of 1. I had this with waffles and syrup but any breakfasty type food is great. There has never been a better reason to serve breakfast for dinner (or booze with breakfast!).

cheers