604 Foodtography

I didn’t really pick out any events to sit down and watch on the stages, but nearing the end of the night my feet were pretty tired and I wanted to sit down.

Tasting some lambic beer while doing that seemed to fit just perfectly with that, and so we waited for the show at 830pm.

I first heard of Lambic Beer during the Granville Island Brewing tour, and it intrigued me.

Lambic is a very distinctive type of beer brewed only in the Pajottenland region of Belgium (southwest of Brussels).

Unlike conventional ales and lagers, which are fermented by carefully cultivated strains of brewer’s yeasts, Lambic beer is instead produced by spontaneous fermentation: it is exposed to the wild yeasts and bacteria that are said to be native to the Senne valley, in which Brussels lies. It is this unusual process which gives the beer its distinctive flavour: dry, vinous, and cidery, with a slightly sour aftertaste.

I personally think of it as sophisticated beer, as it’s not something you’ll knock back with your friends on a chill Friday night, but rather something you should enjoy and really taste. It actually tastes very similar to wine, as it has no typical beer aftertaste. Educating us about Lambic beer was Justhereforthebeer.com and we were presented with 4 different beers, courtesy of Bravo Beer Co.

From left to right, Gueuze, Faro, Pêche and Kriek. All these links point to their respective product pages on Bravo Beer Co. They didn’t have any unopened bottles, but one thing I noticed was they all had CORKS, just like wine! That’s how similar they are, but by definition they are still beers.

The first beer we tried was the Gueuze, and it was….so sour! The reason behind this because they blend old and new lambic beer together, allowing for a second fermentation to occur. The yeast used gives it a very dry cidery sour taste, and it’s very strong. It’s very comparable to drinking straight lime juice. I just don’t understand how anyone could drink a whole bottle of this, but people do. You can pair it with food though, as can the rest of these beers.

Next was the Faro, and it smelt like creme brulee to me. What a change from the first, as this was sweet like caramel. It’s made by mixing lambic and lighter beer with brown sugar, resulting in a low alcohol content and a pleasant taste. You can even use it to cook, or reduce it and use it as a syrup.

Third was the Pêche, and it’s the perfect summer drink. I don’t say beer because it doesn’t taste like beer! It’s almost like drinking a peach cooler, and would be great during a barbeque or a day at the beach [not that I say you should drink in public places...]. My personal favorite out of the 4 we were given.

Last was the Kriek, and you can definitely smell the cherry flavour if you take a deep whiff. This was my second favorite.

Lambic beers are actually popular with females because of the sweet flavor and no bitter aftertaste that beers will leave in your mouth.

I really enjoyed the tasting and the little “lecture” we were given.

Lambic beer is rare, and if you manage to find some, take the time to educate yourself on this very distinctive type of beer, it’ll be worth it!

This concludes my experience at the EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival 2009, and what a good way to end the night.

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