At a Beijing “food and wine exhibition” (which was 95% wine) my favorite drinks were the Lindemans fruity beers — a type of beer called lambic. The label of the raspberry (framboise) one says:
Lindemans Framboise is a lambic made from local barley, unmalted wheat, and wild [= air-borne] yeast. After spontaneous fermentation, raspberries are added, creating a secondary fermentation and yielding a beer of exceptional flavor and complexity.
Maybe the presence of two quite different fermentations (grain and fruit) is why it tastes so good, just as this says. To me, the more important point is the linkage of fermentation and complexity — the idea that fermentation creates complexity.
Seth,
You are correct about Lambics and complexity. You may already may know this, but “spontaneous fermentation” refers to the fact that the brewer does not use specially cultured yeasts to ferment the beer, as is the normal practice. Instead the large vat of malts (later infused with fruits) is literally left open to the air. Whatever free floating bacteria and yeasts happen to find their way in to the wort (i.e. unfermented malts) drive the fermentation. Often the brewers will stomp on the roof of the brewery above the vats to dislodge yeasts etc. from the rafters.
P.S. In my experience, Belgian beers are full of complexity (Lambics are a type of Belgian Beer), I had always assumed due to unique strains of yeast.
Seth, I love the Raspberry Lambic and am happily surprised to see that you wrote about it! I’d like to try the other flavors so I should get around to that =)
I love lambics! For me part of it is that they don’t seem to use hops. I hate the bitter taste of hops.