Venturing into the world of a cassis Belgian lambic is a trip through the mysteries of spontaneous fermentation. While ales and lagers come into this world through the calculated mixture of brewer’s yeast, the lambics are fermented in open air with wild yeasts and bacteria. Lindemans ages their lambics in oak after the spontaneous fermentation. This process is a unique craft of the Belgians, and I find Lindemans Lambic to be one of my favorite exports of Brussels, second only to “Tin Tin”.

This lambic is derived from cassis and has been brewed since 1811. It is essentially a malt beverage with black currents. It certainly serves a very different palate purpose than your standard beer. It may be more suited as an after-dinner drink; perhaps one could see it as “the port of the beer family”. It’s an aromatic drink with a sweet, lightly carbonated taste that lingers. For those that may be a fan of ciders, you will most likely enjoy this. If you happen to find yourself in the Venice, CA area, be sure to stop by “The Other Room”. This is a fantastic beer bar with an excellent music selection, and while it doesn’t have the cassis on tap, it does offer the framboise, which is delectable as well. Just tell them “The Admiral” sent you. Actually, you had better not…