Lembeek is a
small Belgian town that sits about 10 kilometers southwest of Brussels on the
border between the country’s Flemish and Walloon regions. In what by now must
seem like a small Brussels suburb, Lembeek lies squarely within the heart of Senne
Valley, where the wild yeasts from the Senne River, along with wild yeasts lurking
within the brewery, spontaneously feed on the sugar-rich worts of some of the
region’s finest breweries – a process that gives rise to those sour, cidery,
and super dry lambic beers that people love, hate, or have yet to try. Lembeek
is also home to Boon Brouwerij, which brews a variety of largely spontaneously
fermented beer. Matured in oak barrels, Boon’s Framboise (French for raspberry)
is an amazing raspberry blend of old and young lambics. If you are in the “never
tried” category, I suggest reading a bit about lambics by checking out the
links below and then finding a friend that is brave enough to split one with
you. And Boon’s Framboise, with its fruity and funky balance, is a good one to
begin with.
My particular
sample was a vintage 2010, although I’ve had one or two a few years back before
I was serious enough to document my beer samples. The body appears as a bright
red color with a small, fluffy, light pink head. The lacing is a bit thin and
runny, which seems to be the case with most lambics I’ve tried. The aroma is far
less “wild” than what one might anticipate from a lambic. To be sure, scents of
barnyard are present, but the raspberry aroma is surprisingly powerful,
although not overpowering. Strong vinegar and earthy aromas also come forward,
which really adds to the beer’s roughness. The taste is certainly sour, but the
raspberries add a level of sweetness to it that really makes Boon’s Framboise a
remarkably well-balanced brew. Not surprisingly, the mouthfeel comes with lots
of carbonation, and the finish is quite dry.
If you’ve had
just about any other fruit lambic, say Kriek for example, then I’m sure you’ll
find Framboise to be a rather sweet concoction. That said, the overall balance
is still on the sour side – enough to tell the drinker that, indeed, one is
downing some of the Senne Valley’s finest funkiness.
Links
Brouwerij F.
Boon: http://www.boon.be/
Lambic on
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambic
Framboise on
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framboise
Image credits
Belgique: http://www.belgique.co.uk/
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