The Language of Lambic

Here are some terms, styles, and definitions to help you navigate the world of Belgian sours.

Framboise (also, framboos and frambozen)

These beers brewed with raspberries can range from overly sweetened quasi-lambics made with raspberry juice to pleasantly fruity versions with a mild sweetness on up to traditional versions made with whole raspberries steeped in six- to twelve-month-old lambics for a period of several months. Whole raspberries are often frozen after their harvest and then used during the winter brewing and bottling season. 4 to 7 percent ABV.

Framboise Lambiek

These beers are made with whole raspberries steeped in six- to twelvemonth-old lambic for several months and usually served on draft. Only Cantillon, De Cam, and 3 Fonteinen offer versions for commercial sale, although even these are rarely seen. 5 to 6 percent ABV.

Kriek

This term is used for a whole gamut of cherry beers, ranging from mildly sweet, fruity, and enjoyable to unadulterated sugar bombs brewed with cherry juice. 4 to 7 percent ABV.

Kriekenlambiek (also, kriek lambic and kriekenlambik)

These beers are made with sour cherries (krieken) steeped in six- to twelve-month-old lambic for three to nine months. The cherries are intensely fruity, while the flavor is mildly to moderately tart, with very limited carbonation. The most common examples are from Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen, Girardin, Oud Beersel, and Timmermans. This style is most often offered on draft or in a bag-in-box format (such as the Timmerman’s Krieknlambic pictured below). 5 to 6.5 percent ABV.

Oude Kriek

These beers are made only with whole sour cherries steeped for three to nine months in lambic that is usually at least a year old and refermented in the bottle. Legally, this style must be composed entirely of cherry (kriek) lambic or lambics. Some producers make their versions with a blend of cherry lambics, which can be from six months old to three years old. This style is as traditional as it gets, and the best examples can be breathtakingly tart and funky, with intense fruit characteristics (such as the Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek, pictured below). 6 to 7 percent ABV.

Steeping (also, macerating)

This is the process of soaking fruits, such as cherries and raspberries, in lambic for a period of time to impart the flavors and aromas of the fruits to the lambic. Some lambic makers steep cherries and raspberries with lambic in wooden barrels, while others take lambics that have aged in wooden barrels, put them in stainless steel tanks, and add fruit for maceration. Either method can produce excellent beers.

Stones

The Belgians (and most Europeans) refer to the pits in fruits such as cherries and plums as stones.