Several years ago while in Europe, I decided to check one more item from my bucket list and drive to Belgium to sample lambics in their home fearing these beers might be soon s subject of Beers that fell victim to ignorance and E.U. There are many realities of European Union. One is the ease of traveling from one country to another. No borders, no customs and in most of the member countries same currency is used.
Hold on, I don't want to start a discussion on this topic.
Another angle is EU's bureaucracy push to unify and standardize every little aspect of its members' lives. Imagine McDonald's establishing their own country and you get the picture. Everything looking and tasting the same, mediocre at best. No space for local traditions, culture of preferences. Don't tell boss somewhere in HQ not all diners go crazy over his idea of cardboard taste! You get the message. That's how some parts of what's happening over there seem to me.
What does it have to do with lambics you ask? Well, if rumour has it right, EU is pushing really hard to get all the lambic brewers to clean up. Not their act! Their breweries! It means dusting every corner of premises, taking down all the cobwebs, making the places as clean ad possible. That is exactly what you want you will argue. No bacteria other than your own yeast, no contamination. It seems to be a gospel even home brewers are religiously reciting.
Not so fast, my little friend. If you are a lambic brew master, you worship the "devil" himself. The crazy and wild bacteria and yeast are omnipresent in every lambic brewery. Little less than hundred different "bugs' live here according to some sources. They are present in the air, wood structures and every other welcoming place they can find to live long and prosper The two most worshiped ones are Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces lambicus.
So if you clean up really well, you are going to wipe out the entire family of meanies and nasties including Beelzebub himself. The downside to that is that you will send to oblivion one of the oldest preserved brewing traditions and deny future generations chance to fall in love with this unique member of family of beers so dominated by multinational bottom line hostage monstrosities producing megagigazilions of gallons of bland tasteless carbonated liquid so many are hypnotized into believing to be beer.we desire.We should meniton that on of the main reasons lambics are still produced is total fascination with everything from Belgium on North American continent.
Lambics are not the most popular when it comes to beer styles.
Perhaps we should learn from the big brewers: When I snap my fingers, you will wake up and head over to the nearest liquor or party store and ask for lambic. You will repeat this routine once a month. ......SNAP!!!
Did it work Do you have an urge to go out and try some lambic?
Good! You might be the one to make them stay for all the future beer lovers.
SNAP!! if it did not work, why not give it try anyway.
Cheers
Milos
So many beers and so little time!!
