i suggested that it was a subculture because the comments all have a similar tone and come in batches, which is something you are not privy to as a reader – 4 in one day, then 3 days of silence, etc. follows the pattern of something that is being passed around.

i have taken you up on your suggestion and written a repentant post on how to make lambic beer, although if you must send me on a pilgrimage to Pajottenland surely I won’t protest!

Sorry, but I must intensify my condemnation of the lambic section. Meredith, if you had even read (or rather comprehended) the well-written Asimov article you linked to, you would have avoided your most egregious factual blunders.

To suggest that the critical commentary is due to the opinions of a ‘sub-culture’ or to insinuate that there is some dispute or debate on the facts is simply undefensible. You in fact did not do your basic research and for that you should not be forgiven.

A full Lambic article, please! As your penance, at least. You are lucky we don’t prescribe an expiatory pilgrimage to the Payottenland to fully expurgate your sins.

For starters, hops are only a flavoring agent in beer, and not a source of fermentable sugar. A “barrel of hops” left outside would yield nothing over time but a barrel of rotten hops. Wheat and malted barley are the sources of the alcohol in lambic. These are steeped in warm water to ‘mash’ out the sugars and then boiled in a kettle much like any other beer.

And while it is true that they are ‘spontaneously’ fermented by ambient microorganisms, this generally occurs over the course of a day or so in shallow “coolships”, often located in the attic of the brewery, where vents can be opened to promote air circulation. However, the rooms in which this has been done for years have accumulated many of the desirable micro-organisms, so the notion of wild yeast “blowing in on the wind”, while romantic, is largely inaccurate. And the resulting fermenting beer is allowed to mature in barrels in the warehouse.

As for the commenters – can you really claim that homebrewing is ‘green’? Aren’t you using copious water from the local supply? Don’t you order ingredients from commercial suppliers who have had them shipped to their facility, and then to you? I am a homebrewer myself, and think there are many great things about it, but this argument doesn’t seem to stand up.

Keep up the good work, Meredith – would love to see a follow-up with a fact-based description of lambic, which truly does have some regional and sustainable qualities to celebrate and which, like many similar products, is all too close to extinction!

1. I agree that organic beer and sustainable beer are not the same thing. This article describes sustainable beer, not organic beer. I do not mention organic beer. Read the article first, comment thereafter.

2. I got my information about Lambic beer from a friend who grew up in the Senne Valley and told me about the traditional, homebrewing methods of his grandparents. I have linked a corroborating article from the New York Times. It is likely that methods have changed since then and I apologize for not specifying that I was referring to the old-fashioned system. I understand that commercial “lambic-style” beers are made with corn syrup in the fruit puree and closed, climatized brewing. Although I imagine that many people would not consider this lambic beer at all.

Rather than a detailed article on the process of making commercial lambic beer, this was a brief tidbit with a link so that anyone interested had a source for more extensive information. From the NY Times:

“Instead of managing fermentation, the lambic brewer leaves it to nature. Wild yeasts, along with just about anything else in the air, shepherd the brew on its path to beerhood, converting barley and wheat sugars into alcohol, producing fascinating and, dare I say, wine-like beers.”

I have obviously tapped into a subculture that is passionate, as also mentioned in the NY Times: “As in any community of passionate devotees, serious debate rages over what constitutes authentic lambic beer.” It seems that my article is now passing between members of said subculture, which is great. However, some of their comments have not been written in the spirit of discourse. I dislike engaging them, but I dislike the idea of our readers thinking that I don’t fact check even more. Please, if you have any doubt, check the links that accompany this article. Thanks!

In addition, while I can appreciate all that NB and Sierra and the rest of the list are doing to make their beers more sustainable, as a professional brewer, I can tell you they are not coming close to the level of sustainability inside the brewery that you see at Bud, Coors, or Miller. But the most sustainable beer, by far, is beer that you buy at your local brewery. Anything that is put into glass and is shipped is highly unsustainable in comparison to anything you might drink at the local brewpub or growler you take home from said brewpub.