It was hot. very, very hot. And so, as inexorably happens in these situations, my thoughts turned to beer. Something refreshing, light-bodied to be sure, but also something with character, and of course, flavor. Should you be surprised I went to Belgium? Not literally, of course, as I didn't board a plane, but I did go for a bit of Belgium in anyway. How? By popping the cap off of a bottle of Lindeman's Framboise Lambic.

I did have to pull a cork out, too, as you'll find if you try this one, so be sure to have a corkscrew handy as there's a cork hidden underneath the cap and behind a curtain of shiny red foil on the neck.

Lindeman's Framboise Lambic is a fruit beer (Framboise is French for raspberry), but it's also a Lambic, one of the most unique styles of beer in the world. Lambics are technically wheat beers, but not in the sense of a Bavarian hefeweizen. The yeast that gives those German brews their distinctive flavor are lacking here. Lambics are hopped, to be sure, but the hops are aged to remove aroma and excess bitterness, leaving just enough to balance the sweetness of the malt.

But things get even more interesting. Unlike most beers which are fermented with a carefully cultivated yeast strain, true Lambics (those made in the Zenne River Valley in Belgium) are left to ferment spontaneously. This adds a truly distinctive, sour flavor to these beers. Framboise Lambic has the added benefit of whole raspberries added to the fermenter, adding a truly refreshing and wonderful fruit flavor to the finished beer.

Lindeman's Framboise Lambic pours to a dark cherry red color with a very thick head formation of tightly packed pink foam and an absolutely luscious fruity raspberry nose. A thick layer of pink Brussels lace clings to the sides of my glass as well. Taking a sip is a little bit of beer heaven, as your palate is immediately confronted with simply wonderful fresh raspberry flavor. The beer is smooth and even creamy, too, and calls forth refreshing notions of a cold dish of sherbet.  In the finish, there's a drying tartness tempered slightly with a hint of sugary sweetness.

It's the latter trait that offends some beer purists. Because Lindemans adds sugar to their Lambics to attenuate some of the tartness, the beers are viewed as sort of second class. I tend to disagree. Sure, I love the puckering sourness of other Lambics, but that's here, too. In fact, the beer seems to be more tart than I recall it from the past, and there's a bit of almost green apple sourness to be found here.

I find this beer to be a pure delight, and a really great refresher on a hot day. I've been drinking it for over two decades now, and look to do so for many more. Try it, and you'll feel the same



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