Boon Oude Lambik

Brewed by Brouwerij F. Boon
Style: Lambic - Unblended
Lembeek, Belgium

direct from an oak barrel cask @ Brussels 9th Belgian Beer weekend. pours hazy golden with small soap bubbles for a head. nose is really nice, oaky, lemon, vinegar, and rather funky. flavor is oaky, funky, and very earthy. not very sour, but complex, palate is long. flavor isn’t that great but it is plesant and refreshing.

batch 52 at the Ginger Man. This has one of the most magnificent aromas I´ve ever smelled. Whole line of fruits and greaps, coutntry, outhouse, old smelly socks! Taste is very bitter for a lambic, sweetness in the finish. A bit woody, sugary, not very acid for a lambic, obvious vanilla and flowery. Exceptional and very very very underrated imho

Cask 17. Draft tulip at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/illinois/chicag Leaf, Chicago. They had a lambic blending session here last week that I, of course, missed, but I finally got to visit this place last weekend and asked whether there was any chance of a Faro (the last style I haven’t tried). Nope, sorry. But after I’d settled with a St. Druon de Sebourg, the server sets this on my table, saying "I just emptied the cask for this, so enjoy!" THANKS!
Color is iced tea brown, with a few bubbles clinging to the sides. Just a tiny ring of foam along the edge. My main aroma impression is of definite cidery sourness. But very likable, even if I’m no expert on sour beers. I couldn’t begin to describe the characteristic aged hops, but I could sense them in the background. Indeed this is the raw stuff of fruitier exclusively Belgian creations. Toward the end, I’m reminded of the old Adams Sour Orange Gum, then a tight dry finish.

Cask sample of 52 at Dilly Deli. Poured hazy copper color with an average fizzy off-white head that mostly diminished with fair lacing. Moderate sour yeasty raw leather aroma. Medium body with a slick texture. Medium sour & sweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderated duration. This is a standout for this style beer.

Batch 52 (8.6% ABV). Tap at the Ginger Man. Very deep amber coloured beer, lightly hazy and almost still. Burnished orange appearance... quite a nice looking glass. Aroma is very tart, with earthy funkiness, rich mustiness and soft lactic acidity. Bright citrusy lemony character and a fairly pronounced vanilla flavour. Loads of funkiness with a light cidery character. There is a touch of metallic character that is a little unappealing. Lots of apple skin/lemon fruitiness. Strong mustiness and wild funkiness on the back.

Both batches on tap at Ginger Man. #52: Pungent, funky nose. Stinky cheese and old oak. Kind of icy, oaky sourness. Oak is big and brutish but warm and wintery. Lightly tart, totally flat. Very drinkable. 8/3/7/4/3.8.

#17B: Kind of pissy, muddled rice nose. Thinner and a bit of acetone. Everything about this cask is worse than the former. 7/3/6/4/3.3

CASK 17B - 90.13 Hectos (Unblended)

Description
Cask 17B has 9013 liters of content, was made of winter oak (quercus petraea) in the 1930-ies and was polished inside before filling. It was filled with two brews, #O71 and #O72 from February 17th and 18th 2004. The original gravity was 15, 30° Plato and the apparent fermentation degree reached 100% in November 2006. At the moment of kegging the alcohol% was 7.9% Vol.

Flavor Notes
The Lambic of this cask has a very nice woody character: cloves, vanilla and the typical whisky-lactone. The abundant lactic acid from the young beer was converted at a high degree into esters, forming together with other ethyl-esters the typical citrus muscat complex. Tannins from the oak and beta-bitterness from the aged hops complete the whisky-bitterness of this wonderful Lambic.

Serving
14°C (57.2°F). If Iambic becomes effervescent, serve it with a pitcher (stir it a little bit) and let it stand for 10 minutes.

7/26/2007: Clear golden color. Very acidic and almost like vinegar to the nose. There is also a little wet blankel funk/mustiness to the aroma. Flavor is lightly acidic with some faint apple. Hint of wood and a mild bitterness in the finish. Light and mellow on the palate. Very bright overall.

Draught at the Dilly Deli, compliments of Tmoney99. Thanks Tom. I appreciate it! Rating: 8 3 7 3 15 = 3.6
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CASK 52 - 87.6 Hectos (Unblended)

Description
Cask 52 has 8670 liters of content. It is an oval cask, made of winter oak (quercus petraea) in 1961 and was half polished inside before filling. It was filled with two brews, #O27 and #O28 from November 5th and 6th 2003. The original gravity was 16.50° Plato and the apparent fermentation degree reached 100% in September 2006. At the moment of kegging the alcohol% was 8.6% Vol.

Flavor Notes
The Lambic of this cask has a nice acidity balance. It has more volatile acids compared to #17B and is more complex. Lactic acid from the young beer was also converted at a high degree into esters, but the typical citrus-muscat complex is enhanced by the volatile acid. The few tannins from the oak are dominated by beta bitterness from the aged hops. The woody whisky-bitterness with a lot of oak-vanilla comes at the end of the taste and lasts for a long moment.

Serving
14°C (57.2°F). If Iambic becomes effervescent, serve it with a pitcher (stir it a little bit) and let it stand for 10 minutes.

7/26/2007: Clear, light amber in color. Aroma has a hint of raw honey, light butteriness, and some acidity. Flavor is mellow and has some wet wood, delicate honey and vanilla, earthy. Mediu-light body, smooth and milky texture. More dry than the Cask 17B at times, but oddly also slightly more sweet as well...

Draught at the Dilly Deli, compliments of Tmoney99. Thanks again Tom. I really appreciate it! Rating: 8 3 7 4 15 = 3.7

WOSF 07’ Clear golden with no head. Vanilla, wattle sap and mild acid aroma. Light body, light medicinal flavour, notes of coconut and vanilla too. Tart finish, good stuff.