Lemon Basil Bosbessen - Club Exclusive

In order to understand the history of fruited Lambics, one must first understand the long, rich history of Lambic itself. A beer that we would likely recognize as Lambic was being lovingly produced in Belgium as early as the 12th century. In order to do so, the brewer, who was often also a farmer, built a mash consisting of 60% malted barley and 40% wheat. A minimum volume of aged hops was added to the boil solely for their preservative properties. Next the wort was transferred to a coolship, a long, wide and shallow vessel, designed, as the name implies, to cool the wort. In through the open windows, along with the chilly Belgian breeze, came magic. Soon, the wort began to bubble and foam, the result (we now know) of a mixed culture fermentation beginning. Finally, the slowly fermenting elixir was moved to oak barrels for maturation.

Adding fruit to traditionally produced Lambic is a significantly more recent development in brewing history, and likely began as a cottage industry. In fact, the first explicit mention we find of a cherry addition lies in the 1878 manuscript of a tenant farmer named Josse De Pauw from Schepdaal, Belgium. The fact that this tradition blossomed around the village of Schaarbeek outside Brussels is no accident as the cherries of the same name were once abundant in the area. And while cherries were likely the first fruit to be combined with Lambic, they were certainly not the last. The resultant beers have traditionally been named simply for the fruit included.     

Bosbessen is made by racking young Lambic-inspired beer onto fresh Draper Blueberries, grown just up the road in Odell, at a rate of 3 lbs. per gallon. After several initial punch-downs to encourage extraction from the blueberry skins, the fruit and beer were then left alone to mingle for more than two months. They are now one.

To our near finished Bosbessen we added lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh basil to the beer. We aged and then racked it as soon as we felt it was just right. The result is a botanical, blueberry, and lemon experience. Enjoy this gentle sipper!