I have often wondered why citrus fruit species are not used more often in lambic, with all those fruit experiments the lambic producers have been doing in the past few decades – in fact, apart from a hobby experiment here and there (lemon lambic by Ghent’s Pomphuizeke, for instance), I have never even encountered one that was actually marketed. Until last Saturday, that is, when Tilquin presented the first four of a third series of experimental fruit lambics, including this one with clementines, often equated with mandarins though botanically speaking a hybrid of mandarin and (sweet) orange. Medium thick, snow white, mousy, open head on a hazy peach blonde beer with orange glow. Aroma of indeed a lot of crisp citrus in a ‘greenish’ way (pomelo or even unripe mandarin more than actual clementine the way I know it, but not less convincing), dry hay, grass silage, old lemon zest, dry wood, grapefruit pith, sow thistle or other bitter weeds, even slight incense in the very end (when warming up). Utterly crisp onset, lots of refreshing citric acid, lemony but in a ‘natural’ and refreshing way, low in sweetness but still not harshly sour or vinegary and thus retaining high drinkability in spite of its acidic punch; ‘green’ citrus fruit is again very noticeable, piercing through gooseberry and unripe plum effects. Some fine carbonation reveals that at least some form of refermentation must have taken place; smooth bread-crusty backbone with lingering bitter plant and citrus pith effects, eventually supported by a strong tannic woodiness and an earthy hop bitter note – yet that crisp, ‘agrum’ acidity, natural and refreshing as it is, remains the main ‘colour’ till the last drop. After having this one, I wonder even more why citrus lambics are such a rarity: this is astonishing, it could not have turned out better and exceeds my expectations completely. I hope Pierre Tilquin will decide on adding this one to the commercial range in bottled and refermented form!

Draft @ Tilquin 10ième Anniversaire - 2ième wknd.
Couleur blonde, dorée, col blanc crémeux.
Arôme offre un parfum très frais, idéal en terrasse, retrouve des effluves d'agrumes, de jus frais, tropical, avec en retrait le bouquet de lambics mais où le mélange des deux est franchement bien fait.
Palais est identique, super frais, usage de clémentine congelées en cubes, frais, juteux sans trop de sucre résiduel avec le palais finement acidulé et funk des lambics. Le mélange du fruit avec le lambic propulse cette dernière presque vers un léger pomelo.

8/V/21 - on tap @ Tilquin brewery (Rebecq), BB: n/a (2021-366) Thanks to Alengrin for sharing the beers!

Cloudy orange beer, small creamy white head, pretty stable, bit adhesive. Aroma: nice, lots of citrus, tangerines, orange peel, bit of a mineral impression. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: very nice, lots of pretty sweet tangerines, bit spicy, orange peel, floral notes, orange blossom, lovely! Aftertaste: spicy, peppery finish, dry, gentle acidity, very nice, some cinnamon, soft bitterness. Love it!