One of the three newest OWA lambics and the last I had to taste, from a 75 cl bottle with cork and red paper ornament around the neck; the cork appeared very hard to remove. Off-white, moussy, initially medium thick but quickly thinning and opening head eventually reduced to a thin ring, over a misty, orange-tinged peach blonde beer, the 'mist' perturbed by vivid sparkling; clouded and even deeper 'rosy' orange with sediment, its darker than average hue no doubt the result of the added hibiscus. Aroma of funky De Troch lambic throughout, hinting at unripe plums, gooseberries, sour apples, wet wood, sweat, dry straw, hay, feta cheese, raw rhubarb, a vague touch of chlorine and vague rosehip and Chinese flower tea, more subtle than I was expecting but identifiable. Crisp sour onset, lemony but not harshly puckering, sour apples and sour grapes, very fruity with a very light 'stonefruit peel' wryness to it, softly fizzin carbonation; slick wheaty basis dried by the overall sourness, which manages to remain elegant, funky Brettanomyces notes retronasally as well as a deep layer of soaking wet wood, tannic and 'dusty'; sour fruitiness remains dominant and refreshing, with a touch of rosehip wryness and floral hibiscus sweetishness, both again very subtle and volatile. Quite accessible for this series, less demanding than the strawberry and grape versions, fine De Troch lambic - a brand often a bit overlooked by the lambic afficionado thanks to the fact that it is very rare on the market in whatever unsugared and unpasteurized form.

One of the three newest lambics in this series, developed by a Japanese entrepreneur and making use of De Troch lambic; the two others are with Japanese strawberries and Japanese roses, this one uses Japanese grapes. From a 37.5 cl bottle with cork and with the typical, almost origami-inspired soft paper decoration on top, in this case purple in colour – quite an attractive packing method if you ask me. Snow white, moussy, barely lacing, quickly opening head fizzing away like the head on a glass of champagne into a thin open ring, over a lightly hazy, beautifully rosé champagne-coloured beer with warm orange glow, misty with sediment. Unusual but immediately lambic-y aroma of (strong) grape seed oil, old raisins, redcurrant, unripe sour grapes and grape peel, green raspberry bush leaves, dusty attic, old books, artisanal cider, dry hay, crackers, cava. Sharp fruit acidity in the mouth, like immature sour grapes with little to no fructose sweetness inside, wry effects of grape peel and unripe stonefruit as well as more crisp, lemony lambic sourness; fizzy, cava-like effervescence. Bready, cracker-like malt underbuilt dried by the lambic and fruit sourness, green berries and again sour grapes, hint of crabapple, turning more and more wry in the end, with woody effects being overshadowed by a very outspoken, astringent, bitter grape seed flavour, as if you eat a grape and accidentally bite on a seed – the same flavour, reminiscent of grapeseed oil as well, blends with the lambic’s natural sourness and wryness, establishing a complex, wry, earthy, dry but very appetizing finish. Not the most accessible lambic in general, a bit weird really, but that goes for all these OWA lambics I had so far (I have one more to go now) and in any case interesting; the girlfriend liked it a lot and who am I to disagree… Different, but very interesting and appetizing and for me more a success in terms of flavour refinement than the strawberry version I had weeks ago.

Bottle. Unclear glowing orange color with white head. Aroma is rosehip, a bit farty, tea, rose pedals. Taste is rosehip, flowery, barnyard, tea bitterness. Silky mouthfeel with natural carbonation. Very good!