5

Acidic, sharp, yeasty, sour, raw

7.6

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

One of the first products launched by a brand new lambic brewery in the Pajottenland region, Vlezenbeek more precisely, where Lindemans is also located; still the business address (according to the label) is in Diest, far more east and well outside of the Pajottenland region, so I have no idea - as yet - how this brewery operates. Are the owners living in Diest but hiring a place in Vlezenbeek to brew their beers? Time will tell, and the information above may be adjusted if more details become known. From the scarce information I have managed to gather so far, these guys do actually brew their own lambic, though some of their creations are described as 'oud bruin' (Flemish red - which technically is of mixed fermentation) or 'saison' (which is normally top-fermented). Last brewing season apparently produced only 80 hl of beer, so I am glad I found this 'Children of the Grapes', a grape lambic using Pinot Noir and Müller-Thurgau (a white Swiss variety dating back to the late 19th century) - but weirdly, it is also flavoured with bayleaf, an ingredient I have only very rarely seen in beer and never in lambic... Bottle with - for this kind of beers - modern and abstract label, corked and capped, with the cork being damaged in my case, and oddly touching the liquid underneath. Not much pressure when opening, almost none in fact, but nevertheless producing a medium sized, nicely moussey, off-white, opening head lasting for a while (before dissolving into nothing) over a hazed, warm, darkish-orange blonde robe with sienna-brownish tinge. Aroma of grape skin, lots of dry wood, old books, dusty attic, natural wine, old wrinkled apples, stewed rhubarb, unsugared gooseberry jam, indeed a herbal whiff of dry bayleaf, funky notes of stale urine and even vague manure, barnyard, hints of fried tomato, unripe nectarine, persimmon, lemon. Fruity, juicy onset, lots of tart and sweet 'grapeyness', with unripe nectarine-like astringency but also a clear, smooth vinosity and outspoken grape flavour; hints of cooked rhubarb and stewed storage apples join in, as well as a vague meaty undertone (proteins). Carbonation, though present at first, is close to flat in the end, so I assume this was bottled unblended; mouthfeel as a result becomes even more vinous, with more emphasis on the softly astringent character of the grape skins; in the end a pronounced yet not overwhelming woodiness sets in, helping those tannic astringent effects a bit further along the way through a bready core with considerable yoghurty lactic acidity. Still, the generous fruitiness, both tart and sweet, keeps providing enough 'juice' to keep everything palpable, even if the finish does remain quite astringent. Bayleaf does appear briefly (retronasally) and seems to accentuate that meaty note rather than the fruit - with a rather odd, but not necessarily unpleasant effect; quite some 'funk' is also going on, shifting from horse stable and barnyard over wet hay to overripe fruit stored in a damp cellar. An original one with a distinct character (not in the least established by that bayleaf), but very 'honest' and 'touchably' authentic, with all those cellary, barnyardy and funky notes a true lambichead can appreciate. I do believe, however, that backblending this with a splash of young lambic to spark refermentation and provide a more stable effervescence (and head stability) could bring improvement; in this form, it still feels a bit 'raw', soupy, unfinished and kitchen-made, if you get my drift. Nonetheless an interesting newcomer on this market, which is still expanding in a beer world otherwise declining. I am not yet entirely convinced, but this grape lambic is still interesting enough to follow these guys, and maybe purchase another bottle from them when given the chance.