Lambrucha - Vanberg & DeWulf

ehammond1

California

4.2/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle (2012)

Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, CA

Gold straw with moderate amounts of visible carbonation. Leaves the glass fairly clean.

Lots of mustard seed in the aroma, along with bright, earthy, pepper character, grass, and a touch of pickle. Some acid as well. I really like the way this smells. It may not sound that good on paper, but it really comes together. Very bright and fresh aromas.

The flavor is similarly successful as the aroma, perhaps even more so. Lots of the mustard seed, pepper, and pickle character is well, and it comes together in a very refreshing, bright, quenching fashion. Some grass and some acidic sour character. Lots of kambucha flavor.

Thinner bodied with moderate carbonation.

Fantastic. This is an incredibly successful and delicious experiment.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 20:40:02 | More by ehammond1

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle: Poured a light hazy golden color lambic with a medium size bubbly head with minimal retention and not much lacing. Aroma of tart notes with light funky notes. Taste is refreshing with easy drinking tart notes with some light funky notes. Kombucha tea was harder to detect. Body was about average with good carbonation. Nice refreshing drink for summer with just the right amount of complexity.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 18:12:11 | More by Phyl21ca

Chelsea1905

Washington

3.96/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Light hazy yellow and orange hue

S - Crisp pepper tartness, with the tea like substance coming through

T - Initial hit of the tartness and what you'd expect from a Lambic hits, and then when you swallow expecting the sour funkness you actually get the deeper taste of the tea.

M - Light crisp and exactly as you'd expect from a Lambic, but there is a smoothing that the tea gives.

0 - Decent offering with a few strange tastes but worth trying for sure.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 18:36:13 | More by Chelsea1905

ngeunit1

California

4.16/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Clear golden-orange with a finger of frothy white head. Fades fairly slowly.

S - Wheat, lemon zest, sour and funky yeasts, tart green fruit, pepper, kombucha, some spices.

T - Wheat, lemon zest, funky and sour yeasts, kombucha, Belgian yeast, some spices, pepper, tart green fruit.

M - Medium-minus bodied moderate carbonation.Smooth with a dry, tart, and lightly spicy finish.

D - Interesting mix of flavors, but the balance is spot on. Very crisp and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 07:24:10 | More by ngeunit1

DmanGTR

New York

4.26/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Review from notes. Had this during our 10 year anniversary.

Poured brilliant hazy yellow, like a deep lemon with a nicely formed white head in my Trappistes Rochefort chalice. Left a touch of lace as it diminished into a thin froth. The nose is quite nice with a huge bouquet. I felt like I was in a citrus stand on a fine mid morning in summer near a farm. Lots of tartness of lemon, orange, and acid that is meshed with the tiniest whiff of a well tended field behind a farm. The quaff is refreshing, crisp, and effervescent. I can easily down the whole glass but I do prefer to savor it. It pairs very well with shrimp cocktail. Overall, a steal for $12/750ml. I will pick up more next time I see it.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 02:40:40 | More by DmanGTR

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -40.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

750mL bottle poured into tulip - thanks brian, i think

Pours a pale golden color with thick, frothy foam resting on top. Webbed lacing coats the glass, slowly dissolving.

Incredibly odd nose with funky, musty yeast and extremely vegetal notes. Touches of lambrucha and tea leaves, dirt, and herbs. Lactic tartness completes the muddled mess.

Starts off tart and funky, masquerading itself as a lambic for a brief moment with a dash of citrus peel and peppery spice. The entire experience goes completely off the rails in a flaming trainwreck shortly thereafter, obliterated by musty beans, dirt, offensive vegetal notes and rotting tea leaves. Random flavors of herb and meat (rosemary chicken?), increasing funk and tartness into the liberating finish.

Lighter medium body, slightly higher carbonation, bubbly and unfortunately lingering on the tongue. I think "what the fuck is this?" was the overall consensus on this beer. I've tried it more than once and hopefully this was the last time.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 13:49:43 | More by xnicknj

kojevergas

California

2.8/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Green glass bottle with hood and wire cap over a cork acquired at an L.A. bottle shop for $12.99 and served into a New Belgium stem goblet in me gaff in Los Feliz. Reviewed live. Expectations are fairly high; it was recommended by a friend and I'm in the mood for a good sour.

Served straight from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a three finger white colour frothy foamy head of good cream and thickness, and good retention - though the ABV is quite low so this isn't particularly impressive. No lacing whatsoever. Body colour is a pale lemon-gold. Semitransparent and translucent. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Medicinal notes are dominant. Pale malts, a lemon twang, and some light hints of sourness. I expected far more from the aroma. Crystal malt. A mild strength aroma.

T: Citrusy lemon/orange twang is a highlight, with pale malts providing the foundation. Some herbal notes on the backend; I'm not fond of them. I've never had kombucha but if it tastes like this count me out. A bit bitter and earthy as well. Bleh. Imbalanced and not well built.

Mf: Tingly coarseness brings out the crystal malt. A bit champagney. Overcarbonated. Too thick. Good wetness.

Dr: Surprisingly difficult to drink for its low ABV. This is mostly because of the bothersome kombucha flavours, which I'm not at all a fan of. Maybe this is one I can chalk up to personal taste, but I wouldn't recommend this. That said, it is nicely refreshing.

C

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 22:43:13 | More by kojevergas

AlexFields

Tennessee

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into tulip.

Good looking golden beer with nice foamy head, looks like a saison.

Smells like mustard seeds. Mustard seeds and saison yeast and some pepper, but mostly tart mustard.

Wow, yep, this tastes like mustard! Definitely notice the kombucha, more of a tea like tartness than lambic sourness. Tastes of dill, black pepper, Belgian yeast, a little funk. Mustard is really predominant though, what a strange beer! Definitely enjoyable though.

Decent carbonation, mouthfeel reminiscent of a berlinerweiss.

Unique beer, never had a beer that tasted like mustard before. Really a pretty good beer though.

PS I mixed this with a goudenband later--ketchup and mustard blend ftw.

6.9/10

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 03:15:56 | More by AlexFields

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lambrucha. Served in wine glasses.

Hazy pour of very pale straw color. Slightly honeyed in color. The head is bright white tuft of suds that reduces to surface foam and a ring. Looks okay.

Extremely funky in the nose. Horse blanket, molded gooseberry jam, soft cheese, pear juice, lemon tea, cherimoya, and hibiscus. Tantamount complexity. One of the funkiest lambics I've ever had. A bit sweet, but it has tartness.

Upfront tartness that diminishes quickly to reveal cheese and sock-water funk. Lemon rind, pear, wheatberries, straw, white tea, and pickled onion. Nothing simple about it. Some sugars are leftover and almost accent the wheat in the malts. The tea isn't overpowering, per se, but it contributes a lot to the flavor and aroma. I've never had Kombucha tea before, but I can pick up a sweetened tea-like flavor, lactic acid, acetic acid, and malic acid.

Crispy suds and a medium body; a bit thick for a lambic. Puckery, but not hurtfully so.

I'm going to have to consider stocking up another bottle for myself down the line. Lambrucha was an enjoyable lambic, after all.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 05:00:16 | More by thecheapies

harrymel

Washington

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Excited to try this.

Pours an almost hollow yellow with a fine whtie foam. Smells strait up brats & sauerkraut, sole lemons, nice traditional kombucha character, bits of pepper. I like the nose. Flavor is tart with black tea of the kombucha and a nice lemon tartness and a slight hit of meat and a good run of herbal and depthy character. Medium with a fun fizzy, nice wet finish. I like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 04:41:25 | More by harrymel

UCLABrewN84

California

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle I brought to share at AndrewK’s tasting.

Pours a murky light orange with a foamy bone colored head that fades to nothing. No lacing on the drink down. Smell is sour, tart, and funky with some kombucha tea aromas. Taste is much the same with a pretty sour flavor and a mild spice finish. This beer has a high level of carbonation with a crisp and prickly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and very interesting.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 19:54:46 | More by UCLABrewN84

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours out a lightly clouded butter sort of yellow color with a fizzy flash head, no lacing. Hearty carbonation and a lighter, refreshing body.

Aroma resembles lemonade with a touch of white vinegar aroma and sure enough, a distinctive black tea emphasis. Flavor is again mostly tart puckery lemon with a black tea emphasis and a certain light mustiness that develops as the glass warms up towards room temperature. I like this... it's simple yet refreshing, acidic and tart without being too overwhelming to the gut, and the lemon / tea blend is a really nice combo.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 00:35:23 | More by WastingFreetime

Halcyondays

California

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle,

A: Pours a hazy goldenrod with a light white head, no lace.

S: Dandelion greens, fermented vegetables, earth.

T: Sauerkraut juice, lots of lemon and funk, good flavour.

M: Light-bodied, crisp, quite acidic, a direct blend.

O: I like lambic and Kombucha, so I was very exicted to try this. It is a very interesting hybrid, the acidity is very good, for fans of the 2, I'd say get a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 04:59:07 | More by Halcyondays

Falcon91Wolvrn03

California

2.25/5  rDev -40.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance – Pours an ugly cloudy golden color with a surprisingly thick head that sticks around a good while. Lots of lacing that slides right back into the beer.

Smell – Pickles and vinegar – WTF??? Am I the only one that hates the smell? Maybe others have acquired a taste for Kombucha; I haven’t.

Taste – Taste isn’t as bad as the smell. Sour and somewhat vinegary. Maybe a hint of lemon and ginger.

Mouthfeel – Lightly carbonated with a lingering sour vinegary aftertaste.

Drinkability – Definitely not one my favorites. My wife liked it, but she loves Kombucha tea.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 06:12:49 | More by Falcon91Wolvrn03

zaphodchak

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Golden body and thin white head.

Incredibly potent sour, kombucha/lambic nose with a trace of ginger. Serious funk.

Sour and acidic, but decently balanced. Light in body and taste, and the finish is not too lingering. Tastes more like kombucha than beer.

Airy and foamy.

Decent beer. Not worth the price but kombucha is expensive to begin with.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 01:12:59 | More by zaphodchak

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Puckering sour yet fun, thanks for sharing Americo. Definitely some mushroom and rope with vinegar. Strong fruit and wild yeast aromas. Cloudy peach colour with a nice small head. For tart fans only, and even then a few ounces is all I could tolerate.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 00:24:20 | More by northyorksammy

peabody

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out really clear with a slight yellow tint. One finger of white suds and lots of effervescent bubbles keep rising to the top.
Smell is vegetable and lemon. Almost a sour spinach or asparagus. Some sugar and a yeast burn finish this one off in the nose.
Taste is vegetable again with a sour lemon peel added. The tea doesn't come through unless it's the vegetable flavor right before the sour hits.Following are the sugar and spice that really wake up when warmed up.
Mouthfeel is very clean and finishes well. Lambic for sure. Sour is the theme here.
Overall this is a pretty unique sour beer and the abv makes this more of a cider than anything.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 02:03:43 | More by peabody

WYVYRN527

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've read about this brew many times, and have always wanted to try it. Poured from a 750 ml. bottle into my Russian River glass.

A: Pale straw yellow with a slight haze, with a thick white head that settles slowly. Actually reatins head better than other sours I've tried.

S: A bit of musty funk, with lemon notes and some herbal character.

T: The tea is prominent up front, with some herbal quality and a bit of tannin, while the mid-palate is tart, somewhat funky and slightly grassy. The finish is quite dry and crisp.

Notes: Light to moderate in body with a very clean mouthfeel. It's tart, but not overly so like some younger Lambics tend to be. Very refreshing, and although a bit pricey, It's a perfect sipper for on a hot day. Reminds me a bit of sumac tea. Definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 04:51:40 | More by WYVYRN527

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

No freshness dating.

A= Pours a light peach sort of color with a half finger of cocaine white head on it that falls quickly to a thin skin and leaves little lacing.

S= Smells weird. Pickles come to mind as well as some of those dill pickle chips. A little bit of tartness to it but mostly dill pickle chips.

T= The taste is much better. A strong tartness hits your tongue first and sort of leaves a coat. After the next sips you get some of that pickle sort of puckering. The tea comes through a little bit as well in a more subtle way. I've had a limited smount of kombucha and I get a little bit of that sort of poopy tea taste.

M= Ultra high carbonation. I actually like it.

O= This is one strange beer. Between the pickle taste and the tartness it's not too bad. I would actually buy this again and again for some reason. Strangly good.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 03:35:38 | More by jjanega08

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very interesting! Poured at a good temperature with a smallish, off-white head that soon setted to nothing and no lace. Color is a slightly hazy yellow amber and no bubble trails. Aroma is tea, spice, malt and mild. Flavor's similar to nose and the lambic really comes out and works well with the tea. Body and carbonation are great. It's kind of a tea-geuze beer and nicely done. Excellent summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 01:22:49 | More by drpimento

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.1/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a slightly dark amber with heavy carbonation that fades quickly into a razor thin blanketing. There is obvious sediment and negligible lacing. The nose is excellent and far from expected. There is a far more pronounced bitterness... almost like a floral hoppiness which blends so well with the underlying fruity yeast sweetness. The taste is as expected from experience consuming these two beverages. They blend very well together and the mouthfeel is less sour/dry/intense than a cantillon gueuze and far more drinkable than a raw kombucha.
Obviously there is heavy carbonation, but the aftertaste is a slightly bitter ginger and only semi-drying.
It cleans off the palate during a meal and provides cultures to help you digest...perfect for eating with.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 01:34:23 | More by ThePorterSorter

Proteus93

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A beer that blends two of my favourite beverages... I suppose I go into this a little biased.

A: Poured a somewhat hazy straw hue into a Delirium Tremens snifter. A half finger of head formed just above the plimsoll line, more robust than a typical kombucha, yet a little more fizzy and quick to recede than most beers.

S + T: I picked up a bottle of this from two different locations and tried them on separate occasions. I picked up on an almost 'meaty' quality in both, something of an element in the funkiness. It's got a pretty notable barnyard scent, perhaps some hints of lemon spritzer, modest hay and some white-fleshed fruits. The flavour is very similar, with an additional leathery taste.

M + D: Crisp, with an assertive and lightly sparkling carbonation. Like most sour styled beers, it has a very refreshing finish, with a nice hint of dryness, yet not as puckering as some. I found this to be a fantastic beer, and I hope to see other breweries experimenting with this style. In the meantime, I'll be happy with this.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 00:49:12 | More by Proteus93

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle from Binny's in Schaumburg, IL
No bottled on date
Poured into a New Belgium globe glass

Lambrucha is an interesting idea that, in practice, seems to fail. While some kombucha I've had is like "gueuze light," the kombucha that is blended here seems to be flavored with ginger or some other herbs. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of tart or sour character, either being drowned out by the sweetened ginger kombucha or young lambic; not sure which. While this was interesting to try, I don't think I'd partake of this more than once. There are much better lambics out there, even if they aren't merged with anything else.

Pours a tall, fizzy head that has fairly good retention, gradually declining to a perpetual white cap. The head leaves minimal lacing as it descends. Body is a pale golden orange, somewhat hazy, with visibly active carbonation supporting the head.

Aroma is somewhere between a lime margarita and a sage with ginger drink. No apparent tartness, lemon citrus, or oak character.

Taste is of ginger and sage with very mild lambic-style tartness. There is a slight edge of lime. Very minimal to nonexistent Brettanomyces character, or they somehow co-opted the yeast to produce the ginger and sage characters instead of the usual. Again, very mild tartness, no lemon citrus, or oak character.

Beer is medium light with a fairly high carbonation level that settles as the beer ages in the glass. The result is a somewhat prickly feel that transitions to a smooth, light beer running across the palate. No puckering or tartness on the tongue or other parts of mouth.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 18:59:26 | More by falloutsnow

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Lambrucha
Vanberg & DeWulf (courtesy of Brewery De Troch)
Style: Lambic - Unblended
ABV: 3.50 %

LOOK: Hazed light golden color. Bone white head forms and stays the duration. Active carbonation rising to the top. Minimal yeast sediment in the 25oz bottle.

SMELL: Sour, barnyard, oak, and a big whiff of a flowery exotic tea of which I must admit I am unfamiliar. The herbal tea aroma is very present and sticks out above the funk.

TASTE: Very nice sour upfront, lemon peel, musty basement, wet oak. Then the tea comes in, some tasters have detected lavender, heather, mint, wood, earth. A bit like a Chai tea. Then more lactic sour, bitter, intense flavor paired with herbs and ginger.

FEEL: Finishes dry with a clean herbal note and lingering tartness. Light bodied feel, aggressive carbonation. Pretty spot on.

OVERALL: This is an interesting blend of flavors, and it makes for a good drink. Being a fan of sours, the tang of the De Troch base beer is better than ever in Lambrucha. For a beer of little ABV (3.5%) it packs a punch in the flavor dept. This could easily be set down in a cellar for years with no ill affect. Purveyors turned blenders Vanberg & Dewulf picked some nice barrels of sours to make this, hopefully there will be more experimentation to come.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 00:02:37 | More by Stinkypuss

brentk56

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a fizzy pale yellow color with a buoyant head that fades like a soda

Smell: I've never had Kombucha so I am only guessing that it is responsible for the herbal tea elements in this brew, which has a lavender character as well

Taste: A hint of lavender, up front, and then the tart, lemon and green apple flavors take over; after the swallow, the Kombucha elements appear and linger in the finish alongside the lavender

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with effervescent carbonation

Overall: Very unusual and glad I tried it but doubt I would seek it out again; a bit bland for my palate

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 22:55:53 | More by brentk56