Cherry flavored: Belgian classic Lindemans Kriek
Every beer trend has its fans, and fruit varieties are no exception. Fruit- or berry-flavored beer is ideal for a hot summer day, when you want something sweet and refreshing at the same time, or to accompany a dessert. Moreover, beer restaurants offer a wide range of such drinks — you can order beer with notes of peach, apple, coconut, strawberry and so on.
But there is one variety that is worth talking about separately. This is a Belgian kriek with a pronounced flavor of juicy cherries. Many breweries offer their own variants of kriek, but the unspoken classic is considered to be the beer from the family brewery Lindemans. Let’s find out why it’s considered special.
Product and producer
The Brouwerij Lindemans brewery dates back to 1822. It is located in the Senna Valley in the small town of Flesenbeek. The air in this area is saturated with special microorganisms. This is what predetermined the fate of the future brewery. These bacteria, or, as they are also called, wild yeast, began to be used to produce lambic — a beer with a pronounced dry cider flavor.
Kriek is one of the varieties of lambic. Before filtration and pasteurization, sour cherry juice is added to the wort, which gives the drink a recognizable taste. A specific variety, Charbecq, which grows in the vicinity of Brussels, is considered to be the benchmark.
Lindemans Kriek is considered to be one of the iconic Lindemans products. The quality and excellent taste of the drink has long been recognized all over the world — the gold medals of the World Beer Awards Beer Recognition and International Awards, as well as platinum medals of the World Brewing Congress and World Beer Championship are proof of this.
Main characteristics
Lindemans Kriek has a juicy full flavor with notes of freshly picked cherries. where acidity and sweetness are in perfect balance, as well as a refreshing berry aroma. It also has a very beautiful color — red, slightly hazy. There is even a beautiful legend about it — it is said that one of the crusaders wanted to create a beer the color of the blood of Jesus Christ. Whether his descendants participated in the production of the cry — it is unknown, but the desire in any case was realized.
Such beer can be served as an aperitif, as well as with pork, poultry or soft cheeses. And you can try it in any restaurant of Lambic chain. We are waiting for you!
Taste without degrees: how non-alcoholic beer is made
Non-alcoholic beer is a great alternative to the usual foam beer when drinks with degrees are prohibited. And if earlier the taste and quality of such beer left much to be desired, now it has become a self-sufficient product that can bring no less pleasure than alcoholic varieties. We tell you how non-alcoholic beer is produced and at what point it loses degrees. A bit of history The first batch of non-alcoholic beer was made in 1976 in the Czech Republic. At first it was so unpopular that manufacturers had to engage in its mass promotion. In the 1980s, beer without degrees began to be actively promoted, including talking about the harm of drunk driving. But it didn’t help much — until the end of the nineties its market share was less than 1%. Non-alcoholic beer has gained real popularity only recently — in the early 2020s. The reason is the trend towards a healthy lifestyle. People all over the world are giving up meat, practicing sports and now — preferring beer without degrees to drinks with alcohol. Secrets of production Non-alcoholic beer contains the same ingredients as regular beer. Only the production technologies differ. They are based either on reducing the degrees by eliminating the fermentation stage or on removing alcohol from the finished beer. Here are the three most popular methods: — The interrupted fermentation method - when the fermentation of the wort is stopped and then the resulting liquid is carbonated, pasteurized and filtered. This is the most common method that most producers use;— evaporation - the degrees leave the beverage under the influence of high temperature;— membrane filtration method - the finished beer is filtered, separating the alcohol from the drink. Non-alcoholic beer is the right product if you are health-conscious. In addition to the fact that it does not contain alcohol, which in large quantities negatively affects the body, it is also low in calories. In beer without degrees only 30 calories per 100 grams — against 45 or more in the usual. But be vigilant: to improve the flavor of the drink, manufacturers often add extra sugar and various chemicals. You can try tasty and high-quality non-alcoholic beer in any beer restaurant of the Lambic chain. Our menu includes hundreds of beer varieties from all corners of the world. Non-alcoholic beer section also pleases with the choice: there are varieties from Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia and even South Korea. Come and let us find a drink for your lunch or dinner that will surely give you pleasure!
19 September 2024
Gluten-free beer: what kind it is and how it differs from gluten-containing beer
Gluten intolerance affects about 1% of the world’s population. Once in the GI tract, gluten, which is found in cereal plants, causes inflammation and leads to stomach upset. Sometimes intolerance becomes a disease when the villi of the small intestine begin to break down. This disease is called celiac disease. Until a couple of decades ago, people with celiac disease had to simply exclude gluten-containing foods from their diet, making it much more sparse than for normal people. Today, the problem is almost solved: manufacturers produce gluten-free pasta, breads and pastries, and many restaurants have gluten free items. Gluten-free beer: what kind of beer is it? Since beer is brewed on the basis of malt, which is sprouted grains, it contains a significant amount of gluten. But this does not mean that those who suffer from intolerance will have to give up their favorite drink — gluten-free beer has also been invented long ago. It is divided into two groups: low gluten and gluten free. Beverages from the first group can be consumed in moderate quantities by people with gluten intolerance, and those who suffer from celiac disease are recommended only gluten free beer. A completely gluten-free beer is one that contains less than 20 milligrams of gluten per kilogram (or 20 parts per million). Secrets of production Two technologies are used to make gluten-free beer: — beer is brewed on the basis of malt from gluten-free cereals: rice, corn, buckwheat, and gluten-containing grains are removed from it completely;— gluten is removed from the finished beer with the help of a special enzyme that breaks down the protein. If only part of the protein is removed, the beer is labeled as low gluten. In the first case, the drink may have a slightly different taste than the usual foam, while in the second case, all the characteristics of beer are preserved, including taste, color and foaming. Therefore, gluten-free beer made in this way is no different from regular beer. To try delicious gluten-free beer, come to the beer restaurants of the Lambic chain. For example, we have Baladin Nazionale Gluten Free — 100% gluten-free beer originating from Italy, which has an exquisite taste and aroma. We look forward to your tasting!
19 September 2024