Lambic Solera Update #4

Nothing particularly new to add on this update. The lambic is still covered in the same powdery pellicle. I try to avoid opening it too much for fear of disturbing the pellicle and introducing oxidizing yeast and bacteria, like acetobacter. I did open it briefly, while checking on the dark saison winter beer, and took a big whiff. It is developing a great tart/cherry pie aroma. The aroma has developed over the past eight months from yeasty (very early) to Belgian abbey/trappist smells (first month or so) to lactic sourness to more of a fruity tartness generally associated with the flavor and aroma of lambic.

Four more months to go before I bottle a portion and refill. I'm looking forward to seeing if it will be stable enough to bottle at that time and how the flavor develops. I am still not completely decided on how I want to break up the first batch. Maybe some straight lambic, some bottled as faro (backsweetened and bottle-pasteurized), some put on cherries and some held off for further aging to make gueuze. If I decide to go the faro route I probably won't bottle any straight lambic. I might do one gallon faro or straight lambic, two gallons cherries and one gallon for gueuze. Then after a couple more years I can do a full five gallons of gueuze. Plenty of time to decide.