Lindeman’s Lambic clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.047  FG = 1.001 IBU =  estimated 10  SRM = 4 (pre-fruit addition) ABV = 6%
Not all lambics are made with fruit, of course — if you sweeten the finished product with candi sugar, you have faro; if you blend old and new lambics, you have gueuze (pronounced “geuz” with a hard “g”). All are based on a wheat beer that has been allowed to ferment more or less spontaneously, with naturally occurring local yeasts. Like Champagne, lambic is a geographic designation: Beers made in this style outside of the Senne valley should not be called lambics.

Ingredients

3 lbs. (1.36 kg) Pilsner malt
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) malted wheat
1.5 lb. (0.68 kg) flaked wheat
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) extra light dried malt extract
4 AAU well-aged aroma hops: such as Saaz, East Kent Goldings or Tettnang (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 4% alpha acid)
Belgian ale yeast (White Labs WLP550 or Wyeast 1762)
Lambic bacteria culture (recultured yeast from commercial lambic, Wyeast 3278 or both)
6 to 9 lbs. (2.7 to 4.1 kg) cherries, raspberries, peaches or other fruit (frozen until ready to use)
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Heat 9 quarts (8.5 L) water to 163 °F (73 °C). Crush whole grains and add, with flaked wheat, to liquor. Hold mash at 152 °F (67 °C) for 75 minutes. Runoff and sparge with 12 quarts (11.4 L) water at 170 °F (77 °C). Add malt extract, stir well, bring to a boil. Add hops, boil 60 minutes. Remove from heat. Add to fermenter along with enough water to make up 5.25 gallons (20 L). Cool to 70 °F (21 °C), pitch ale yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) for two weeks, rack onto fruit in your secondary and add lambic culture. Condition cool (50 °F/10 °C)) for three to four weeks. Rack into third vessel to clarify at 50 °F (10 °C) for two weeks. Keg and force carbonate or prime with corn sugar, bottle and age at least three to four weeks at 45 to 50 °F (8 to 10 °C). Serve at 40 °F (4 °C) in either a heavy glass tumbler or a champagne-style flute.

All-grain option: Replace the dried malt extract with another 1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) each Pilsner and wheat malt. Increase mash water to 15 quarts (14.2 L) and sparge water to 20 quarts (19 L). Mash time and temperatures will be the same. Proceed as above from boiling.