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One of the most common debates surrounding Lambic today is whether or not Lambic can be produced outside of the Senne ValleyPayottenland. This is not a simple question as there is no clear right or wrong answer. This write-up attempts to document the information regarding this issue.
Minimally, there are four areas that impact this topic:
While the yeast may not be tied to the Payottenland, the term Lambic is. Lambic is traditionally a beer that has been spontaneously fermented in the Payottenland. As [[An Overview of Lambic#History|history]] shows, this term and it’s regional designation goes back hundreds of years. Other regions continue to develop terms, largely based on Lambic, to identify the spontaneous fermentation that occurs in their local terroir (Sonambic at Russian River in California, Colorambic at AC Golden in Colorado). These naming designations help define the regional geography, culture, and experimentation occurring in their area. Belgian breweries and other breweries around the world do not follow this designation however.
* Belgian breweries outside of the Payottenland spontaneously ferment a small portion of their beer within the Payottenland and the remainder from another region. Given some of the legal definitions created later in this article, this does make the beer technically Lambic, however it doesn’t meet the cultural intent.
* Many international breweries are naming beers Lambic by either using an artificially pitched small subset of the overall microorganisms found in the Le Senne ValleyPayottenland, or by doing their own regional spontaneous fermentation but failing to designate it in a unique way.
Finally, it’s important to note that while in today’s day and age, it is possible for brewers, with more developed scientific techniques, to replicate the ratios and quantities of the various strains of Brettanomyces and other microorganisms outside of the Payottenland. However, this would require significant study to replicate those regional microorganisms that affect the beer throughout the process, as opposed to just those that are present in the bottle in the later phases of fermentation. It would require discipline and a strong traditional focus without significant deviation or experimentation. And if these organisms were scientifically controlled rather than spontaneously obtained, is it really Lambic?
==Summary==
Brewers are ingenious. They have and will continue to brew wild ales in other regions, either through the use of that region’s local terrior terroir or through chemistry and microbiology. They will follow many of the steps described above that are unique to Lambic. And beyond that, they experiment and make their own beers, changing the process to create their own unique beverages. Experimentation is good and should be encouraged. We do hope however, that brewers truly attempting to create a Belgian style Lambic respect this amazing style, create a product that can stand the test of time, and strive to brew a complex beer that’s much more than just “sour” or “funky”. We hope that they respect the regional history of the Belgian Lambic itself, and instead make their own wild ales, indigenous to their own region, brewery and history.
Ultimately, it’s up to the consumer to know what they are drinking, to understand the ingredients and the brewing process. The name Lambic will continue to be capitalized on and exploited; there will continue to be non-traditional beers released that incorrectly use this name. There will be people who argue with the point of view presented here or try to shape the argument in their favor for capitalistic gain.