Changes

This trend has not gone away entirely. In the 1940s and 1950s, the demand for sweetened lambic continued to grow as consumer tastes trended toward the sweeter side of things. During World War II, those brewers who were still able to brew were severely restricted in terms of the quality and quantity of their ingredients. In order to continue producing kriek, many brewers added extra flavorings and colorings to combat the lack of available fruits. With the success of cola and soft drinks, both small and large brewers alike followed this trend by bringing ''capsulekensgeuze'' to the market. <ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> ''Capsulekensgeuze'' was generally comprised of a blend of lambic and top-fermented beer, was filtered, pasteurized, sweetened, pressurized with CO2 and bottled into 25cl bottles. [[Brasserie_Belle_Vue|Belle Vue]] and other lambic brewers also began to pasteurize their beers to prevent bottle conditioning and potential bottle explosions as a result of the residual sugars being left in the beers. Filtration also removed many of the bugs and created a cleaner beverage suited for the soda drinker market.

Shortages in fruits traditionally found in Belgian lambics also played a part in the addition of fruit juice and extracts. After 1945, European agriculture was in dire straights, and many producers were left unable to grow or supply fruits. Postwar food rationing and a rise in sugar consumption in general also played an important role in the shift to sweeter beers. In the postwar era, much of the sweetened lambic was primarily the result of blending young lambic or other top fermenting beers that contained significant residual sweetness with more tart, aged lambic. <ref name=LambicLand>Tim Webb, Chris Pollard, Siobhan McGinn, [[Books#LambicLand: A Journey Round the Most Unusual Beers in the World|LambicLand: A Journey Round the Most Unusual Beers in the World]] </ref>