"Camelot!" Camelot!" "Camelot!" "It's only a model." Shhh!"

Well, the old saying is that three is the charm. But, are you freakin kidding me!? After trying only three brews could our search for Bibliobabe's fabled sweet and yummy beer be over? So soon? Ya know what - I think it may just be true.

As you may recall, I have mentioned the nation of Belgium several times in this here blog. The Belgians love beer. They also love to experiment with their beer. Sure, Germany and to a lesser extent Eastern Europe and Britain get lots of props for the brews they produce. However many beer snobs consider the little country just north of France to be the most interesting beer region in Europe. Some consider Trappist ales - ales brewed by Trappist monks in their abbeys - to be the finest beers available. I happen to really like Trappist ales. You will hear about them soon!

By now you should have guessed that the beer that I think will win over Bibliobabe's heart hails from Belgium. Yep! So, do you remember when I mentioned lambics? Lambics are a style of beer that originated in the region now occupied by Belgium. Lambics rely on spontaneous fermentation (as opposed to induced fermentation) and generally consist of about 30% or more wheat. There is a lot more to them, but that is enough for our purposes. A real lambic fan could write books about them, and of course many have. Like other beers lambics can be young or aged. Young lambics have a distinctive cider-like taste. Aged lambics tend to be much more acidic and therefore much more bitter.

Now when I say that young lambics taste like cider, I don't mean the dark brown opaque stuff with all the extra worm squish in it that you get from apple orchards in the fall. I mean fermented cider. Like Woodchuck or Strongbow. Never heard of those? Truck it on down to your local beverage store - you'll find 'em. They have a nice crisp apple taste and as much alcohol as mass market beers. In fact 'cider' is a category in many brewing competitions. Bibliobabe might want to try a cider or two. However, I personally do not consider ciders to be beer.

Lambics do not have to be flavored with fruit, but many are. And so...drumroll please! The beer I consider to be the winner of the sweet and yummy award is...Lindemans Peche Lambic! Or if the Flemish bugs you: Lindemans Belgian Peach Ale. TAA DAA! To keep things simple, I will just refer to it as LPL.

LPL is brewed by Brouwerij Lindemans, Vlezenbeek, Belgium. Now, the bottle states that this lambic is aged in oak and then a secondary fermentation is caused by the addition of fresh peaches. That's a big thing to lambic folks; if it is a fruit lambic, the fruit has to be fresh and should be whole when added to the brew.

LPL is an ale - which means what class? Anybody? Hmm? Damn it all! Haven't you people been paying attention!? It means that the brew is top fermented at relatively warm temperatures. "Oh, yeah, now I remember!" Shut up! You're all worthless and weak! Remember I told you that many ales are dark and heavier than lagers - but not all of them? LPL is a great example of a light ale.

Okay, here we go: ABV 4.0%, IBU very low. The first thing I noticed when I took the foil off the neck of the bottle was that LPL has both a cap and a cork! Kind of slows down chugg-a-lugging, which all things considered, is a good thing. The color is great! This is a very attractive beer. A light amber with a hint of pink - kind of like a peach! The aroma is all soft peach with a hint of that cider-like crispness. LPL forms a foamy, large bubbled non-persistent head - again, like a cider.

The taste is wonderful. It reminds you very much of peach nectar, but with the wheat ale sort of in the background to keep it from getting too sweet. It is nice and crisp, never bitter, with just a slight sourness evident in the finish and a short aftertaste. In fact the wheat ale component reminded me of the taste of peach flesh that is near the pit; ya know the white part that is not really ripe? Cool how they pulled that off! The sweetness is gentle and refreshing, never cloying. This is some good shit!

Sometimes certain sweet beers or wines are recommended to be drunk with dessert. I've never been too sure about such claims, but I could definitely see myself drinking LPL with peach or apple pie! In fact LPL may be one of the few beers that would make a good topping for ice-cream!

This stuff is the real deal. I whole heartedly recommend this to Bibliobabe or anyone who may enjoy a sweet and yummy beer.

I plan on introducing LPL to BB in person. I'll post her opinion right here on The Duh Spot!

Cheers!