OK, there's a lot of interest and some pieces of correct information, as
well as a couple of misconceptions floating around the list.  I'm not an
expert (more of a common sewer than a connoisseur), but I've got
more experience with Lambic's than I do with Linux.  Here's the lowdown
on Lambic.  Delete now if you have a compulsion to stay on topic! :)

Lambic beer is brewed, mostly by Belgian monks.  It comes from a region of
Belgium just west of Brussels, mostly.  The process involves what is known
as spontaneous fermentation (more to follow), which is what some of you
are referring to with yeast and plants.  

If you think that you know beer, but you don't know Belgian beer, you have
a wonderful opportunity!  The Belgians are to beer makers what the French
are to wine.  They treat it as much more of an art than the Germans,
Czechs, Brits, or anyone.  

Lambic starts with a wheat beer, so already you're in a different class --
much smoother, less bitterness, less chromium aftertaste.  (Warning, if
you get really used to Lambic, you might find that you can't drink much
Summit, at least close after.)

It is spontaneously fermented, which means that no yeast is added.  The
only yeast is that flying around in the air or on the plants
themselves.  For this reason, you can't expect a Lambic like Sam Adams
Cranberry Lambic to hold it's own against the Belgians.  The chemistry is
all different.

This spontaneous fermentation occurs in open vats, usually in the cellars
of monasteries.  Frankly, it's a little gross, because it's out there with
cobwebs and dust and a fried who took a brewery tour over there had a hard
time with it.  By the way, there are a host of Belgian beers -- Corsondonk
and Orsay are usually pretty easy to find at Haskell's or the big one in
Nordeast -- that their monks make.  (I forget if they're trappist.)

So it's fermented, then put in oak casks and aged for a year.  As any
whisky drinker knows (andy at theasis!) the wood in the casks plays a big
part in the flavor.  After this year, it is taken out and fruit is
added.  Kriek is cherries, Framboise is strawberry, there's a pear, and to
complete the traditional ones, peach is my favorite.  There are also odd
ones, like Pineapple (nice at a barbecue, though!).

After the fruit is added, it is bottled, corked, and capped, then aged
another 3-6 months before being declared fit for human consumption.

So that's how it's made; now how to drink it.

A Lambic beer is *ABSOLUTELY NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SOUR!!*  Shall I shout it
again?  However, the reason for this is most ofen that it is served
improperly.  The serving temperature does not need to be any exact figure
(I suppose some people have calibrated it -- I'm not that anal), but it
must not be served too cold.

In Belgium, there are special glasses for drinking Lambic.  They are about
like a small brandy snifter.  This is so that, like brandy, the warmth of
your hand has an effect on the flavor.  I have a couple here; maybe I'll
drag one out to a beer meeting, or put a photo on the web.

So, this lovingly made Lambic should be stored at about 40 degrees, I'd
guess.  Not *quite* as cold as the typical refrigerator.  When it's
uncapped, then the cork removed (yes, be careful about fizz -- sometimes
it happens, and it's a sin to lose a drop!), it should be allowed to
breathe for about 10 minutes, which also lets it start to warm up.  Then
pour it and wait again for a couple of minutes.

When it's a little cooler than tepid, swirl it a little and take a
sip.  It's stronger than beer -- usually a little stronger than many
wines.  I seem to recall about 12% alcohol by volume, but it's hardly
exact with the spontaneous fermentation and my leaky memory.

It should be sweet with a wonderful mixture of fruity flavors swirling
around it.  Never should it be bitter or sour.  It's a beer to nurse; the
worst thing a person could do is drink it cold and fast.

OK, well, those are the basics, as I know 'em, and maybe I'll get to share
one with some of you soon.   A votre sante!

Cheers,
Phil M

If you want to read, Michael Jackson's beer book (the big one) has a good
section on Lambic, though I know  some beer-o-philes that consider him
more of a drunk with a typewriter than an authority. :)

-- 
"To misattribute a quote is unforgivable." --Anonymous