They are lambic-style beers, described as the least scientific beer because fermentation is uncontrolled, a bit like beer's creation several thousand years ago. Instead of brewers using special yeasts to start fermentation, the brew is exposed to the air's bacteria and thousands of varieties of yeast spores. The spores are everywhere. We take them in every time we breathe. They are the enemy of winemakers and brewers, introducing unwanted smell and taste to the in products.
The home of lambic beer is the Zenne Valley, in which Brussels sits, in Belgium. This is the only true ''lambic'' because of the valley's unique combination of wild yeasts - just as ''Champagne'' can come from only the Champagne region of France. (Home brewers in the United States therefore call their lambic beer ''pLambic'' - pseudo lambic.)
Traditional lambic beer is made from malted hops and unmalted wheat (about 65:35 ratio). Because they are tart, little hop for bitterness is needed. Some have sugar added to counter their sourness. They are unfiltered and are usually highly carbonated. As they ferment they are put into sherry or port barrels to age for between six months and three years.
Sometimes fruit is added, like one of Moa's ''lambics''. The choice of grapes is perhaps not surprising since Moa founder Josh Scott is the son in Allan Scott Family Winemakers.
The name is the clue: Sour Grapes (6.9%). Sauvignon blanc grapes were added, giving a distinct sauvignon blanc flavour. The other ''lambic'' is Rum Barrel Sour (9%), also barrel-aged but more malt/raisin-flavoured.
Grape juice and candi sugar were added to Moa Tripel Sauvignon (8.7%), which has been released at the same time. It is not a sour beer, revealing instead the banana and spice characters that Belgian yeast produces. (''Tripel'' is a Belgian description of strength, with ''double'' lower and ''quadrupel'' higher.)
Not much has been made of this enjoyable trio and the only place it can be found down south is Meenan Wines and Spirits (about $10 for a 375ml bottle) in Dunedin. Low carbAustralia's Carlton and United Brewery has a new version on our shelves of its Pure Blonde Low Carb beer, Blonde Ultra Low Carb (4.2%), for the weight-conscious.
This one has about half the carbohydrates (about 1.5g per 330ml bottle) of the other, less than low-carb Export 33 (about 4g) and much lower than the 10g to 12g in most bottles of beer.
Of interest to gluten-intolerant coeliac disease sufferers, Ultra Low is also low in gluten. It cannot be marketed as ''gluten-free'' (less than three parts per million) here or in Australia but can be in the United States, where gluten-free is defined as less than 20 parts per million.
