EP050 | Mariage Parfait and the Evolution of Lambic

Photos by Cliff Lucas This editorially independent podcast has been supported by VISITFLANDERS as part of the “Game Changers” series of podcasts.  podcast is about the Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait from Brouwerij Boon.  It involves reporting and storytelling from Claire Bullen, a freelance writer and editor who specialises in food, drink, and travel. Claire is originally from the United States but now lives in London. She’s the author of The Beer Lovers Table: Seasonal Recipes and Modern Beer Pairings and she’s been the Editor in Chief at Good Beer Hunting. She’s had multiple recognition at the North American and British Guild of Beer Writers Awards and she’s edited stories that have won James Beard awards. Her short story “The Gift” was shortlisted for the prestigious Mogford Prize. Claire is a consummate professional, a talented creative, and knowledgeable beer writer.  In this podcast, Claire talks to me about Mariage Parfait, a beer that speaks to the legacy—and the evolution—of Belgium’s Lambic culture It speaks to this evolution through the beer’s foundation of quality as an exacting and relentless tutor; its creator’s decades-long focus on connecting the Lambic community and establishing legal protections for traditional versions of the style; and its production as the result not of some mythical spirit that exists in a brewery’s cobweb-strung rafters, but of painstaking processes and unflagging attention.  Sit back, listen, and enjoy our deep dive into Mariage Parfait from Brouwerij Boon. *