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Once the brandy cake was in the oven on Christmas Eve, I turned my attention to a long anticipated bottle of Lindeman’s Faro Lambic.

Where do I begin to sing the praises of this wonderfully inspiring beer? Will “Yum!” suffice?

Here’s what the label says:  “Lindeman’s Faro is a lambic made from local barley, unmalted wheat, brown sugar, aged hops and wild, airborne yeast – the brewers add no yeast. Sweet brown sugar balances wild yeast complexity. True lambics are brewed only in Belgium’s Senne River Valley neighboring Brussels.”

Let me say it again – yum! Liquid Sweet Tarts. So simple. So beautiful. The world would be in a much better place if everyone had access to a daily glass of Faro Lambic. It sweetens the temperament and makes life seem more like a blessing than a chore. My heart bleeds for those who won’t or can’t drink, for they shall never know the utter joy of Faro Lambic.

In fact, I think this might be it, the answer to the inevitable question, What’s your favorite beer?

Has my quest for the perfect beer ended? Is this it?

The next day – Christmas Day – I wonder what am in the world am I going to pair with the traditional sloppy joe dinner after having the best beer in the world the night before? It all seemed like such a big letdown. Why even bother getting up?

Well, there was the reason in the back of the magic fridge – a green, wire-topped bottle of Scarenbecca Kriek from Hanssen’s Artisanaal Brewery of Dworp, Belgium. This lambic is brewed with wild Belgian Schaerbeek sour cherries and aged in oak barrels.

Yowzer, those are some sour cherries! This is my first experience with this brewery’s kriek. It is not at all what I was expecting. Instead of the nuanced sour taste I was expecting, I get nothing but a one-note vinegar-like sour. I think a pinch of brown sugar would improve things.