Cherry Lambic is a sour that homebrewers reach for when they want a project worth the extra attention. This version keeps the grain bill built around Pale Malt, and leans on Challenger 13:3% to shape the finish.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Cherry Lambic |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.030-1.050 |
| Final Gravity | 1.004-1.012 |
| ABV | 3.5-5.5% |
| IBU | 3-12 |
| SRM | 3-8 (pale gold to pink) |
| Difficulty | Advanced (souring process) |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Pale Malt, at a steady temperature to build the fermentable sugars this style needs. Sparge slowly so you do not lose efficiency. |
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2
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Boil · ~60-90 min Bring the wort to a boil and work through the hop schedule, starting with Challenger 13:3%. This is also where you will add any fining agent for a clearer finished beer. |
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3
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Ferment · 22C (72F) Pitch Safbrew WB-06, along with 6kg (13lb 4oz) morello cherries once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
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4
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Condition · 4 weeks at 12C (54F) Rack to secondary (or leave in primary if your recipe calls for it) and let the beer round out at a cool, steady temperature. This step does more for the final flavor than people expect. |
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5
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Package · 1 day, then wait Bottle or keg once gravity has held steady for a few days in a row. Give it time to carbonate and, for bigger styles, additional time to mellow before your first taste. |
That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.
What You Will Need
Sourcing your own ingredients locally is always fine, but if you want to skip a homebrew store trip, here is what’s in stock in our shop right now:
- Base and specialty grain: Grains & Adjuncts (e.g. Briess 2-Row Brewers Malt – 10 LB, Crushed)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. HopUnion 6I-E91H-F8YE RiteBrew – Cascade Pellet Hops – 1 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. LalBrew Verdant IPA Brewing Yeast (2 Pack) – Make Beer at Home)
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. FastRack 5 Gallon Hedpak with Cap (Pack of 2) | BPA-free)
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Brewer’s Best Carbonation Drops 9 oz)
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. PERA 4 Pack Bottling Bucket Plastic Spigot)
- Pour it right when it’s ready: a tulip glass shows off the color and holds the aroma better than a straight pint glass
Serve It Right
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A Cherry Lambic is best served in a tulip or flute, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: |
Ingredients & Gear for This Batch
Grain / Adjuncts |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar Corn Sugar Dextrose Bottling Priming Sugar 1 lb Highly Fermentable N |
Equipment Monster Brew Home Brewing Supplies Home Brew Ohio Complete Beer Equi |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Cherry Lambic
Equipment
- 1 Large stock pot
- 1 Mash tun or brew-in-a-bag (BIAB) setup
- 1 Long-handled stirring spoon or paddle
- 1 Wort chiller
- 1 Fermenter (bucket or carboy)
- 1 Airlock and stopper (or blow-off tube)
- 1 Hydrometer
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Sanitizer solution
- 1 Bottles or kegging equipment
- 1 CO2 tank and regulator (if kegging)
- 1 Bottle capper or kegging system (if kegging)
- 1 Tubing and bottling wand (if bottling)
- 1 Cleaning brushes or sponges
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 17.5 Litres (31 Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65 °c/149 °F
- 10 lb Pale Malt Quantity 4.5kg
- 3.3 lb Wheat Malt Quantity 1.5kg
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47 1/2 Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 10 mins
- 1 oz (Hops) Challenger 13:3% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 14.0)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
To Ferment – 22°C (72°F) for 2 weeks, then add secondary yeast strains and ferment for a further 4 weeks – Conditioning 4 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 Safbrew WB-06, along with 6kg (13lb 4oz) morello cherries
- 1 After 2 weeks, add Wyeast 5335 Lactobacillus, Wyeast 5526 Brettanomyces Lambicus, and Wyeast 5733 Pediococcus and leave for a further 4 weeks
Instructions
Mash:
- Heat 17.5 liters (31 pints) of water to 65°C (149°F) and add the Pale Malt and Wheat Malt.
- Mash for 1 hour.
- Drain the wort into a kettle.
Boil:
- Add enough water to the kettle to make 27 liters (47.5 pints) and bring it to a boil.
- Add the Challenger hops at the start of the boil and boil for 1 hour.
- Add Protofloc for the last 15 minutes of the boil.
Fermentation:
- Cool the wort to 22°C (72°F) and transfer to a fermenter.
- Add the Safbrew WB-06 yeast and the morello cherries.
- Ferment for 2 weeks.
- After 2 weeks, add the Wyeast 5335 Lactobacillus, Wyeast 5526 Brettanomyces Lambicus, and Wyeast 5733 Pediococcus.
- Leave to ferment for a further 4 weeks.
Conditioning:
- After fermentation is complete, condition the beer at 12°C (54°F) for 4 weeks.
- Bottle or keg the beer and enjoy!
Get the fermentation temperature right on Cherry Lambic and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Cherry Lambic the Style It Is
Like most classic beer styles, Cherry Lambic has a long, slightly tangled history behind it, shaped as much by regional brewing traditions as by any single inventor.
The character of this beer comes down to a beer that leans on pale malt and challenger 13:3%, and Safbrew WB-06, along with 6kg (13lb 4oz) morello cherries is doing more of that work than the grain bill gets credit for.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 3.5-5.5%
- Bitterness: 3-12 IBU
- Color: 3-8 (pale gold to pink)
- Serving temp: 40-45F (4-7C)
- Glassware: a tulip or flute
- Food pairings: fresh fruit, soft cheese, light seafood
Common Questions
Do I need a dedicated sour setup?
Not necessarily, but keep any souring culture and equipment separate from your regular ale gear if you can. Cross-contamination between a sour culture and a clean yeast batch is the most common way homebrewers ruin an otherwise good beer.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.
What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.
Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.
Keep Exploring
Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:
Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.
This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.
