It's been 5 years in the making, and Wednesday, New Year's Eve 2009, will be the long-awaited unveiling of Jolly Pumpkin's first-ever lambic-style ale, Lambicus Dexterius, at the pub on 311 S. Main.

Lambics are brewed in Belgium's Senne Valley, near Brussels. The most distinctive thing about them is that they are spontaneously fermented, which means the proto-beer, or wort, is left exposed to the open air where wild, natural yeastie beasties (as many as 86 kinds) ferment it rather than a specific strain of brewer's yeast. The result is typically a dry, cidery, funky, somewhat sour beverage.

Jolly Pumpkin owner and head brewer Ron Jeffries explains Lambicus Dexterius in this video:

BeerNews.org has even more details here.

This is a very limited release, so be sure to be at Jolly Pumpkin at 11:30 a.m. for your chance to try it out before you head out to your wild New Year's Eve bash. Cheers!

David Bardallis is a freelance writer and editor, blogger, bon vivant, and man about town. Visit his Web site, DavidBardallis.com, to engage his services or read his latest. Email your beer-related thoughts to annarborbeer@gmail.com or follow @dbardallis on Twitter.