Sour beers a taste worth acquiring

Brettanomyces, also known as “Brett”, is a yeast strain commonly found in red Burgundy wine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Want to see a grown brewmaster shake in his boots? Just bring a vial of Brettanomyces into his brewery and toss it up into the air a few times. Brettanomyces is a strain of yeast that, given the opportunity, will absolutely take over a brewery and infect every surface, fermentation tank, and bottle in the place. In most beers, the organism can produce undesirable sour or acidic off-flavors. But, to a brave few brewers, those off-flavors are a source of complex and often delicious artistry.In Belgium, sour beers are nothing new. For centuries brewers have been crafting brews that are sour, acidic and utterly delightful. One such style that has been gaining ground in the United States is Flanders Red, an aged ale that obtains its sour characteristics from Brettanomyces or lactic acid. An excellent example of this style is Rodenbach.

Another Belgian sour style is Lambic, a spontaneously fermented brew that is aged for a minimum of three years before leaving the brewery. Because the yeast that inoculates this brew is only found in Belgium in and around Brussels, the style cannot be made anywhere else. The brew that results from the combination of wild yeast inoculation, aging, and blending is powerfully sour and yet refreshingly bracing. The brew is often fermented with various fruits to produce sweet and sour combinations such as kreik (cherry), framboise (raspberry), and peche (peach).

But, back to Brettanomyces. Brett, as it is called by many in-the-know beer aficionados, competes with brewer’s yeast, and other microorganisms, in fermenting the wort, giving the beer a distinctive sour taste. The yeast is notoriously difficult to clean and can easily get out of control and colonize a brewery spoiling other beers that are not supposed to taste sour. In fact, the yeast strain is considered a spoilage organism in the wine-making industry that can impart “sweaty saddle leather”, “barnyard”, “burnt plastic” or “band-aid” aromas to wine. But, in beer, the yeast can create aromas one might consider musty, and flavors that are often described as funky.

Brett turns beer sour by eating the sugars that are left in beer by normal brewer’s yeasts. The result is a sour-tasting brew that is something of an acquired taste. Other organisms that bring on the funk in beer include lactobacillus (also found in fermenting yoghurt too) and pediococcus, which  provide sour, tart notes and acetobacter, which gives a beer vinegary component.

The best way to decide if you like these unusual, yet rewarding brews is to seek one out and just give it a try. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy the labors of the little beasties that some might call an infection while others might call a blessing. Just be careful if you do decide to toss around a vial of Brett, you certainly would not want to cause your local brewmaster to ban you from his brewery.

Keep up to date on all the beer happenings and news going on in town by joining our newsletter mailing list at the ALL NEW www.JaxBeerGuy.com.

Related articles

• How to Identify Yeast Flavors in Beer: Esters, Phenols, and Alcohols (drinks.seriouseats.com)

 

Innovation the key to keeping the craft beer world fresh

Boilers at the Samuel Adams brewery in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The term “Indy” has become a hot topic lately. The eBook revolution, Indy music, craft beer – they all hold true to the roots of independent creating and a dedication to doing things their own way. The craft brewing world has certainly come a long way since it started growing several years ago and throughout it all many breweries have managed to not only find success, but to grow despite the ongoing economic problems. How have they managed to do that? It’s by keeping things fresh. Not necessarily the beer, though that’s fresh too, but by implementing innovation in their operations and keeping their brewery fresh in the minds of beer drinkers. What kind of innovation is going on in the craft brew world?Interesting Ingredients

One of the ways in which brewers are capturing and holding the attention of drinkers is by using unique ingredients to give their brews a flavor that really stands out. While a wide range of spices, herbs and other additives have been used in brewing historically, most American beers are pretty plain. To ramp things up a bit, craft brewers are increasingly using additives to promote different flavors and tempt your taste buds.

What are brewers putting in their recipes? You’ll find things like rye used in conjunction with wheat, coriander, orange peel and even mint. Innovation is all about finding a nice balance between “unique” and “good taste”, and brewers are definitely not afraid to experiment.

Aged Beer

Wine is aged before it’s consumed, but beer usually only ages long enough for the fermentation to complete and the liquid to clear. However, many brewers are finding that aging their beer has some pretty interesting results, both in terms of flavor and in terms of sales. While aged beer really only appeals to a small segment of the market, that innovation still helps brewers to identify themselves as innovators and creative artists not afraid of trying something new.

Beer is usually aged in oak barrels – used barrels at that. The barrels once held whisky, or even wine. Why bother with that? Using these casks allows the beer to absorb different flavors from the alcohol-permeated wood. It also allows the beer to add extra strength, body and flavor. There’s nothing quite like enjoying a glass of aged beer, and you’ll find that several breweries are taking to this method.

Collaborative Brewing

Around the world, most brewers hold tight to their recipes and their brewing traditions. For instance, the brewing industry in Belgium is all about tradition and keeping secrets from your competition. Here in the US, things are a little bit different. There is a spirit of creativity and collaboration here not found elsewhere. That leads to some interesting pairings between breweries.

Of course, there has been bad blood between some craft breweries, and litigation has ruined some perfectly good relationships. With that said, more and more breweries are finding that joining forces for collaborative brewing projects has some serious benefits. What might they gain?

Obviously, two heads are better than one as the old saying goes. By joining forces even for a short time, brewers are able to benefit from the experience, knowhow and imagination of the other. This comes out in some interesting ways – unique beer types are born all the time. Each of these collaborations also helps to spread both breweries’ reputations with a market segment that might be unfamiliar with their offerings.

Fan Contests

Indy marketing has long relied on getting your audience involved. That holds true with pretty much any independent endeavor, whether it’s craft brewing, web comics or independent authors self-publishing their works. By involving your fans, you are able to achieve a number of goals:

• You make the fans feel as though they are part of the process – you’re giving them a chance to make an impact.
• You make the fans feel as though they have a stake in the finished product.
• You help spread the word via each fan. They tell their friends and family and then those people do the same. Word of mouth marketing is still one of the most  effective tools out there.
• You leave a lasting imprint in your customers’ minds.
• You provide something fun and enjoyable for your fans/customers to do other than consuming your products.
• These are only a handful of the benefits found when you are able to bring your customers into the production process in any way. How are breweries doing that, though?

One of the most common options is a “name the beer” contest. Fans are able to vote (usually through social media outlets like Facebook) on the name that they like best for a new brew. In some instances, the brewery also lets fans suggest their own names and then chooses the most popular to grace the bottle’s label.

Other contests have involved deciding on the next type of beer to be brewed, choosing ingredients and selecting recipes. There are tons of options in this vein, all of which will help a brewery ramp up their marketing and boost customer loyalty.

Why Does Innovation Matter?

So, why has there been so much focus on innovation? There’s plenty of good reasons to be innovative, particularly in the world of craft beer. The sheer growth of the industry has made it essential that breweries find a way to stand out from the crowd. While brewing super-strong beer or using unique packaging options can help do that, there are many other was to achieve better recognition with consumers.

Another reason that innovation is so important is that it keeps alive the spirit of creativity that has so far been one of the major hallmarks of the craft brew industry in the US. Without creativity comes stagnation and an adherence to “tradition” – something that would turn craft beer into the same thing as what major beer producers put out. That’s never a good thing. Hopefully, the drive to innovate will never leave the craft brewing scene.

Poto Cervesia,
Dustin Canestorp

Dustin Canestorp is the Founder and General of the Beer Army. Join the ranks of the Beer Army at BeerArmy.com. Take a stand and let the world know your position. If you are going to drink, drink BEER!

Related articles

• Vancouver sees craft brewing boom (thedrinksbusiness.com)
• Co-op Breweries: Craft beer in the new economy (resilience.org)

 

Grape & Grain Exchange hosting tasting of Highland collaboration brew

The bustling area of town known as San Marco has long been a destination for great food and wine. But, a new establishment is adding craft and import beer to the mix. Robert Smith, a self-proclaimed “foodie” who has been in the restaurant business since 1987 has opened a new concept for the Jacksonville area with his Grape and Grain Exchange in San Marco Square.

The shop is a hybrid of a package store and a bar. Patrons can choose a bottle of craft or import beer from the cooler and either take it with them or drink it on premises from a clean class presented by the bartender/cashier. But, do not mistake this for one of those package store/bars that are sprinkled around the area and take on a seedier look, this establishment is high-class all the way. The interior is features clean lines, and subdued decorating. Wooden shelves display the small-batch spirits, fine wines, and craft beers that are available and a bookcase in the back of the store contains recipe books that Smith refers to for more esoteric drink requests.

Soon, that bookcase will also serve as the portal to the first speakeasy in the Jacksonville area since perhaps the days of Prohibition. Smith, ever vigilant of hot trends around the country, wants to take advantage of the craft cocktail bars and speakeasy movement that is sweeping the nation. Combine that with the craft beer craze and Smith thinks he has come up with a winning combination.

Tomorrow night, Friday, January 25, Smith will play host to Highland Brewing Company and 7venth Sun Brewing Company for a special tasting of a collaboration between the two breweries. Called Trailblazer, the brew is a 7.7% ABV Belgian-style porter made with raisins in the boil as well as almonds, cacao, and dried cherries in the fermenter. The tasting is $10 and includes tastes of all of Highland’s year round beers as well as one of the first pours of Trailblazer.

The tasting begins at 6:00 p.m. and does not require a ticket. Grape and Grain Exchange is located at 2000 San Marco Blvd.

Keep up to date on all the beer happenings and news going on in town by joining our newsletter mailing list at the ALL NEW www.JaxBeerGuy.com.

Related articles

• Highland brewery well worth a visit and a taste (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)

 

Dozens stand in rain for chance to buy Westies for first time

Today is the last day in our lifetimes that there will ever be a triple date day. That means that the next time there is a date where all three numbers are the same will not be until January 1^st 2101 – 01/01/01. Today is also the likely the last day you will be able to purchase the Holy Grail of beers, Westvleteren 12, legally in the US. If the crowds at Total Wine this morning are any indication, that is.

It was wet, rainy, and slightly chilly at 6:00 a.m. when I arrived at the Total Wine in Jacksonville, Fla. But, I was not the first intrepid beer aficionado to arrive. In the pre-dawn hours of what I like to call Westie Day, there were already about 12 in line before me.

Why would anyone stand out in the cold rain in December to buy beer? Because Westvleteren 12 is no ordinary beer; it is, as I mentioned above, the Holy Grail of beer. Add to that fact that it is also one of the rarest beers in the world as well as considered one of the best beers in the world, and you have a recipe for what is one of the biggest events in recent beer history.

The event is so big that it even made it on NPR this morning. According to the story on NPR and And, Mark Bode, the brewery’s Westvleteren, this unprecedented event is not likely to repeat.

“I think it will be the last,” said Bode. And since visitors are not allowed in the Abbey, he is the authority on the monks’ views.

“They say, ‘We are monks, we don’t want to be too commercial. We needed some money to help us buy the new abbey and that’s it,’ ” Bode expounds.

The brew, which is selling for $84.99 a six-pack including two special chalices, was made for export this one time due to a dire need to repair the roof of the Abbey in Belgium. Since monks take a vow of poverty, they do not have cash reserves for the needed repairs and released the brew to finance the repairs.

The regular method of obtaining the brew is, well, arduous at best. Even the most ardent of beer-lovers could get discouraged by the process that requires apostles of the brew to call a special telephone number that may, or may not be answered. If, after multitudes of calls (some report that it can take months to get through to the Abbey) you are lucky enough to get someone on the line, you are told when you can come and line up for beer. But, that does not mean you will get the brew, only that you have the right to stand in line on that specific day. You may find, when you get to the front of the line, that they have sold that day’s allotment of Westies.

The brew is so rare because the monks only produce enough to support the Abbey. That equates to less than 4,000 barrels a year. The monks are adamant that they are not producing beer to make a profit, only to support their day-to-day needs. They also ask all who purchase the beer at the Abbey to sign an affidavit that states the beer will not be resold at a bar or beer shop. This rule is often technically followed by beer sellers in Belgium who will include a “free” bottle of the brew with a beer purchase or shipment of a certain dollar amount.

For the folks standing in the cold rain this morning, the fact that the beer is even available was reason enough to face the elements. Brenden Bledsoe said of the opportunity, “I’m stoked to be one of the few to be able to enjoy one of the world’s finest beers with friends and family during the holidays.”

Related articles

• Westvleteren 12 to be sold at Jacksonville Total Wine beginning Dec. 12 (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)
• A Sign From Above? Needing New Roof, Monks Sell Rare Beer In U.S. (wnyc.org)
• The Beer Nut: Waiting for the elusive Westvleteren 12 (milforddailynews.com)

 

Trappist ales spotlighted on ‘I Know Jax’

Not long ago the news that one of the world’s rarest beers, Westvleteren 12, will be released for sale next week. In the video below I talk about this extraordinary beer on “I Know Jax” with my cohort Joe Talentino.

Related articles

• Westvleteren 12 to be sold at Jacksonville Total Wine beginning Dec. 12 (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)