Lambic and Wild Ale

Jeff Sparrow’s Wild Brews: Beer Beyond the Influence of Brewer’s Yeast is a major contribution to the literature on lambic beer. In this book the author does not only discuss traditional lambic but Flanders red ale, Flanders brown ale, and contemporary (American) wild ale as well. If anything, this book is testament that spontaneous fermentation and brewing with other yeasts then Saccharomyces is not dead.

After being introduced by New Belgium’s Peter Bouckaert, the book starts off with the obligatory account of how the author became interested in the beers he  loves to write about. In this case the author is traveling in in Europe, ends up in Chez Moeder Lambic in Elsene, Belgium, orders a lambic “with some odd tropical fruit” and is told by the bartender to try Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus instead. This experience, and a later experience with a vintage bottle of Liefmans Goudenband (old recipe) set the stage for an enduring interest in the wild brews of Belgium.

The recovery of traditional lambic and the movement to brew wild ales in other parts of the world raises the obvious question if lambic can be brewed anywhere else than Brussels and the Payottenland. Brewer Frank Boon reportedly said “you can’t” but Cantillon’s Jean-Pierre Van Roy  believes that spontaneously fermented beer can be brewed  in other places in the world. These answers are not mutually exclusive. If lambic beers are defined as spontaneously fermented beers that are brewed in Belgium’s Payottenland, it is evident that lambics cannot be brewed in any other part of the world. If the defining character of lambic is true spontaneous fermentation, all bets are off. And if lambic is defined solely by its flavor profile, the character of lambics can be approached by controlled fermentation with non-traditional yeasts and bacteria. In his book 1990 “Lambic”,  Jean-Xavier Guinard argues persuasively that the temptation to ride on the popularity of lambics should be resisted and that this label only needs to be used for the traditional brews of the Payottenland. On the other hand, when brewers in other parts of the world employ the authentic traditional techniques such non-Belgium lambics could help to save the tradition from extinction.

Sparrow devotes some effort to distinguish between Flanders red ales (sour ales), Flanders brown ales  (oud bruin) and lambics. In the case of lambics such distinctions are clear but the attempt to distinguish red ales from brown ales looks more challenging.  One cannot just tweak a little with another beer style and get a lambic but the dividing line between the Flanders ales can appear quite arbitrary, although one could mention that the the presence of Acetobacter sp.  contributes to the more pronounced presence of acidic acid in the reds. But reading his account of the Flanders sour ales, it seems that these beers are more vulnerable to disappear than lambics. This is ironic because modern examples of such beers are produced in ways that would be considered taking lazy shortcuts by traditional lambic standards. This raises the question of how the production of a traditional Flanders sour ale be distinguished from a traditional lambic, a topic that is discussed at various points in the book.

The history of wild brews is covered in some detail, including a brief discussion of the American Wild Ale style. Sparrow expands on the history of lambic brewing given in Guinard. As the author states, “lambic can lay claim to being the oldest existing beer style in the world”, its first written documentation going back to around 1320. The most infamous lambic variant must be faro, “the beer which is drunk twice”, a characterization that dates from the time that waste-polluted Senne River water was used to brew this sweet lambic. Discussing the practice of blending and diluting lambics, the author notes that some hint  “that the founder of the Belle-Vue lambic brewery-pub in Brussels was not well respected and produced his lambic with help from beer discarded from other breweries and  returned from cafes.”

Although most lambics that are consumed today are gueuze and fruit lambics, one hundred years ago 90% to 95% of lambics were sold straight. Lambic brewers Cantillon and De Cam have bottled unblended aged lambic, but it is not likely that this style will catch on beyond locals, a small group of lambic connoisseurs and perhaps some adventurous wine drinkers any time soon. Sparrow mentions that traditional lambic brewers consider  the differences between lambic and wine and between Gueuze and Champagne very small. Quite remarkably, the author also mentions that in Eastern Brabant the traditional white (wit) beers were produced by spontaneous fermentation as well. Fruit and herbs were often used in the production to balance the sourness of the beer. The addition of herbs has remained a staple of Belgian white beers such as Hoegaarden but the tradition of spontaneous fermentation has been abandoned.

The third chapter about drinking wild beer has lot of information (including a number of maps) about most of the major existing producers of traditional lambics and wild ales and  makes the book quite useful as a reference. There are also interesting tidbits of information about the evolution of some brewers, which often means the transition from a traditional product to something with more mass appeal (such as the reduction of aged beer in Rodenbach Classic to make it sweeter). This chapter really shines in its description of the traditional lambic brewers; their formation, history and brewing approach. Sparrow’s description of 3 Fonteinen’s unorthodox “temperature controlled” barrel stores has taken a completely different meaning since the 2009 disaster that cost the brewery most of its years product and contributed to DeBelder’s decision to stop brewing and return to blending. The United States is also discussed and includes some interesting information on smaller experiments with wild ales around the country. Also featured, of course, is Russian River, the California brewery that has done a lot to promote sour ales in the United States and who can give many Belgium brewers a run for their money.

The technical treatment of lambic brewing covers much of the same ground as Jean-Xavier Guinard’s 1990 book on the topic but adds a lot of interesting details, photos (including microscopy images) and tables.  In the case of Sparrow’s book there is, of course, also the technical treatment of the production of Flanders reds and browns. Most impressive, and somewhat of a neglected topic in Guinard’s book, is the extensive discussion of the characteristics, selection and maintenance of barrels, an element of traditional lambic brewing that requires a lot of expertise, which further adds to the mystique of lambic brewing. In his discussion of barrel choice, the author mentions the ability of some lambic connoisseurs to detect the original use of a “new” barrel in a blend.  Breweries such as Belle-Vue, Cantillon, and Oud Beersel also use chestnut barrels in addition to oak.

The technical and procedural treatment of lambic is completed with a chapter about blending, and that of Gueuze blending in particular. As the author notes: “Gueuze blending is an art. The traditional gueuze blender expresses himself using a liquid media the same way a painter uses paint and canvas.”

Wild Brews is great book for  lovers of traditional lambic.  Highly recommended.

I cannot claim to be an expert on the saison style but a limited edition saison with brettanomyces is hard to resist. It is even harder to resist when the reviews of this brew are generally encouraging and the bottle features a pretty label.

A brief review.

Very thick head (3 fingers), dissipating over time. Little lacing.

Murky blonde color. Opaque. Heavy carbonation.

Smells like brett, spice, sweetly tinged. Peaches and white fruit.

Carbonated but smooth. A little sweet, but not overbearing. Hops keep the sweetness in check. Spicy.

Medium-bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Too foamy!

This is quite tasty and smooth. I can do without the strong carbonation. Great bottle and label though.

The September 2009 issue of Imbibe Magazine features an interesting article about the growing interest in oxidized wines. Co-owner of New York City restaurant L’Artusi Joe Campanale is quoted saying:

These are not ‘in-between’ wines… All the fresh fruit aromas and tastes diminish, making way for cooked or candied fruit; nutty, yeasty flavors; and a ton of complexity. Fans of these wines find their individuality and character is unsurpassed and, because of that, they are some of the most fascinating and compelling wines in the world.

Not surprisingly, the story starts off with the most famous oxidized fortified wine known to man: sherry. But it also discusses lesser known non-fortified oxidized wines such as the classical Rioja wines from Spain, a tradition that is still kept alive by patient producers such as López de Heredia. The prime example of non-fortified wine is of course Vin Jaune, the “yellow wine” from the Jura region in France that was highlighted a little while ago on this website in an entry about wine for lambic drinkers. The Imbibe article mentions some other developments and producers that would have been appropriate in that context such as the natural whites made in the Friuli region in Italy by winemakers such as Damijan, Gravner, and Radikon.

Interestingly enough, the article features Portland’s Liner & Elsen, a wine store with a decent selection of Jura wines, Cabernet Francs from the Loire, and sherrys, indicating that Portland is not just a good city to purchase traditional lambics, but also to locate oxidized and “wild” wines as well.

Expect more coverage of Jura wines in 2010 after the author has visited Château-Chalon and Arbois in France.

Cantillon is among the most traditional of lambic breweries but that has not deterred this family-owned brewery from offering a wide range of different beers.  One of the most unique and innovative year round beers is Iris. Iris stands out from the other Cantillon beers because it only uses malted barley instead of the traditional combination of malted barley and unmalted wheat.  The use of 50% fresh hops is another major difference from traditional lambic. The result is a real spontaneously fermented beer that is not a lambic (a true rarity).

Cantillon’s Cuvee des Champions is a special cuvée that is dry hopped in the cask for three weeks using Styrian Goldings hops. It is a blend of different lambics, but, unlike traditional Geuze, only two year old lambics are used, producing the characteristic soft pallet of the Cantillon Lou Pepe series.

As can be seen in the photo on the right, the elimination of wheat from Iris produces a darker color than traditional lambics. This difference was also reflected in the taste; Iris had a “heavier” ale-like caramel flavor. Although fresh hops were utilized in both beers, the smell and taste of hops was a lot more pronounced in Iris, which appears to reflect the fact that  in Cuvee des Champions the use of fresh hops was confined to dry hopping.  As a matter of fact, the use of fresh hops was hard to detect in Cuvee des Champions (perhaps this difference would have been clearer if this beer was compared to a traditional Geuze). Iris also had a stronger “barnyard” brettanomyces smell, a heavier mouthfeel, more  tartness, more astringency, and a longer finish than Cuvee des Champions, which was noticeably milder with less carbonation and more prominent citrus notes. Both beers are well executed, leaving the choice between the two styles a matter of personal preference. Cantillon’s Iris is a fine example of what spontaneous fermentation can achieve in other beer styles. 

The Belgian beer blog Hier Stroomt het Bier! has an extensive photo report on the birth of a new Gueuze blender from Bierghes in the French speaking part of Belgium (Walloons). Brewer Pierre Tilquin, who has learned the skills of traditional lambic brewing at 3 Fonteinen and Cantillon, expects to release his first Gueuze in mid-2011.  Lambics are obtained from Boon, Lindemans, Girardin, and Cantillon (the first time this brewer is making its lambic available for blending) and will be aged in used Crozes-Hermitage of Cornas barrels.

A little while ago when I was visiting family in East Texas in a “dry county” we had to make an effort to find a store that sells beer and wine. Fortunately, it only took a short drive across county lines  to find a gas station with a small collection of beers and wines.  This store was, of course, not stocked with a large selection of craft beers. After some deliberation we ended up purchasing a six pack of Victory Hop Devil Ale, a pretty decent IPA that approaches the Imperial IPA style in terms of taste and alcohol percentage. Not long after we returned from Texas we noticed a bottle of Victory Wild Devil Ale on the local Whole Foods Market shelves and decided to take it home to compare.

As the name indicates, Wild Devil is a wild variant of Hop Devil. The use of malt, whole flower hops and alcohol content are similar but this beer has been fermented with “100% laboratory grown Brettanomyces.”  As such, this beer constitutes an interesting experiment in substituting brettanomyces yeast for conventional ale yeast.

The following notes were taken on Sunday, October 04, 2009:

Poured into a Cantillon Geuze glass.

Appearance: Even with gentle pouring, produces a 2 finger “moon crater” head. Golden/amber in color, hazy. Long head retention.

Smell: Flowery/citrus hops . Brett. Sweet caramel malt.  Peppery spice.

Taste: Hops and brett. Fruit. Ends on a spicy, bitter note. Dry. Long aftertaste. As the beer warms up, the brett becomes more dominant at the expense of the hops.

Mouthfeel: Quite smooth. Moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: Less drinkable than Hop Devil. Generous remaining foam.

In previous reviews of beers in which brettanomyces yeast was used it was observed that this style does better when it is either balanced with a strong hop profile or souring bacteria. Wild Devil falls firmly in the former category.  This beer is a basic but tasty example of “brett meets hops.” Particularly pleasant is its lingering aftertaste, a characteristic of  many good beers and wines. The only negative note was the remaining foam at the bottom of the glass. The drinkability of Wild Devil is less than that of Hop Devil, which may indicate that all-brett beers may be less suitable for a session beer. The best way to sum up this beer is that it represents the sum of its parts; nothing more, nothing less.

Wild Devil could anticipate a future development in American craft brewing. The brewing of the same beer with different yeasts; saccharomyces or brettanomyces fermentation. It should be noted, however, that the use of saccharomyces and brettanomyces are not mutually exclusive. The most impressive non-lambic brettanomyces-based wild ale I have tasted to date is Signature Ale, a collaboration between Dirk Naudts from Belgium’s De Proef Brewery and Tomme Arthur from California’s Port Brewing and Lost Abbey.  Signature Ale was fermented with saccharomyces and brettanomyces and contains four different malts. Whether  this approach conferred comparatively superb qualities on this beer I cannot say but it has become evident that the combination of brettanomyces fermentation and aggressive hopping can be pushed in very impressive directions.

Unless yet another wild ale from Russian River comes my way soon, this will be the last Russian River review for awhile.  Temptation is a blond ale aged in used French Oak chardonnay barrels and is the brewery’s most recent 750 ml bottle release. Prior to tasting this beer I expected that I would enjoy it but that it would not compare to Beatification, the best Russian River beer I have tasted so far, and this turned out to be correct.

I was most concerned about the use of chardonnay barrels. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this grape but, as we all know after watching the comedy-drama Sideways, chardonnay is one of the most  abused grapes in the United States; dulled by secondary malolactic fermentation and the vanilla taste of  oak.  Of course, the use of old oak is one of the essential elements in traditional lambic brewing and contributes to the fermentation of the beer and its complexity. The danger with the use of new oak, however, is that such advantages risk being offset by the oak dominating at the expense of other flavors. In this sense, oak has similar effects  such as leaving too much residual sugar in a beer (or wine). Fortunately, Temptation is barrel aged in old French chardonnay barrels for 9 to 15 months but the oak is certainly present. As in the other Russian River wild ales, souring bacteria and Brettanomyces are used and the resulting brew is refermented in the bottle.

The following notes were taken on Friday, September 11, 2009:

Batch 004X1. Poured into a Cantillon Geuze glass.

Appearance: Pours a very fizzy head (2-3 fingers) with lots of carbonation. Blond. More head retention than expected.

Smell: Soft barnyard smell. Brettanomyces. Some citrus and a little sweet and spicy.

Taste:  Brettanomyces. Slightly sour. Round “numbing” taste, ending on a neutral note. Yeasty. Light in flavor. Grapefruit. Soft tannins.

Mouthfeel: Medium. Fizzy. Light on the tongue and buttery.

Drinkability: Less drinkable than some of their other wild ales. Perhaps the fuller and fizzy mouthfeel contributes to this.

“Is it beer, or is it wine?” asks the label on the bottle. After drinking Temptation I am inclined to answer that the similarities with wine are more than countered by the surprisingly dominant note of the brettanomyces yeast. I do not recall having tasted a beer from Russian River where the brett contributed so much to the smell and flavor. This combination of brett and chardonnay  is certainly unique, if not provocative.

It is not hard to “reverse-engineer” why I enjoyed this beer less than Consecration and Beatification. There is the royal presence of brettanomyces without enough sourness or hops to balance it.  And as far as the wine barrel of choice is concerned, chardonnay does not rank among my favorite wines (perhaps next time, Russian River can pick a Savennières barrel from the Loire Valley in France). I found this beer just a little too soft and buttery for a wild ale and the finish was remarkably short and neutral. I would not hesitate to drink Temptation over most American ales but I do not care as much about this beer as  I do about the other Russian River sour ales.

Is this possible to make a lambic in the United States? This depends on the definition of what constitutes a lambic (brewing process or location) but the ongoing attempt by Allagash to use the usual ingredients, a cool ship, and  real spontaneous fermentation could do it. In the meantime,  some of the beers made by Russian River are coming closer in terms of brewing process and taste.  Few, if any, American wild ales have come as close to the smell and taste of an actual Belgian Geuze as Russian River’s Beatification.

Beatification is a blend of two vintages of a base beer called “Sonambic,” which are further blended with “a couple of other orphan beers” to change the mouthfeel of barrel aged beers or enhance its acidity. Beatification was aged for 8 to 15 months in old Oak Barrels (at least 5 years according to Russian River’s website) which impart little wine or oak notes to the beer. Its “spontaneous” character lies in the wild yeasts and bacteria which inhabit the barrels.  This method comes a lot closer to traditional lambic brewing than just adding a lambic or Flanders Red culture to the beer. Like traditional Geuze, Beatification undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle, which, as all the Russian River wild ale bottles, feature restrained and beautiful labels.

Because we did not have an opportunity to try this until a family member from California visited us, the beer that we tasted may have benefited from further aging after it was purchased in 2008.

The following notes were taken on Thursday, August 27, 2009:

Batch 003. 750 ml. Poured into a Cantillon Geuze glass.

Upon uncorking — lots of carbonation, foam came over the lip of the bottle.

Appearance: When pouring, half a finger of head which dissipated quickly. Blond / yellow beer, opaque.

Smell: Smells like a traditional Geuze. Cannot recall any American beer that smells so much like a lambic/Geuze. Brett, citrus (lemon), wheat.

Taste: Very tart, with a smooth finish. One of the strongest lemon notes I have ever tasted in a beer. Wheat. Alcohol is not very noticeable. A slight grapefruit note develops as it gets warmer.

Mouthfeel: Light. Moderate carbonation (just the right amount). Some astringency.

Drinkability: Extremely drinkable. Perhaps it is a good thing that the price prevents excessive consumption! A perfect beer to drink outside in warm weather.

One difference between Beatification and Geuze lambic that I detected is the reduced complexity in taste. In this case I am wondering whether this should be considered a defect because the bone dry and lemon-like taste is exceptional.   There are more complex Russian River wild ales but Beatification simply blows them away.  There is something to be said for alcoholic beverages that simply feature flawless execution of a specific flavor. More than one reviewer has compared Beatification to a very dry, tart white wine. In light of my preference for the dry and concentrated white wines from the Alsace region in France, this characterization does not surprise me.

Since this beer was so close in taste to a traditional Geuze it would be interesting to  use an analytical chemistry technique like chromatography on this beer to determine its chemical profile and compare it to traditional lambics and other wild ales.

After tasting Beatification there is no doubt in my mind that Americans can compete with the best traditional Lambic brewers if  instant gratification is suppressed and the temptation to sweeten the beer, the use of new oak , and excessive carbonation is discouraged. All these pitfalls have been avoided in Beatification.

Of all the wild ales that are currently available in the United States, Beatification ranks among the best.

Russian River Brewing Company is one of the most prominent American craft breweries with a strong focus on wild ales. Unlike their year-round beers Pliny the Elder, Blind Pig, and Damnation, their wild ales are released as bottled limited editions or are only available for a limited period at their brewpub. Since their flagship beers have become available in states such as Oregon and Washington, their limited edition wild ales have found their way to the consumer as well. Consecration is a wild ale made with zante currants aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels and refermented in the bottle with a rather high alcohol percentage for the style (10%).

The following notes were taken on Friday, July 24, 2009:

Batch 002X3. Poured into a snifter.

Consecration is fizzy upon pouring but leaves little to no head or lacing. The color of the beer resembles a soft drink  (!) like cola, an impression that is further reinforced by its fizzy nature.

The beer is medium bodied and quite carbonated. When the prickly feeling on the tongue disappears it is quite smooth.

The smell of this beer is quite exceptional. Fruits. Alcohol. Vinegar. I also detected a slightly oxidized smell, reminiscent of  sherry and the oxidized wines from the Jura region in France. Since this beer innovates at so many fronts at once (choice of fruit, alcohol content, Cabernet Sauvignon barrels) there is no real baseline for comparison. Consecration has a smell that is distinctly unique.

Like the smell, the taste is quite original. Tart and fruity but heavy and astringent too. Unlike most traditional lambics, aftertaste is quite short and ends on a slightly bitter note. As the beers warms up, a slightly sweet, but pleasant, note is detected.

The alcohol content alone make this beer a sipper. This is further reinforced by its fairly high carbonation.

I approached this beer with two conflicting feelings. So far I have not been that impressed by any attempts to create high alcohol wild ales or Flemish reds. For example, many recent Northwestern attempts to create sour beers have struggled to reconcile the classic characteristics of the style and high alcohol content, with, in my opinion, mixed success. On the other hand, so far I have not tasted any Russian River beers that I did not like. I found this beer quite persuasive as well but my reservations about high alcohol sour ales remain.

Consecration is certainly a very vinous beer. But with such a high alcohol content, it almost inevitable to compare this beer with a rustic red wine (like Olga Raffault Chinon “Les Picasses”). I do not know if the use of grains, souring bacteria, and brettanomyces are at odds with higher alcohol beers or whether the attempts so far leave something to be desired.

Ironically, the most impressive attempt at a high alcohol (8%) lambic is Frank Boon’s  “Geuze Marriage Parfait,” a brewer that I am normally not so thrilled about. Marriage Parfait does not contain any fruit. It might be interesting to take this approach a step further and create an older, “flatter” version of such a beer and age it in sherry or cognac barrels.

Despite these critical reflections, Russian River has set another great example in the world of wild ales. Hopefully, the brewery decides to produce a year-round wild ale in the future.

One of the most interesting innovations at Cantillon are the Lou Pepe lambics. Unlike the traditional gueuze, which is made by blending lambics of various ages, the Lou Pepe beers are made by blending 2 year old mellow lambics from wine barrels.  This method produces a wonderful “gueuze” that is distinguished by its  smooth and elegant character.

There is no young beer to start fermentation so the Lou Pepe beers are  fermented through the addition of a sweet liquor. This fermentation method opens up the possibility of creating distinct fruit lambics with a higher proportion of fruit (300 grams instead of 200 grams per liter). Since this is Cantillon, the fruit is completely fermented (Trimbach-style) producing an intense fruity lambic that has more emphasis on the acidity and fruit than the Brett. These beers should be consumed at a relatively young age to experience the expressive fruit notes.

It is rare to find lambic on tap in the United States. It is even rarer to find traditional lambic on tap. And is it extremely rare to find Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise on tap. Therefore, it was extremely encouraging that Belmont Station in Portland tapped a keg of this beer during its annual celebration of sour beers called “Puckerfest.”

Another debut at Belmont Station was New Belgium’s “Le Terroir.” Le Terroir turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  Presenting itself with a golden-orange lambic-like color, the beer fused grapefruit and lemon with hops. This medium bodied, moderately carbonated beer had a fascinating tart taste of grapefruit and tangerine, more reminiscent of a traditional lambic than a Flemish Red. Great drinkability. Less obscure is New Belgium’s “La Folie,” a Flemish Red that gives most Belgium beers of this style a run for their money. Dark red and brownish with an aroma of brown sugar, vinegar and wood, La Folie has a soft taste and light tannins; the sweeter brother of Le Terrroir. If Le Terroir announces the end of summer, La Folie rings in the beginning of autumn.

It is impossible to beat Cantillon so Belmont Station should be praised for tapping another great beer of their impressive line-up; Saint Lamvinus, a lambic made with merlot and cabernet-franc grapes. Sporting a cherry  red color, this beer has the classic Cantillon signature aroma of brett and focused acidity but more vinous. Like all great lambics, mouthfeel is on the lighter side and carbonation is moderate with a slightly astringent aftertaste. It cannot get any better than this.

The real surprise of the event, however, was Le Terroir, the best New Belgium creation I have tasted to date. This is yet another example of the magic that is possible when wild yeast and hops meet.

Professional obligations prevented me from sampling some of the other beers on tap. As much as I like the idea of supporting the local “sour” beers, as a general rule, most of them are just too sweet and “boozy” for my liking and no amount of innovation or complexity can make up for that. For a thoughtful review of some of the beers that were on tap, see Beervana.

The prospect of sampling new sour and wild ales gave me some pause to reflect. I think that most craft beer drinkers enjoy the idea of a brewer trying “something different” and releasing all kinds of seasonal and experimental brews, but I find myself more drawn to the idea of brewing one basic style and mastering it. This may explain my preference for brewers with a distinct house style like Deschutes (brewer of the magnificent Green Lakes amber ale) and Sierra Nevada. And what else do most traditional lambic brewers do than create gueuze and kriek? When any special releases are made available to the general public, these are typically hand selected vintages or lazy lambics (Loerik, Doesjel). Like a good wine, the wonder of lambic is the subtle variability that is associated with the brewing process. Things happen but one does not “push the sound around” as the American minimalist composer Morton Feldman once put it.

Less is more.