| Strange Brew |
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Previously I have discussed beers brewed with the addition of unusual and non-traditional ingredients, such as native New Zealand Manuka tips, as well as some of the weird and wonderful implements used to serve beer such as "Randall, the Enamel Animal". So what's next you ask? Pushing the boundaries of brewing usually revolves around sourcing and blending the wide range of malts, and hops that are available. Yeast is something that seems to be intriguing a growing number of brewers. Brewing normal lagers and ales involves using a specific strain of yeast, called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These "bugs" are essential to the process as they convert the sugars derived from malted grains, into alcohol, flavour and aroma, heat and carbon dioxide. Apart from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae, there are three other types of wild yeasts and bacteria; they are Brettanomyces, Peddiococcus and Lactobacillus. These bugs are usually the enemy of the brewer, and if they are present in a beer then it will be deemed as being infected. There are examples however of beers that make use of these so called "bad yeasts" during fermentation or storage. The classic examples of these beers hail from Belgium where they use varying amounts and species of yeasts and bacteria to conduct primary and secondary fermentations. These "Old World Classic" examples include Orval, Westmaller, Chimay, Rochefort, and Rodenbach. It gets the mind thinking about what happens when we add different bugs to the primary fermentation or to a finished beer, or what happens if we provide an environment where the bugs would flourish, such as in wooden barrels instead of spotlessly clean stainless steel? These sorts of thoughts are enough to put a shiver up the back of most brewers. Any sign of these bugs in a brewery would normally create panic and hysteria, as your normal brews also stand a chance of infection. Because of the danger involved in dealing with these bad bugs there are very few "New World" examples of these beers.
On a trip to the US to judge in the World Beer Cup, I caught up with Vinnie Cilurzo, the brewer from Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, California. Vinnie is at the forefront of tinkering with these bad boy bugs. His portfolio carries names that celebrate this dark side of brewing. The range includes Redemption, Perdition, Benediction, Damnation, Deification, Erudition, Rejection and Salvation - just for starters; it then moves into a range of barrel-aged beers called Temptation, Supplication, Compunction, Depuration and finally Beatification. He has experimented with different types of barrels, new, old, wine, port, whisky and bourbon. You have to be a daring brewer to tolerate these bugs, however the guys at the Russian River have gone to great lengths to protect their operation by having two of everything; one set of equipment for their normal beers and one for the not so normal. As a brewer who likes to ferment at the edge, I've also had a crack at the "big three" bad bugs. One experiment started with a base beer from our Belgian Saison, affectionately named Barking Duck, which I then put into used wine barrels that I knew were infected. After the duck went into the barrels I left it there for nine months. During this barrel aging, everyone had to keep well clear of them, no touching allowed. We didn't want to disturb the thin film of yeast and bacterial growth that grew and evolved on the surface of the beer inside. This approach to barrel and bug management is a little like making ‘real' fino sherry where a fine film of ‘flor' is allowed to develop on the surface of the wine. The duck was then taken out of the barrels and blended back together in a tank. From there it was put into 750ml sparkling wine bottles where it still sits today under going secondary fermentation with the aid of a blend of various Belgian candy sugars and local muscovado sugars. Honestly, I'm not sure about it yet. Various people have tasted it including brewers, wine makers, publicans and friends. Most of them just don't get it. Everyone asks "Why?" Some on the other hand really do get it. For me the beer is very simply, complicated! These beers don't taste anything like your normal lagers and ales. They're very dry on the palate, but full of complex flavours. On the nose they're pungent, with memories of balsamic vinegar and stinky washed rind cheeses, whilst some are reminiscent of horse blankets. So obviously, these beers certainly aren't for everyone. Lets just say I don't see them replacing Crown Lager or Hahn Premium. There is a place for them though. They're for sipping with equally interesting food such as a simple antipasto, as the mixed and varied flavours are sure to get you thinking. |
Since you're reading this, you're already on the path less travelled. Now let's get right off the track.
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