Wild Brews: Beer Beyond the Influence of Brewer's Yeast by Jeff Sparrow

Author:Jeff Sparrow
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Beverages, Cooking, ebook, Regional & Ethnic, Beer, European
ISBN: 9780937381861
Publisher: Brewers Publications
Published: 2005-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

The fermentation of lambic occurs in a specific sequence, each microbial species growing at different rates before reaching a high enough cell count to act, in turn, on the wort. The depletion of nutrients and oxygen, and the drop in pH caused by fermentation, results in each type of microorganism being dominant at a different time during the life cycle. The actual duration of each stage is not absolute but dependent upon the ambient temperature in the fermentation rooms and the particular concentration of microorganisms in each cask. These are two reasons why even the same batch of lambic will taste differently from cask to cask. Dr. Hubert Verachtert and his colleagues at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium conducted the research involved in determining the lambic fermentation cycle.

A seasonal beer, lambic is brewed and exposed to wild yeast and bacteria while in the coolship and allowed a “primary fermentation” during the cooler months. The onset of summer brings an increase in the population of lactic acid-producing bacteria. The fall brings with it a secondary alcoholic fermentation by highly attenuative yeasts. At Cantillon they say, “The beer must be inside the barrels for a summer and a winter.” Once this time has passed, the young lambic may be served or blended. The onset of the second summer sees another increase in the population of lactic acid-producing bacteria. Lambic exhibits a viscosity during the summer that makes it unsuitable for blending. After two years, the lambic is fairly mature, almost a finished product. A portion will mature an additional year to contribute the well-developed flavors of an old lambic when blended as gueuze.

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