Brewing Lambic: Difference between revisions
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==Raw Ingredients== | ==Raw Ingredients== | ||
The Royal Decrees of May 20, 1965 and March 31, 1993 required that lambic brewers use at least 30% wheat.<ref name=“GeuzeKriek”>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> Today's modern lambic is brewed using a grain bill of roughly 30-40% raw (ungerminated) wheat and 60-70% malted barley (2-row or a combination of 2-row and 6-row). Recipes from the 1800s actually called for even more unmalted wheat.<ref name=Lacambre> G. Lacambre, Traité complet de la fabrication des bières et de la distillation, 1851.</ref> In most cases, both the wheat and the barley are coming from Belgian or German farms | The Royal Decrees of May 20, 1965 and March 31, 1993 required that lambic brewers use at least 30% wheat.<ref name=“GeuzeKriek”>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> Today's modern lambic is brewed using a grain bill of roughly 30-40% raw (ungerminated) wheat and 60-70% malted barley (2-row or a combination of 2-row and 6-row). Recipes from the 1800s actually called for even more unmalted wheat.<ref name=Lacambre> G. Lacambre, Traité complet de la fabrication des bières et de la distillation, 1851.</ref> In most cases, both the wheat and the barley are coming from Belgian or German farms. | ||
Aged hops also play an important role in lambic. Hops are necessary to regulate the growth of bacteria; however higher doses of fresh hops could add an unwanted level of bitterness. This is why hops over a year old are used; they have lost the majority of their bittering properties but not their bacteriostatic properties.<ref name=PalmBoon>Boon Brewery, Brewing Process http://palmbreweries.com/en/boon</ref> Traditionally, hops containing low amounts of alpha acids are aged for anywhere between a year and three years; although some bales of hops wind up aging much longer. The hops are typically stored in an environment where they are susceptible to oxygen and drastic temperature changes, such as in sacks in an attic, rather than the vacuum sealed and cold storage common for beers using un-aged hops. | Aged hops also play an important role in lambic. Hops are necessary to regulate the growth of bacteria; however higher doses of fresh hops could add an unwanted level of bitterness. This is why hops over a year old are used; they have lost the majority of their bittering properties but not their bacteriostatic properties.<ref name=PalmBoon>Boon Brewery, Brewing Process http://palmbreweries.com/en/boon</ref> Traditionally, hops containing low amounts of alpha acids are aged for anywhere between a year and three years; although some bales of hops wind up aging much longer. The hops are typically stored in an environment where they are susceptible to oxygen and drastic temperature changes, such as in sacks in an attic, rather than the vacuum sealed and cold storage common for beers using un-aged hops. | ||
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===Hot side equipment=== | ===Hot side equipment=== | ||
[[File:Cantillon-Brewing-2.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Cantillon's mash tun]] | [[File:Cantillon-Brewing-2.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Cantillon's mash tun]] | ||
While some specialized equipment is used in the ‘hot side’ of lambic production, much of the equipment used in modern lambic breweries resembles the sort of equipment you would see in contemporaneous Belgian non-lambic breweries. The typical hot side equipment found in lambic breweries includes a mash tun with internal rakes, one or two boiling kettles, and a coolship. Additional necessary brewing equipment which may be more or less visible, depending on the brewery, includes a grain mill, access to hot water through either a dedicated vessel (termed a hot liquor tank) or through on-demand hot water, and pump(s) which are either belt-driven (e.g. [[Cantillon]]) or electrically powered (e.g. [[3 Fonteinen]]). Significant variability exists between different producers in the specifics of this equipment based on size and when the brewery was built, but their function and general characteristics are basically the same. | While some specialized equipment is used in the ‘hot side’ of lambic production, much of the equipment used in modern lambic breweries resembles the sort of equipment you would see in contemporaneous Belgian non-lambic breweries. The typical hot side equipment found in lambic breweries includes a mash tun with internal rakes, one or two boiling kettles, and a coolship. Additional necessary brewing equipment which may be more or less visible, depending on the brewery, includes a grain mill, access to hot water through either a dedicated vessel (termed a hot liquor tank) or through on-demand hot water, and pump(s) which are either belt-driven (e.g. [[Cantillon]]) or directly electrically powered (e.g. [[3 Fonteinen]]). Significant variability exists between different producers in the specifics of this equipment based on size and when the brewery was built, but their function and general characteristics are basically the same. | ||
The mash tuns used in lambic production deserve specific discussion before dealing with brewing process. A mash tun is the vessel that holds the mixture of grain and water (the mash) as enzymes in the grain are active to convert components of the grain into fermentable sugars and accessible nutrients for yeast and bacteria. Mash tuns have a false bottom made of a perforated or slotted screen which allows liquid to pass below while retaining the grain. Historically wooden baskets (called stuykmanden in Flemish) were also used to extract liquid from the mash. These baskets were pressed into the mash and turbid wort was withdrawn and transfered to a boil kettle<ref name=Lacambre/><ref name='Johnson 1918'>G.M. Johnson, 1918. A Belgian mashing system suitable for light beers. Journal of the Institute of Brewing. 24(6) 237-251.</ref>. Mash tuns have internal rakes which aid in mixing the mash as well as draining the sweet wort after the mash is complete. Along with the rakes, some lambic breweries (e.g. [[Timmermans]]) have perforated copper disks called extractors inside the tun which were used to help withdraw liquid from the mash.<ref name=Lacambre/><ref name='Johnson 1895'>G.M. Johnson, 1895. Brewing in Belgium and Belgian Beers. Journal of the Federated Institutes of Brewing. 1(5) 450-470.</ref>. | The mash tuns used in lambic production deserve specific discussion before dealing with brewing process. A mash tun is the vessel that holds the mixture of grain and water (the mash) as enzymes in the grain are active to convert components of the grain into fermentable sugars and accessible nutrients for yeast and bacteria. Mash tuns have a false bottom made of a perforated or slotted screen which allows liquid to pass below while retaining the grain. Historically wooden baskets (called stuykmanden in Flemish) were also used to extract liquid from the mash. These baskets were pressed into the mash and turbid wort was withdrawn and transfered to a boil kettle<ref name=Lacambre/><ref name='Johnson 1918'>G.M. Johnson, 1918. A Belgian mashing system suitable for light beers. Journal of the Institute of Brewing. 24(6) 237-251.</ref>. Mash tuns have internal rakes which aid in mixing the mash as well as draining the sweet wort after the mash is complete. Along with the rakes, some lambic breweries (e.g. [[Timmermans]]) have perforated copper disks called extractors inside the tun which were used to help withdraw liquid from the mash.<ref name=Lacambre/><ref name='Johnson 1895'>G.M. Johnson, 1895. Brewing in Belgium and Belgian Beers. Journal of the Federated Institutes of Brewing. 1(5) 450-470.</ref>. | ||
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===Barrels=== | ===Barrels=== | ||
[[File:De_Troch_barrel_cleaning.jpg|230px|thumb|right|Barrel cleaning at De Troch]] | [[File:De_Troch_barrel_cleaning.jpg|230px|thumb|right|Barrel cleaning at De Troch]] | ||
While some larger producers are using stainless steel tanks, lambic is traditionally fermented and aged in wooden barrels and | While some larger producers are using stainless steel tanks, lambic is traditionally fermented and aged in wooden barrels and foeders. Lambic brewers and blenders prefer used barrels, which are often coming from red wine production, for fermenting and aging lambic. These barrels are preferred because most of the oak character has already been extracted from the barrel, and less character from the wood will come through in the final lambic. Barrels vary widely in size, including sizes such as 267 liter Tonnes, 550-650 liter Pipes, and 3,000 to 120,000+ liter Foedres. Each brewer has their preference for their ideal barrel size. These barrels are typically made from oak or chestnut. | ||
Each individual barrel can have its own progression, even among well used barrels and different barrels from the brewing day, and some lambic brewers and blenders are experimenting with more distinctive barrels where the influence of the previous contents of the barrel are desired. Increasingly, lambic producers are releasing beers highlighting the unique role that different barrels or foeders can have. This includes sourcing specific barrels or foeders for their characteristics as noted above, as well as bottling the first lambics from recently-received used barrels as separate releases, and releases highlighting a single foeder or selection of older barrels. Some examples of this are: | |||
Barrels used for spirits | |||
*[[Vat_110_Monoblend|Boon Vat 110 Monoblend]] (Cognac) | |||
*[[Boon/Mikkeller_Oude_Geuze_(Calvados_Aged)|Boon/Mikkeler Oude Geuze (Calvados Aged)]] (Calvados) | |||
*[[Cantillon_50_Degrees_North_-_4_Degrees_East|Cantillon 50N 4E]] (Cognac, Armagnac) | |||
*[[Cantillon_Chouke|Cantillon Chouke]] (Armagnac) | |||
Barrels used for oxidative wines | |||
*[[3_Fonteinen_Zenne_y_Frontera|3 Fonteinen Zenne Y Frontera]] (Sherry) | |||
*[[Cantillon_Lambic_Vin_Jaune| Cantillon La Vie est Belge]] (Vin Jaune) | |||
*[[Cantillon_Brabantiae|Cantillon Brabantiae]] (Port) | |||
First use(s) of wine barrels | |||
*[[Cantillon_Zwanze_2018|Cantillon Zwanze 2018]] (Amarone, Chianti, Sangiovese) | |||
*[[Oud Beersel Oude Geuze Vieille - Vandervelden 135|Oud Beersel Vandervelden 135]] (Brunello di Montalcino) | |||
*[[Oud_Beersel_Oude_Geuze_Vieille_-_Vandervelden_137|Oud Beersel Vandervelden 137]] (Brunello di Montalcino) | |||
Old barrels | |||
*[[Vat_79_Monoblend|Boon Vat 79 Monoblend]] (from a foeder built in 1883), along with many of the other monoblend series | |||
*[[Oud_Beersel_Oude_Geuze_Vieille_Barrel_Selection_Oude_Pijpen|Oud Beersel Oude Geuze Barrel Selection Oude Pijpen]] | |||
Barrel cleaning is important for lambic production; however, the exact methods used vary among individual brewers and blenders. Some basic steps are fairly universal. First, any sediment is removed from the barrels by spraying with hot water and, in some cases, scrubbing. Some brewers (such as Cantillon) scrape barrels clean by putting sharpened chains in the barrels and spinning them. The barrels are then washed extensively with with very hot water and/or steamed to sanitize and prepare them for use. If they are to be stored empty rather than being reused promptly, the barrels are allowed to dry and sulfur is burned in them to preserve their sanitation. Even with this extensive cleaning, the barrels still carry microbes and contribute to the fermentation of subsequent batches of lambic<ref name='Spitaels et al 2014'>F. Spitaels, A.D. Wieme, M. Janssens, M. Aerts, H.M. Daniel, A. Van Landschoot, L. De Vuyst, P. Vandamme (2014). [[The_Microbial_Diversity_of_Traditional_Spontaneously_Fermented_Lambic_Beer.|The Microbial Diversity of Traditional Spontaneously Fermented Lambic Beer.]] PLOS One, 9(4), e95384.</ref> and only superficial cleaning of barrels can alter the progression of lambic fermentation.<ref name='Spitaels et al 2015'>F. Spitaels, A.D. Wieme, M. Janssens, M. Aerts, H.M. Daniel, A. Van Landschoot, L. De Vuyst, P. Vandamme (2015). The microbial diversity of an industrially produced lambic beer shares members of a traditionally produced one and reveals a core microbiota for lambic beer fermentation. Food Microbiology, 49, 23-32.</ref> | Barrel cleaning is important for lambic production; however, the exact methods used vary among individual brewers and blenders. Some basic steps are fairly universal. First, any sediment is removed from the barrels by spraying with hot water and, in some cases, scrubbing. Some brewers (such as Cantillon) scrape barrels clean by putting sharpened chains in the barrels and spinning them. The barrels are then washed extensively with with very hot water and/or steamed to sanitize and prepare them for use. If they are to be stored empty rather than being reused promptly, the barrels are allowed to dry and sulfur is burned in them to preserve their sanitation. Even with this extensive cleaning, the barrels still carry microbes and contribute to the fermentation of subsequent batches of lambic<ref name='Spitaels et al 2014'>F. Spitaels, A.D. Wieme, M. Janssens, M. Aerts, H.M. Daniel, A. Van Landschoot, L. De Vuyst, P. Vandamme (2014). [[The_Microbial_Diversity_of_Traditional_Spontaneously_Fermented_Lambic_Beer.|The Microbial Diversity of Traditional Spontaneously Fermented Lambic Beer.]] PLOS One, 9(4), e95384.</ref> and only superficial cleaning of barrels can alter the progression of lambic fermentation.<ref name='Spitaels et al 2015'>F. Spitaels, A.D. Wieme, M. Janssens, M. Aerts, H.M. Daniel, A. Van Landschoot, L. De Vuyst, P. Vandamme (2015). The microbial diversity of an industrially produced lambic beer shares members of a traditionally produced one and reveals a core microbiota for lambic beer fermentation. Food Microbiology, 49, 23-32.</ref> | ||
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===Introduction and brief history=== | ===Introduction and brief history=== | ||
Lambic production employs a time and labor-intensive mashing process known as turbid mashing. Belgian legal structure in the 1800s favored mashing procedures like turbid mashing as they allowed for a lower water to grain ratio to be used while more effectively extracting carbohydrates from the grain.<ref name='Johnson 1918'/> Turbid mashing involves the removal of mash runnings before the mash is completed. These turbid runnings have not been fully converted in the mash and therefore they contribute complex carbohydrates and proteins to lambic wort which can feed a diverse community of yeast and bacteria during the long lambic fermentation process.<ref name='Guinard'>Jean-Xavier Guinard, [[Books#Classic_Beer_Styles:_Lambic|Classic Beer Styles: Lambic]], 1990.</ref> | Lambic production employs a time and labor-intensive mashing process known as turbid mashing. Belgian legal structure in the 1800s favored mashing procedures like turbid mashing as they allowed for a lower water to grain ratio to be used while more effectively extracting carbohydrates from the grain. <ref name='Johnson 1918'>G.M. Johnson, 1918. A Belgian mashing system suitable for light beers. Journal of the Institute of Brewing. 24(6) 237-251.</ref> Turbid mashing involves the removal of mash runnings before the mash is completed. These turbid runnings have not been fully converted in the mash and therefore they contribute complex carbohydrates and proteins to lambic wort which can feed a diverse community of yeast and bacteria during the long lambic fermentation process.<ref name='Guinard'>Jean-Xavier Guinard, [[Books#Classic_Beer_Styles:_Lambic|Classic Beer Styles: Lambic]], 1990.</ref><ref name='Fix, G.'> Fix, G. Principles of Brewing Science, 2nd Ed, 1999. Brewers Publications, Boulder, Co.</ref> | ||
Although turbid mashing may be beneficial to the specific conditions of lambic fermentation, and lambic is one of the last remaining beers to use this process commercially, the method and similar mashing procedures were used historically for a variety of different beers in Belgium and northern France (e.g. bière de garde<ref name='Evans, 1905>R.E. Evans, 1905. The beer and brewing systems of Northern France. Journal of the Institute of Brewing. 11(3) 223-238.</ref>). Among Belgian beers using turbid mashing were low ABV beers which were not intended for long aging.<ref name='Johnson 1918'/> In comparison to the single infusion system of mashing favored in England, or even multiple step infusion mashes without the removal of turbid wort, Belgian brewers around 1900 felt that turbid mashing resulted in beers with a fuller body and richer flavor development.<ref name='Johnson 1918'/><ref name='Johnson 1895'/> | Although turbid mashing may be beneficial to the specific conditions of lambic fermentation, and lambic is one of the last remaining beers to use this process commercially, the method and similar mashing procedures were used historically for a variety of different beers in Belgium and northern France (e.g. bière de garde<ref name='Evans, 1905>R.E. Evans, 1905. The beer and brewing systems of Northern France. Journal of the Institute of Brewing. 11(3) 223-238.</ref>). Among Belgian beers using turbid mashing were low ABV beers which were not intended for long aging. <ref name='Johnson 1918'>G.M. Johnson, 1918. A Belgian mashing system suitable for light beers. Journal of the Institute of Brewing. 24(6) 237-251.</ref> In comparison to the single infusion system of mashing favored in England, or even multiple step infusion mashes without the removal of turbid wort, Belgian brewers around 1900 felt that turbid mashing resulted in beers with a fuller body and richer flavor development. <ref name='Johnson 1918'>G.M. Johnson, 1918. A Belgian mashing system suitable for light beers. Journal of the Institute of Brewing. 24(6) 237-251.</ref> <ref name='Johnson 1895'>G.M. Johnson, 1895. Brewing in Belgium and Belgian Beers. Journal of the Federated Institutes of Brewing. 1(5) 450-470.</ref> | ||
===Process=== | ===Process=== | ||
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==Boiling== | ==Boiling== | ||
Historically boiling for lambic could have lasted 12 or more hours, but modern practices generally lasts between about 2 hours and 5 hours. Boiling serves a few purposes, including: | |||
*Sterilization of the wort | *Sterilization of the wort | ||
[[File:3Fonteinen_coolship.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The split-level, 4 compartment coolship at 3 Fonteinen]] | [[File:3Fonteinen_coolship.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The split-level, 4 compartment coolship at 3 Fonteinen]] | ||
*Extraction of hop antibacterial compounds | *Extraction of hop antibacterial compounds. | ||
*Reduction of hop aromatics | *Reduction of hop aromatics. The aromatic compounds of hops are volatile and are driven off during the boil. | ||
*Caramelization of the wort | *Caramelization of the wort via to Maillard reactions. | ||
*Reduction | *Reduction of volume. The extensive sparging (rinsing of the grain) during mashing dilutes the sugar content of the pre-boiled wort, and the extended lambic boil helps to concentrate the sugar content. | ||
===Hopping=== | ===Hopping=== | ||
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Bottles are left unlabeled until time for sale. They are left for a minimum of three months, though most blenders prefer to age their bottles for minimum six months before sale, especially in the case of geuze. This will allow bottle conditioning to occur, and allow the beer to work through phases of viscosity that may occur (Pediococcus byproducts known as 'ropiness'). | Bottles are left unlabeled until time for sale. They are left for a minimum of three months, though most blenders prefer to age their bottles for minimum six months before sale, especially in the case of geuze. This will allow bottle conditioning to occur, and allow the beer to work through phases of viscosity that may occur (Pediococcus byproducts known as 'ropiness'). | ||
== Videos == | |||
<youtube width="250" height="200">p8QOvif4r8o</youtube> | |||
<youtube width="250" height="200">YDGHL_p7ELs</youtube> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||