Ray's Craft Beer Newsletter Sour Beers Part 1
January 2013 Volume 2 Issue 1 |
Dear Rays Craft Beer Lovers,
Happy New Year! The 2013 beer newsletter will be getting off to a sour start. Under normal circumstances, that would be a bad thing. In this case, however, it's on purpose. Among many beer enthusiasts, there exists a sub-group with a strong passion for sour beers. Now, when you're looking for a refreshing beverage, sour flavors may not be the first thing to cross your mind. Once introduced, though, you'll soon come to realize that nothing can quite slake your thirst quite like these spontaneously fermented gems. There are many aspects to sour beers in general, along with numerous sub- styles. So, instead of overloading you with information, we'll go through a brief introduction and focus on two specific versions from the northern region of Belgium -- the Flanders Red Ale and Flanders Oud Bruin. Then we'll wrap up with two incredible new Three Floyds additions to the Beer Geek shelf.
Cheers!
Dan Downes
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The Flanders Red Ale
Native to the western area of the region, the Flanders Red Ale serves as the perfect introduction to sour beers. Like any creation, each brewer/artist puts their own unique spin on a style, but here we'll focus on how the people at Rodenbach (the godfathers of the Flanders Red) create it. First of all, they use a variety of different yeast strains including: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Pediococcus parvulus. S. cerevisae is the standard ale yeast and it takes care of the primary fermentation by converting the sugars into CO2 and alcohol. The other two provide secondary fermentations and produce the sour, lactic flavors.
The beer is then transferred to spent oak barrels (fresh oak would overpower the beer) with other yeast strains (usually Brettanomyces) to finish the job. Some will age as little as a few months while others sit in there for up to three years. The final production stage is where the character of the beer and the true test lies -- blending. A mixture of the young and old are combined at different percentages based on the brewers preference and bottled. |
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Rodenbach Classic
 | | latisimports.com |
The standard-bearer for the style, Rodenbach brewery dates all the way back to 1821. As outlined above, they produce the beer in a unique way and have kept the historical nature of the brew strong. Many of the casks they age the beer in are over 100 years old and a few even remain from 1868! Their Classic beer pours a deep ruby color and leaves a small beige head. An extremely vinous aroma, the oak characteristics are also pronounced. You will also smell the lactic sour characteristics. When you hear people refer "the funk" or "funky," this is what they mean. Taste wise, the sourness exerts itself like tart cherries balanced by a caramel like sweetness with an oak finish. Medium bodied, the carbonation cleanses the palate and makes you want to go in for another sip.
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 | | latisimports.com |
Rodenbach Grand Cru
The Grand Cru is another option in the Rodenbach family. While the Rodenbach Classic is comprised of three-fourths young and one-fourth aged beer (known as foerderbier), the Grand Cru, is two-thirds aged and one-third young beer. Even if fractions aren't your thing, you'll soon realize that a little makes a big differnece. The same red fruit aromas and flavors exist, but the Grand Cru possesses a more assertive sourness and oakiness. It still balances the sweet & sour with aspects of candied apples, red currants, oak and a wisp of vanilla all making themselves known. Again, the sour will be a bit more assertive than the classic, but it's not like a Sour Patch Kid. Think of it as the acetic tones that come through in a vinaigrette. That's why sour beers work great in food pairings.
When pairing either one of these beers, there are many options for food pairings. Personally, I like funky cheese as much as I enjoy funky beers so matching them with an Epoisses makes a lot of sense. The earthiness and strength of both the cheese and beer go well with one another. Sushi is another possible choice. The acidity cuts through the richness of the fish and plays just like soy sauce would because you do get some umami flavors from the beer. As a general idea, sour beers work well with rich meats or fried foods.
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Another "starter sour" is the Flemish Brown Ale. It share many similarities to a Flemish Red, but there are a few points of contrast. Firstly, the Flanders brown (or oud bruin as you may sometimes see it) is historically native to East Flanders. Secondly, it differs in the malt grain used. Flemish Browns use dark specialty malts that not only produce a darker hue, but also richer toffee and/or chocolate notes. Whereas the reds had berry like fruit flavors, the browns produce dark fruit flavors of plum or figs. Lastly, Flemish Browns are normally aged in stainless steel vats instead of oak. Obviously this lessens the woody flavors, but it also produces a less acetic beer as well. People familiar with the La Folie from New Belgium have tried a Flemish Brown Ale.
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Monk's Cafe
 | | globalbeer.com |
The first sour beer I ever tried, it brought me into the style so I would be remiss if I did not to share it with all with you. Produced by Brouwerij Van Steenberge (maker of other favorites such as Gulden Draak and Piraat), Monk's Cafe sits in you glass with a shade similar to black tea with a fluffy white head. You'll notice a lactic sourness immediately, but also a mild citrus and sweet brown malt. If you focus, you'll even detect a faint hoppiness, too. A perfect example of the style, there's a slight sweetness and prunelike flavor from the malt with the anticipated tart ending. Seasoned sour beer drinkers may find this a bit mild, but it served as a great introduction for me and it would be great for others as well. |
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Petrus Oud Bruin
 | | globalbeer.com |
Winner for the style at the World Beer Awards, Petrus Oud Bruin comes from Belgium based Brouwerij Bavik. Earlier we talked about how Flemish Brown Ales are not normally barrel aged, but this one bucks that trend. After spending 20 months in oak casks, it serves as a nice counterpoint to the Monk's Cafe. The barrel aging presents itself in the bouquet adding a light woodiness and vanilla. Dark brown sugar sweetness and a slight funkiness come through as well. These same traits follow through to the taste with the vanilla and oak adding another layer to the malt profile. Recommended to serve cold, allow it to warm and it will release more complex aromas and flavors.
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From the Beer Geek Shelf
Three Floyds Brewing
 | | 3floyds.com |
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Stack N Stabb
 | | 3floyds.com |
Three Floyds brewing out of Munster, Indiana, has one of the strongest followings in the beer world. Every day people walk up and ask for their beers specifically. Renowned for their aggressively hopped, big, bold beers, the newly arrived Stack N Stabb shows that they know how to produce subtle finesse beers as well.
A Belgian style pale ale, it pours a hazy light orange color. The Belgian yeast comes through right away as coriander marries with citrus and bready malt to give off a truly welcoming redolence. Medium to light bodied, the same aspects found in the aroma transfer to the taste. The fruity, spicy Belgian yeast aspects pair with the sweet malt and are balanced by milder grassy hops. Intense palate wreckers have their place, but so do beers like this.
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Rye'da Tiger
 | | 3floyds.com |
Looking for something with a bit more kick? Their newest seasonal Rye'da Tiger has you covered. Billed as a "double rye IPA," you'll want to pick this up even if you don't know what that means. A cloudy golden orange color, the hop aromas are quite pronounced. Mango, pineapple and citrus are the big ones, but there's also grassy/piney characteristics, too. The tropical fruit characteristics move to the taste more so than the piney-ness, but it's slightly present. The rye comes strong on the finish adding some spicy, white pepper intricacy. They ask you to think of Ronnie James Dio as you drink it, so I decided to blast some Holy Diver.
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Thanks again for subscribing to and reading Ray's craft beer newsletter. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to email me at dandownes@rayswine.com
Lastly, for up to the minute beer arrivals and release information, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. We added a brand new Twitter handle @raysbeer to solely focus on all the beer happenings. Check it out!
Cheers!
Dan & the gang at Ray's
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