By K. Florian Klemp Published November 2011, Volume 32, Number 5
Rodenbach Gran Cru
New Belgium La Folie Sour Brown Ale
Duchesse De Bourgogne
Liefmans Goudenband
The quest of beer-lovers leaves virtually no cellar undisturbed. That pursuit is often about the novel inspired by the venerable, with the current curiosity in sour, aged beers motivated in great part by Flanders red and brown beers. These brews are an alliance of ordinary top-fermentation, supplemented by unconventional organisms, finely sculpted by aging and blending. They borrow much from neighboring brewing practices and ingredients, mingling those to create something quintessentially Belgian and uniquely Flemish. These complex specialties are some of the most refreshing and remarkable brews in the world. Belgium itself is a melting pot, something reflected in their brewing attitude. Its brewers are wryly mindful of the big picture, but coyly ambivalent to their opinion.
Founding Flanders
The northern half of Belgium, Flanders, has been a cultural potpourri for the past few centuries. Historically there is an intimate physical and philosophical connection with Germany, France, The Netherlands and Britain, all of which contribute to many great beers of Belgium. The sour red and brown ales of Flanders may be the finest manifestation of that adoptive and adaptive mentality. The modern brewers of these closely related, nearly identical styles, retain sufficient traditional design to ensure a bond with that most rustic of all beers, and neighbor, lambic. They employ many of the same bugs as lambic, but without true spontaneous fermentation. In essence, these could be considered more modern versions of the archetypal white and red ales of Belgium, with controlled inoculation and fermentation. Lambic is a remnant of white (wheat) beers, and Flanders ales red (barley) beers of Middle Ages Europe. The understanding of microbiology has certainly aided brewing in many ways, and just as we appreciate the wildness of lambic, so do we admire the stylistic bravado of Flanders red and brown that this technology has kept alive.
Just a few scant centuries ago, all beers were either spontaneously fermented or spiked with slurry from a previous batch. That slurry could have contained any number of wild yeasts and assorted bacteria adapted to the region. The porosity of wooden fermenters and storage vessels would also have harbored a population ready to invade the fermenting and aging beer. In a nutshell, Flanders red and brown ales harken to those days, when terroir and primitive techniques ruled brewing world. Today though, design, rather than serendipity, drives these artisans.
K. Florian Klemp is an award-winning homebrewer and general hobbyist who thinks there is no more sublime marriage than that of art and science.
Tags: Brettanomyces, Flanders, Flanders sour ale, Flemish-Style Brown Ale, lambic, Leifmans, Rodenbach, Saccharomyses cerevesiae
Tasting Notes
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Rodenbach Gran Cru
The classic Flanders red, Rodenbach Gran Cru is brewed in Roeslare by methods carefully selected over 190 years. It pours garnet in color with a fleeting beige head. The ripe aroma is full of vinous notes, sour cherry, berry and hints of vinaigrette. The airy acetic acid slowly gives way to intense fruitiness. Thin and tart at first, Gran Cru segues to cherry, currant and plum, followed by oak, vanilla, faint must and more puckering sourness in the finish. The incredible sweet-sour mustiness is quite quenching on this muggy Carolina summers’ eve. The “Burgundy of Belgium” never disappoints.
ABV: 6%
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New Belgium La Folie Sour Brown Ale
From the renowned New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, CO, La Folie (The Folly) is part of the “Lips of Faith” series. This sour red-brown ale is aged between one and three years in French oak before bottling. Brewer Peter Bouckaert cut his teeth at Rodenbach. Crystal clear and tawny, it pours lively and is still after a few moments. The aroma offers cherry and hints of pineapple, with some vinegar and a full earthy dose of Brett. Medium-light in the mouth, the acidic edge is surprisingly mellow. The flavor is an appetizing balance of must, wood and sour fruit, the finish a firm shot of dark malt vinegar. As complex as any Flanders ale, La Folie hits the mark.
ABV: 6%
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Duchesse De Bourgogne
The Duchesse is brewed by the Brouwerij Verhaeghe in Vichte, East Flanders. This Red shows brilliant copper-red, the foam fairly tenacious and clingy. Horsey notes amid caramel toasted malt, vanilla, cherry and malt vinegar in the nose. Fluffy and sweetish on the palate, the flavor also has some residual sugary malt some spicy, nutty almond, vinous notes, reminiscent of port. The earthy and sour finish is rather subdued, and lingers very little. Duchesse is a blend of 8- and 18-month oak-aged brews, the bright, effervescent young and mature old bouncing off one another deftly. Well-rounded and smooth.
ABV: 6%
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Liefmans Goudenband
The Brouwerij Liefmans has been brewing in Oudenaarde in East Flanders since 1679, and Goudenband is its crowning grace. After two full years of aging, it is invigorated with fresh young beer, bottled and cellared to condition. It pours hazy ruddy brown, with a substantial head, lacy and sticky on the goblet. The aroma is soft and full of toffee malt, raisin, rum, apple and sourish lactic notes. The mouthfeel is medium, the sweet and sour flavor a combination of dark fruit, sherry and clean fruity tartness. Goudenband has a creamy finish and enough carbonation to keep the pour lively throughout.
ABV: 8%
