The Burgundies of Belgium

While the wooden barrel is often seen as the ideal incubator for wine and whiskey, few have given any thought to, much less experienced, beer that is endowed with the tart and tannic flavors that can only be imparted by oak aging.  Despite this lacuna in the modern palate, beer lovers of generations past knew nothing else. For centuries, oak barrels were the only vessels used to ferment, age, and serve beer of all varieties.  Over time, barrel making (technically known as “cooperage,” a labor intensive art in its own right) gave way to mass produced steel fermentation tanks, and beer all but lost the complexity derived from its wooden womb.   As brewers sacrificed the originality and spontaneity of an often unpredictable aging process for the sterility of controlled fermentation, small, farmhouse breweries designed to grow an agricultural product were overshadowed by breweries whose design reflected a much more mechanical approach to the ancient art of brewing.

Workers assemble giant oak aging casks at Brewery Bavik in Belgium

Beer, however, is not a manufactured product.  Rather, fermentation imparts life to a creature of nature that, like all living things, requires growth and development to attain full maturity.  While  bottle-conditioned and cask-conditioned beers are good examples of this process, barrel aged Flemish Brown and Red ales exhibit a character that is uniquely tied not only to their ingredients, but to the method of their production and storage.  While beers of this style can be found throughout the world, some of the most famous varieties are produced in Flanders.  Their characteristic tannic, tart flavor is derived from the acidic bacteria present in the oak casks where the beer is aged, sometimes for up to two years.  The color of these beers- ranging from cherry red to dark brown is a function of the mildly roasted Vienna malt used in mashing.  As with any aged beer, these “burgundies of Belgium” are often blended so that the still-fermentable sugars of the younger beer can be consumed by the complex yeast structures that have developed in the older beer.  

Duchesse de Bourgogne

A prime example of this style is Brewery Verhaeghe’s Duchesse de Bourgogne.  Poured in a wide-mouthed Belgian chalice, this un-filtered, un-pasteurized ale displays a deep, dark cherry hue that foreshadows its fruity effervescence.  While the beer’s vinegary aroma may repel the uninitiated drinker, its sweet and sour cherry flavor combines with the beer’s tannic, red apple acidity to produce a complex, bittersweet taste which offers the patina of age along with the youthful, fruity refreshment reminiscent of a fruit lambic.

But not all barrel-aged Belgians are of the Red/Brown variety.  Petrus Aged Pale, for example, is a fine example of an aged ale brewed from pale malts. The result is a beer with an orange-gold hue that gives off aromas of spicy fruit and white wine, with a hint of caramel and brandy.  Just as its darker cousins are often compared to red wines, Petrus Pale Ale tastes like chardonnay with a warming, spicy finish that leaves the drinker with notes of sherry and brandy on the palate.  Originally used as a base for subsequent blending, this unblended aged ale was recommended as a specialty beer for the American market by world renowned beer hunter Michael Jackson.    

Petrus Aged Pale

Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien (2010)

Some brewers have taken this barrel-aged Belgian tradition to extremes. A prime example is the Swiss Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien (vintage – yes, like a wine vintage – 2010).  This rare beer (individually numbered by the bottle), boasts an alcohol by volume of 11.0%.  Not content to age it in a single oak barrel, the brewers matured this strong ale in a mixture of 11 oak barrels: 6 Pinot Noir, 2 Chardonnay, 1 Pinot Gris de Neuchatel, and 2 Merlot du Tessin.  The beer’s red-brown hue is obscured by the large amount of sediment that inevitably escapes from the bottle, reminding the drinker that this un-pasteurized, unfiltered ale has not been compromised by modern brewing methodology. The drinker is initiated into this beer by its sour-oak aroma, and while it evidences the fruity, lactic acidity common to all barrel aged beers, it is distinguished by a whisky-like character, no doubt the result of the ale’s high ABV combined with an infusion of oak from the succession of barrels in which this exquisite brew matures and develops. While the strong, warming finish separates this beer from most Flemish style Red/Brown ales, it is a creative extrapolation on a style whose complexity invites constant experimentation and evolution.  

In recent years, American microbrewers have imported this Belgian tradition to put an old-world spin on their own beers.  A prime example can be found in the many barrel-aged brews produced by Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin Brewery.  Befitting the season, a great example is Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza.  Boasting a 9.0% ABV, this opaque ale conceals a lactic acidity that lends an aged character to its rich, malty base, which will immediately remind any Belgian ale enthusiast of a strong abbey quadrupple. Here, the beauty of oak-aging is revealed in the thirst-quenching tannins that lend a rare, refreshing character to what one would expect to be a heavy, malty beverage. Like many barrel aged beers, this one develops a red-wine flavor and aroma as it warms (preferably in a snifter style glass).

These are just a few examples of how an often overlooked historical brewing method can have a significant effect on the finished product.  Experience the difference for yourself and try one of these “burgundies of Belgium” wherever fine ale is served! 

Christmas and the Birth of American Craft Brewing

When, in the fullness of time, long after the American beer drinkers had languished amid the depravity of bland, international brews purporting to be pilsners, a young Stanford graduate arose to redeem the American brewing industry. His name was Fritz Maytag, and the beer was San Francisco’s iconic Anchor Steam.

After Maytag bought and revived the failing brewery in the late 1960’s, the San Francisco landmark became America’s first craft brewery.  Since 1975, Anchor has produced an annual Christmas Ale with a secret recipe that differs slightly each season.  In the early 1990’s, beer writer Michael Jackson featured Maytag and Anchor Brewing on his “Beer Hunter” series – YouTube currently features Jackson’s “California Pilgrimage” in five parts, and if you follow the link below you can lean more about this history of this pioneering brewery and its iconic “steam” beer.

This year’s 2011 “Special Ale” pours a dark mahogany with a luscious, tan head. Its creamy, chocolaty aroma invites the drinker to experience an intriguing, spicy, and hoppy roasted malt flavor, which ends with a dry, slightly alcoholic finish that you wouldn’t expect from this beer’s modest 5.5 % ABV. Merry Christmas!