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Lambic Digest #0343
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From: lambic-request at longs.lance.colostate.edu (subscription requests only - do not post here)
To: lambic at longs.lance.colostate.edu
Subject: Lambic Digest #343 (May 14, 1994)
Date: Sat, 14 May 1994 00:30:09 -0600
Lambic Digest #343 Sat 14 May 1994
Forum on Lambic Beers (and other Belgian beer styles)
Mike Sharp, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Dusty Boon (C.R. Saikley)
Rodenbach (C.R. Saikley)
Rodenbach in CA (not) / McEwan's / etc. / I'm back (too soon) (Michael Sharp)
Culturing Equipment ("Larry Lynch-Freshner")
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 10:25:15 PDT
From: zeiss!cr at uunet.UU.NET (C.R. Saikley)
Subject: Dusty Boon
Greetings All,
I don't exactly recall where this business about Frank Boon's
bottles being too dusty got started, but the '83 Marriage
Parfaits would never get past the label police, even if they
were perfectly dust free. I pulled mine up last night to
confirm my suspicions. No government warnings about drunk
pregnant women operating heavy machinery. No 5 cents here,
10 cents there, nor "redemption value" in states that can't
make up their collective mind. These gems would require some
amount of relabeling prior to shipment.
Furthermore, the 83's I've known have been corked like wine,
without the champagne baskets, which raises questions about
shipping. Frank showed me a clever little series of knots
that resulted in twine baskets which would hold even wine
corks in place. I succeded mostly in securing my fingers in
place. Therefore, in response to Dave Suurballe's suggestion,
I'm currently working on a government grant to spend my summer
documenting methods of securing cork to old bottles in western
Brabant. Your donations of feather-dusters are tax deductible.
CR
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 10:30:04 PDT
From: zeiss!cr at uunet.UU.NET (C.R. Saikley)
Subject: Rodenbach
Here's a piece that's already appeared elsewhere, with apologies to those
who've seen it before.
***************************************************************************
Brouwerij Rodenbach - Gem of Roeselare
One of the treasures of the Belgian brewing industry is found in the city of
Roeselare, the Brouwerij Rodenbach. My journey into Rodenbach's rich 150 year
history began in their warm reception room, whose walls are lined with photos
and breweriana depicting that history. I was soon greeted by my guide, Mr. Eric
Deseure, and he began to tell the tale of Rodenbach.
The Rodenbach family figures prominently in the region's history. It all began
with Ferdinand Rodenbach, a celebrated military surgeon and somewhat of a
medical researcher. In 1750, he moved to Roeselare from Andernach, which was
part of the Austrian Empire. Ferdinand was not a brewer, and a full two
generations passed before the family's interests turned to brewing. In 1820,
a small brewery on Spanjestraat was purchased by Alexander Rodenbach, a most
remarkable individual. Blinded by a shooting accident at age 11, Alexander
developed a "written" language, similar in concept to Braille. In addition to
being a brewer, Alexander was a member of the National Congress and supporter
of the Belgian independence movement. His political activities must have kept
him too busy to devote much attention to the brewery, for it was closed in
early 1836.
Later that same year, the brewery was purchased by Regina Wauters, the wife
of Pedro Rodenbach. The present day brewery took this date as the basis for
its 150th anniversary celebration in 1986. After Regina and Pedro, the brewery
passed into the hands of Eduard Rodenbach, and then to Eugene Rodenbach, who
was to have a substantial impact on the brewery's success. Eugene traveled to
England to study the latest production and blending techniques for top
fermented beers. The knowledge he gained there helped ensure the quality and
consistency of Rodenbach beers, and propelled the brewery into an era of rapid
growth and prosperity. This growth eventually leveled off, and in recent years
the brewery's output has fluctuated around 100,000 hl/year (84,000 bbl).
Much of today's brewery is typical of any European facility. The all copper
traditional brewhouse, and modern kegging and bottling lines are similar to
breweries all over the continent. There are a couple of features, however,
which are uniquely Rodenbach.
No longer in use, the original malthouse is one such feature. It's an imposing
cylindrical tower made of brick with a conical top, which was built in 1864.
The vaulted ceilings of the interior sweep upward at an impossible angle.
During construction, the entire structure was filled with sand, which was
then properly formed and used as a foundation for the brickwork. After the
mortar was set, the doors were opened and the sand shoveled out to reveal the
tower's interior. At the center is a large kiln which cured the malt resting
on several levels of screens above. The kiln's fires made it an exceedingly
hot place to work, and for this reason there is a bell on the interior wall.
Once an hour the bell was rung, signaling "Rodenbach Time".
Another outstanding feature of the brewery is its vast array of enormous oak
barrels. They range in size from 10,000 to 65,000 liters, and are held
together exclusively by wooden pegs and exterior metal hoops. Reeds are used
to seal the cracks. Nails are disallowed because the beer's acidity would
dissolve the metal, thereby ruining the beer. There are nearly 300 of these
venerable vessels, with a total capacity of 10 million liters. Their
maintenance requires the employment of two full-time coopers. Strict
adherence to such traditional methods is one reason why Rodenbach beers are
so expensive to produce.
There are two different worts brewed, one at 11o P and the other at 13o P. At
least 80% of the mash is malt, and the remainder is corn, which is an unusual
adjunct in Belgium. Yeast is pitched into open copper vessels, but the wort
remains there only during the lag phase. Once fermentation begins, the
active wort is transferred to closed rectangular tanks, primarily to facilitate
easy removal of CO2 from the cramped fermentation rooms. Primary fermentation
lasts for seven days. After primary is completed, the brewery has large amounts
of yeast slurry to dispose of. The latest analysis from the University of
Leuven identifies 22 different strains of yeasts and bacteria. They have
been brewing with the same yeast from the beginning, without reculturing.
Thus Rodenbach's yeast and resultant beers are constantly evolving. The brewery
generates about 150 liters of yeast slurry per day, which is sold locally for
about $0.55 per liter. It is typically used as a nutritional supplement for
livestock - one gentleman actually claimed that it made his horse run faster!
Up to primary fermentation, two worts receive identical treatment, but after
primary they are handled differently. The 13o wort is aged for 20-24
months in the oak barrels, while the 11o wort spends 5-6 weeks in stainless
steel. Classic Rodenbach is produced by blending 75% of the 11o brew , with
25% of the two-year-old 13o brew. The aged, unblended 13o beer is bottled
straight as Rodenbach Grand Cru, or dosed with cherry extract to become the
desert beer, Alexander. All of Rodenbach's beers have an acidic tartness, which
comes from the presence of Lactobacillus strains in their yeast. This gives
them a refreshing character and fresh taste, despite their extended aging
period.
The Rodenbach brewery holds a unique position in the brewing world. It's an
excellent example of rich brewing heritage that has remained intact in the
modern age. In Belgium, the market for most sour beers is shrinking, and
therefore the export market is crucial to the brewery's survival. It is hoped
that the growing number of beer connoisseurs in the US will warm up to these
living artifacts of Belgian brewing heritage.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 17:34:19 PDT
From: msharp at Synopsys.COM (Michael Sharp)
Subject: Rodenbach in CA (not) / McEwan's / etc. / I'm back (too soon)
r.call at genie.geis.com writes:
>
> I have been searching the west coast for bottles of Belgian beers,
> especially the Rodenbach, and I am miserably failing.
I don't find this particularly supprising. VanBerg & DeWulf
doesn't have a distributor in this state (they import Rodenbach
among others), & World Wide Import (Cantillon) doesn't have a
distributor in this state either.
> I believe it was Mike Sharp who wrote a recipe and finished by saying he
> pitched the batch with McEwan's yeast. Where do I get McEwan's yeast? Is it
> the newer scotch yeast from wyeast? or your own personnal stash?
Its from my own personal stash.
I'd be willing to bet that the Wyeast 'Scottish' strain in also
McEwan's (though I don't have any inside info to support this).
I'd also be supprised if the Yeast Culture Kit Company [say
Hi! Dan] and Yeast Lab [G.W. Kent] didn't supply this strain
too.
> Can anyone elaborate on the 3 belgian and one saison yeast from brewers
> resource in Woodland Hills? What can expect from these yeasts?
The 'Saison yeast' is _believed_ to have been isolated from a
bottle of Saison Dupont. (Brewer's Resource isn't saying so
all we can do is guess.) I honestly hope (but doubt) they are
really supplying a mixed culture. A few months ago when I did
some differential plating of Saison Dupont I found a lot more
than one yeast -- (from memory) there where two to three yeasts
and at least one bacterial strain. I can drag my lab book
into work if anyone _really_ cares.
Especially for the 'sour' styles (Flanders Brown/Red, Saison,
Lambic), I'd think twice before buying a single strain of yeast
which is suppose to develop all of the character of these beers.
Few people appreciate how complex the fermentation really is
(in terms of the interactions of the organisms in a mixed culture
fermentation).
[I'm not implying that Brewer's Resource is stating a single
strain is all that is necessary. I only mention this because
some yeast 'producers' in the past have _implied_ that this is
the case.]
--Mike
------------------------------
Date: 13 May 1994 17:55:51 -0800
From: "Larry Lynch-Freshner" <Larry_Lynch-Freshner at taligent.com>
Subject: Culturing Equipment
Culturing Equipment
OK - This is a bit of a local commercial plug. But I wanted to let others in
the San Jose area know that there is a _retail_ lab ware company in Sunnyvale.
It's called Lab Pro, and their number is (408) 745-7462. They seem to carry
a full selection of test / culture tubes, flasks, beakers, plates,
microscopes, etc. And unlike mail order places, have no minimum.
I have no stake in this business, just a desire to inform.
And now, back to your regularly scheduled digest...
Larry
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End of Lambic Digest
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