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Lambic Digest #0654
From postmaster at lance.colostate.edu Tue Jul 25 03:43:49 1995
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Date: Tue, 25 Jul 1995 00:30:11 -0600
From: lambic-request at lance.colostate.edu (subscription requests only - do not post here)
To: lambic at lance.colostate.edu
Subject: Lambic Digest #654 (July 25, 1995)
Lambic Digest #654 Tue 25 July 1995
Forum on Lambic Beers (and other Belgian beer styles)
Mike Sharp, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Lets just be spontaneous, OK? (Dan McConnell)
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Date: Mon, 24 Jul 1995 06:22:10 -0500
From: danmcc at umich.edu (Dan McConnell)
Subject: Lets just be spontaneous, OK?
Todd writes:
>My guess is that it is the self-contained environment of the lambic brewery
>that is the key to getting these guys and others into the lambic
>fermentation. The breweries are bound to be crawling with these hold-overs
>from previous fermentations. Opening the louvers is probably as important
>for stirring up the air inside the brewery, and thus its residents, as it
>is for catching drifting microbes. And of course the barrels are extremely
>important for maintaining little ecosystems.
Absolutely true. I tend to think that the opening of the louvers and the
Belgian night air is the most romantic notion of all and as such may simply
be a pretty myth, far less important than barrel flora. However, with that
said, still on my list of experiments is innoculation in 1) a cherry
orchard (Traverse City area) 2) an apple/peach orchard and 3) a vineyard.
I have a winemaker/grape grower/fruit grower interested in this little
project and may be able to give both 2 and 3 a try this fall after the
insects freeze.
Most, if not all, of these truely spontaneous fermentation experiments have
been failures.
To test the "Barrel is THE SECRET theory" I recently did a turbid mash and
ran the resulting wort directly into a cask that had previously held a pure
culture pLambik. No additional cultures of any sort were used. Can this
be considered spontaneous? I don't think so. Fermentation started in a
few days and made a mess. Last check it had not soured. I am confident
that it will before 1997 when I plan on racking. I will undoubtedly
report.
>Dan McConnell has attempted a number of spontaneous fermentations both at
>home and abroad (hope Dan doesn't mind that I bring it up). One that I
>know of was carried out in his garage. It turns out that Oldsmobiles and
>Toyotas don't harbor the right organisms either ;-)
It was Wagoneer and Nissan. Maybe a Jaguar or Triumph would be closer to
the source. Unfortunately the garage rafter batch only had a LOOONG lag
and then an apparently normal fermentetion. I tasted it a few months ago
and it was simply a boring, oxidized wheat beer (=drain food one of these
days when I finally give up on it).
>>> Matucheski (who even grows and malts HIS OWN BARLEY FOR PETE'S SAKE!) also
>>> has orchards and insists on spontaneous fermentation.
>>
>>Michael also grows his own wheat and hops as well. However, like the
>>traditionalists, he also ferments and ages in oak casks (and would probably
>>tell you that you cant make a decent lambic without them) and which are no
>>doubt teeming with fun microbes, and most likely the major source of them.
> So how about Matucheski? Is he a Zen master,
>too?
Maybe. He doesn't claim to make Lambic. I met him at the 1993 NHC.
Actually sat next to him at dinner and almost had to pry his identity out
of him in spite of the fact that he had brewed the commerative beer that
was served (I, of course would be standing on the table shouting "Hey! I
made this! Taste this! It's good! I'm the Big Dude!). Quiet and
unpretentious, but forthcomming with information for those that questioned.
There was an article on him a few years ago in Zymurgy that seemed to be
fairly accurate. Simple methods to produce complex beers.
Dan
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Dan McConnell
DanMcC at umich.edu
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