This documentary is a personal project made to be shared with other passionate folks.
It was shot and edited in spring 2018.
It features:
+ Ales Agullons (Spain): www.masia-agullons.com/
+ Antidoot - Wilde Fermenten (Belgium): www.antidoot.be/
+ Bokkereyder (Belgium): www.bokkereyder.com/
+ Brasserie Cantillon (Belgium): www.cantillon.be/
+ Brasserie Trois Dames (Switzerland): brasserietroisdames.ch
+ Burning Sky Brewery (England): www.burningskybeer.com/
+ Micro Brasserie La Montagnarde (France): lamontagnarde73/
Cheers!
PS: You’ll find a short glossary beneath, in order of occurence, that might help you understand better some more technical parts (depending on your level of knowledge in the field of beer making).
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LAMBIC: a spontaneously fermented beer produced with a portion of unmalted wheat. [1] Lambic is a beer that must be brewed in the Zenne Valley or the Pajottenland region of Belgium.
BLENDING: the mixing together of different batches of beer to form a final composite intended for bottling. [1]
SPONTANEOUS FERMENTATION: a method of fermentation by which all microorganisms necessary for fermentation are naturally occurring in the brewery ; the brewer adds no cultures of microorganisms. [1]
COOLSHIP: a large, shallow tank historically used to cool and settle freshly boiled wort. Also used to expose wort to yeast and bacteria for spontaneous fermentation. [1]
ACETIC ACID: a pungent, colorless liquid commonly known as vinegar, the product of the oxidation of alcohol by a variety of bacteria and certain types of yeast. [1]
LACTIC ACID: a clear, odorless, acid found in beer, sour milk and fruit. [1]
ENTEROBACTER: bacteria that produces many of the flavor and aroma compounds often considered unfavorable in lambic. [1]
SACCHAROMYCES: any of several single-celled yeast belonging to the genus Saccharomyces. Yeasts of the genus Saccharomyces cerevisiae are the most common in brewing and ferment most of the available wort sugars. [1]
PEDIOCOCCUS: bacteria that ferments glucose into lactic acid. It grows to low concentrations, even in lambic. [1] While Pediococcus may take longer than Lactobacillus to sour a beer it is both more hop and acid tolerant. [2]
LACTOBACILLUS: best known for its role in the production of tart dairy products like yogurt, Lactobacillus is a bacteria that is capable of quickly producing lactic acid without contributing other potent flavors. [2]
AGED HOP: hops which have been aged for 3-5 years in non-refrigerated conditions, and in an oxygen permeable bag. Aging hops leads to oxidation of acids and oils, but it still retains some antimicrobial properties. [3]
BRETTANOMYCES: a yeast common in the fermentation of wild beers and often resident in the equipment and vessels of breweries that make such beers. Produces very distinctive acid and ester profiles. [1]
FUNK: word used to describe flavors created by Brettanomyces (usually, barnyardy, horsey, spicy…)
SURFACE AREA: it is the surface-to-volume ratio = the contact between the inner surface of the barrel and the volume of the wort. The lower the ratio, the less oxygen diffused into the beer. [1]
WILD YEAST: the yeast settle on just about every surface, anxious to find more sugars to ferment so they can multiply. What we call wild yeast is a native yeast that is not under the brewer’s control (usually strains that aren’t saccharomyces). [4]
MIXED FERMENTATION BEER or WILD BEER: any beer fermented or maturated with yeast and/or bacteria other than those belonging to the genus Saccharamocyes. [1]
OUD BRUIN: traditional dark sourish beer produced in Flanders, it is fermented by a mixed culture of yeast and bacteria and subsequently aged in stainless steel tanks. [1]
ORVAL: Belgian trappist beer refermented with Brettanomyces.
GUEUZE: a blend of different batches and ages of lambic beer, which undergoes an additional fermentation in the bottle due to the presence of yeast and fermentable sugar. [1]
MÉTHODE TRADITIONNELLE: label to indicate a « beer produced outside of Belgium using the method of making traditional lambic » [5]
SOLERA METHOD: traditional process used to produce Sherry, but that is here applied to beer making. It consists in filling a barrel with a sour beer, and every 6-12 months taking one third or half of the beer out for packaging, The volume that is removed is then replaced with new beer or wort.
SETEMBRE: one of Ales Agullons’ mixed fermentation beer that consists in a blend of a pale ale and Cantillon lambic aged together in barrels for a year.
Definitions are taken from:
[1] Wild Brews, by Jeff Sparrow (©Brewers Publications, 2005)
[2] American Sour Beers, by Michael Tonsmeire (©Brewers Publications, 2014)
[3] www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/
[4] Yeast, by Chris White & Jamil Zainasheff (©Brewers Publications, 2010)
[5] methodetraditionnelle.org/