A Lesson in Beer: A case study of wine-drinkers

11/20/11 1:23 PM

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By Ryan Sloan

A Lesson in Beer: A case study of wine-drinkers

Posted: Tue, Feb 9, 2010 : 11:26 a.m. Topics: Food & Grocery

Beverage prejudice is a problem I am confronted with on a daily basis: the beer drinker who doesn't drink wine, the scotch drinker who doesn't drink bourbon, the vodka drinker who has no interest in any other alcoholic beverage. While all such prejudices are equally egregious, both the nature of my job and the focus of these posts compel me to investigate a specific case: the wine-drinker who does not drink beer.

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Beyond the false and quickly fading perception that beer is a simple beverage, there lies a qualitative impetus for oenophilic beer-phobia: Wine-drinkers frequently have a problem with beer that tastes like beer. It seems like an over-simplification, an escape crafted by a beer-writer desperate to create reason where reason does not belong. I assure you that while I am desperate and highly unreasonable, there is a bit of logic behind the above assertion. That logic is as follows: The flavor profile of most beers is a composition of aromas and tastes contributed primarily by malt and hops. While there exists a diverse range and combination of said flavors, there is a commonality to most beers that lumps them into the same broad sensory experience. It is this broad sensory experience that some wine-drinkers do not care for. Thus beer for the wine drinker should depart radically enough from the malt/hop flavor spectrum as to make it a unique experience. Solutions: Sour and/or Dry The solution is to find beers that are dominated by a unique flavor component. Fortunately for the wine-drinker, such beers exist in the form of wild beers, beers originating primarily from Belgium that are exposed to beer souring microorganisms. The flavor spectrum of these wild ales is dominated by acid, primarily lactic (found in spoiled milk) and acetic (found in vinegar). Such beers also have the potential to be much drier, as the souring microorganisms have the capacity to ferment sugars that traditional beer yeast cannot. This dry quality may be appealing to the wine drinker, used to drinking dry wines. While a lot of these highly attenuated (dry) beers exist within the realm of wild beers, there are a few recommendations that I will make that are a bit more conventional. The Beers: Lambic: Perhaps the most well known of the wild ales, Lambic is produced by spontaneous fermentation (no yeast is added to the fermentor), in giant open vessels known as coolships. Straight Lambic is consumed from a cask when young, or bottled when old. It is uncarbonated; it is also hard to find commercial examples in the states. Gueze: A blend of one, two, and three year old lambics, bottled to capture continued CO2 production by the young and actively fermenting Lambic, this is the expression of Lambic most commonly found in the states. It is dry and acidic with earthy, barnyard notes to the nose. I recommend Hanssens Oude Gueze for a pure Gueze experience. Kriek: Lambic with cherries added to the fermentor. Traditionally the sugar from the cherries is fermented out, leaving the beer dry. Some modern expressions of the style (think Lindemans) are produced by introducing juice to pasteurized beer. This means the sugar in the fruit juice is carried through to the final product. For a traditional dry expression of the style, go for examples with the word Oude affixed before Kriek. My pick is Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Vieille. Flemish Red and Brown Ales: These beers are not spontaneously fermented, but beer souring micro-organisms are added at other points in production. Both styles are considerably sweeter than the Lambic family and best described as sweet and sour with an appealing fruity quality to the red ales, and a caramel like quality to the brown ales. For Flemish Red Ale go with Duchesse De Bourgogne. Unfortunately my pick for Brown Ale is no longer being produced (R.I.P. Liefman's). Orval: The most unique of the Trappist ales, Orval is exposed to brettanomyces (a beer souring organism) during secondary fermentation. This not only lends a unique funkiness to the final product, but also makes it considerably drier than other Trappists. Saison: Belgian farmhouse ale, produced with highly attenuative (meaning capable of fermenting a high level of sugar) yeast strains, and exposed to wild strains/brettanomyces. These beers are dry, with a pronounced spicy hop character and a hint of funkiness. Go with Saison Dupont for a classic example.
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A Lesson in Beer: A case study of wine-drinkers

11/20/11 1:23 PM

Duvel: Archetype and progenitor of the Belgian strong pale ale style, this beer is a wonder. Produced using an extremely attenuative yeast strain, Duvel is super dry and clean. Defined by crisp carbonation, a subtle pale malt character, and decent dose of yeast driven clove and spicy hops. Jolly Pumpkin: The beers of Jolly Pumpkin are aged in oak barrels where they are exposed to brettanomyces. While Jolly Pumpkin offers a range of styles, all the beers have a house funk to them. My pick is the pale, crisp, Luciernaga. A note on references: Much of the sour-beer knowledge employed in this article is courtesy of the wonderfully informative book "Brew Like a Monk" by Stan Hieronymus. Ryan Sloan is an employee at Morgan and York, musician and beer-writer. He maintains a personal blog and can be reached at rysloan4@gmail.
Tags: beer, jolly pumpkin, wine,

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