citrin@ucbvax.UUCP (Wayne Citrin) (04/11/84)
> Those travelling through Belgium this summer might be interested in > trying a beer served at "De Konning" in Dworp (off of auto route E5 > south of Brussels). They call it Geuze, which I believe is also the > name given to a (very good) commercially bottled beer. In any case, > Geuze is worth the side trip to Dworp. > > Stanley Krolikoski > U. of Illinois For those who might be interested, gueuze is a "wild"" (spontaneously fermenting) beer style indigenous to the region of Belgium around Brussels. Apparently the bacteria in the region's air can substitute for yeast. Pure varieties of wild beer are known as lambic and gueuze is a blend of lambic which is aged between three months aand four years. I have never tried lambic or gueuze and I have never seen it imported into this country. If someone has tried it or knows if it is imported, please let me know. Wayne Citrin (ucbvax!citrin)
rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (04/13/84)
<> >...Pure varieties of wild beer are known as lambic and gueuze is a >blend of lambic which is aged between three months aand four years. >I have never tried lambic or gueuze and I have never seen it imported into >this country. If someone has tried it or knows if it is imported, >please let me know. Following on a bit from Wayne Citrin's posting - "Lambic" tends to be a generic term for these "spontaneously fermented" beers. Gueuze (ick, that's hard to type) is a blend of different batches of lambic; the blending starts a renewed fermentation (an interesting variation on krauesening). "Faro" is another term for a type of lambic. As if "spontaneous fermentation" weren't strange enough, try "kriek", which is a lambic with sour cherries added during fermentation. Tasty stuff! Although lambics are only made in the Brussels area (home of Brettanomyces bruxellensis, the beastie that ferments it), most Belgian beers seem to have a bit of the character of lambic - it's probably a Belgian expectation for the taste of their beer. It shows up in Chimay, St. Sixtus, Orval, Duvel,... If you want to try it, the Lindeman brand is imported by Merchant du Vin. They import both a Gueuze and a Kriek. Be prepared for a surprise; your first reaction is likely to be strong [dis]like. -- "A friend of the devil is a friend of mine." Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303) 444-5710 x3086
jaap@haring.UUCP (04/13/84)
Yes, Geuze and Geuze Lambiek, sometimes just called Lambiek (Certainly not Lambic), is a supposed to be a beer made with spontaneous fermentation. Alas, nowadays this way of beer making is now done in "controlled" environments (Breweries). So if it will be exported to the statesat all, it will probably be made under the same conditions as the chemic industries refine your patrol. There are still some small breweries making it in the old fashioned way. It is difficult, having these huge open tubs of fermenting stuff around. Always to be on guard to get the wrong style of yeast around, preventing the overflying birds accidentally drop certain not that much wanting stuff in the tub. Also important is to get the right kind of cherries in the mix. Such a Geuze tastes much better then the industry type. It will probably die out, with the brewers (Not all are male, one of th best one's comes from a widow, which name I always forget, especially after drinking the stuff). When you are in Amsterdam, you can try out about 6 different types of Geuze. It is just a small subset of the 160 different beers available. It will be said to see this discussion to move to net.wines, since we don't get it here, but net.wines is probably the right place for it. So I will get a sip of my Grolsch before I start to mourn over the fate of this discussion. Jaap Akkerhuis
archiel@hercules.UUCP (04/16/84)
Of course most commercial breweries (and wineries, for that matter) do not
trust to fate that a desirable strain of yeast or other microorganism will
grow in their wort (or must)! The results are VERY unpredictable. If there
is enough acetobacter around, for example, the result will be a vat of malt
(or wine) vinegar, which doesn't make a very good beverage. I agree, most
commercial beer is barely worthy of the name, but cultured yeasts are not the
cause of this. Use of increasingly large percentages of adjuncts (for
lightness and economy) is a more likely candidate. Think again before you
long for the "good old days" of "wild beer." It would probably cost much
more, be in shorter supply, and you might have to deal with an occaisional
mouth full of "witch's brew" when you had expected the taste of your favorite
lager, ale, or whatever.
--
Archie Lachner
Logic Design Systems Division
Tektronix, Inc.
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