Last week we released the first of 10 1/6 barrel (5.16 gallon) kegs of our limited Port Barrel-Aged La Bestia Aimable at the Off-Centered Film Fest in Austin, TX. Though a little under-carbonated (a problem we have rectified for subsequent keg releases), the taste was outstanding. We got a lot of good feedback about it, but I felt that people maybe did not understand where all of the flavors stemmed from, and so I decided to write aboot it, and explain its gestation.
La Bestia Aimable is brewed in as traditional a Belgian-way as possible. We use German Pilsner malt from Bamberg, German Noble hops (Tettnang grown in Germany), Belgian specialty malts (limited to only Special B and Cara-Munich), local Texas raw honey (Fain's from Llano), and candi-syrup made in Belgium. We mash between 146-149 Fahrenheit, and mash thin for attenuation. We use as simple a malt bill as possible, allowing the flavors of each malt to penetrate through the whole, creating a deeper, more complex beer. Pilsner malt provides the base and the mash enzymes we need, Cara-Munich adds a reddish hue and light fruit notes such as strawberry, tart cherry, and plum, while Special B provides a deeper mahogany tone, and richer flavor such as fig and raisin. The honey we use is fully fermentable, lightens the body, increases the alcohol, and provides our yeast blend with sustenance. The Belgian candi-syrup we employ adds a touch more color (we limit the total sugar percentage of the entire grist to 10%, including the honey), more fermentable sugars for the yeast, lightness of body and attenuation (making it what the Belgians call "digestible"), and a deep complex flavor that brings out a subtle tart note and "rumminess" as described by Stan Heironymous in his book "Brew Like A Monk."
For anyone that's ever had a glass of port, you know the deep level of flavor port has. A very dry, tart, spicy beverage, port is a fortified wine often bottled young and aged in the bottle, or aged for several years in oak. The barrel we used is from Dry Comal Creek in the Hill Country, and aged port in it for 2 years prior to our acquiring it. Port is a strong wine, often around 20% alcohol by volume, giving it a bright warmth, notes of earthy spice, vinous/leathery, and berry and fig characteristics. Aging our Belgian-style Dark Strong Ale in a port barrel is a wonderful marriage of flavor and complexity, giving it more acidity (tartness), dryness, and vinous characteristics. Some oxidation in the barrel occurs as well, complementing the attenuated ale and aged wine.
To my knowledge, no bacterial contamination occurred in this barrel-aged release, though it is entirely possible. That is part of the adventure in barrel aging beer is the unknown variables. We keep close watch on our barrel aged beers, opening them briefly only once a month to let out excess carbon dioxide, and to monitor its maturation. The tartness in this particular barrel absolutely comes from the deep, complex port wine that was aged in the barrel previously, and has a more rounded edge than would be created by lactic-acid producing bacteria in such a short amount of time. In order for lactic acid producing bacteria (typically L.Delbrueckii and Pediococcus sp.) to develop roundness and complexity, it takes at least a year, a higher pH, and typically lower alcohol than our 9.4% abv Belgian inspired brew. Though I am not ruling it out entirely, I am not calling this a sour beer, and being extremely familiar with lactic-acid (we sour mash our bourbon at Ranger Creek, and lactic-acid has a very distinct tartness more akin to citric acid/lemony flavor), my guess is that it is the port's acidity we are detecting. I do love a good sour ale, and I love the beautiful critters vehemently feared by wine makers, and we have some of those working with us in the brewery now, producing what we hope to be even more complex barrel-aged ales that we will be releasing when they reach maturation.
Until then, you can try our Port Barrel-Aged La Bestia Aimable at the Flying Saucer in Austin, TX this coming Thursday (04/21/11), and other fine beer bars in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio in the next week or so. I hope you enjoy, and as always, I appreciate ALL feedback.
Cheers!
-Rob Landerman
Head Brewer/Certified Cicerone(TM)
Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling
San Antonio, TX
Wonderful! Awesome!
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