We present our first beer from the WILD series – Vintage Sour Ale refermented with Blackcurrant Blend 2019. It is distinguished by extremely intense acidity, aromas characteristic for wild yeast strains and slightly vinegar refreshment known from Flemish beers. Fermented up to 16 months in oak barrels, the beer has acquired a very complex profile. It goes to our receptors with a lot of carbon dioxide, derived from the natural method of refermentation. Beer with a very long shelf life, ideal for aging, changing over time.

	WILD – Vintage Sour Ale refermented with Blackcurrant Blend 2019 Our first beer in this series is Vintage Sour Ale – a beer distinguished by extremely intense acidity and incredibly complex aromatic profile. They all have one thing in common – unrestricted long fermentation in which we use the whole world of microorganisms!

Malts:

Malt base is very important for all long-aged beers and in this particular case it consists of light, simple ingredients combining Pilsen and wheat malt.

Hops:

Addition of hops is “homeopathic”, necessary from the technological point of view, because thanks to it we can clarify the wort. Bitterness is trace and generally negligible. Hops are the enemy of many microbes besides yeast would interfere with unhampered fermentation.

Fermentation:

Real magic takes place during fermentation. Each time it is unique.

Sour Vintage Ale was fermented in stages:

The first fermentation: lasted 24 days and took place in a cylindrical-conical tank using the low-attenuation Saccharomyces Cerevisiae British yeast strain.

The second fermentation: lasted 18 months in rinsed oak Bourbon barrels using a mixture of wild Brettanomyces yeast and lactic acid bacteria.

The third fermentation (in bottles): with the addition of blackcurrant puree and champagne yeast Saccharomyces Bayanus.

Changes over time:

Time is extremely important for these kind of beers, because the microorganisms that take part in their production ferment slowly. That is why we leave them in barrels for up to 1.5 years so that they take on their extraordinary character. But this is not the end!

This beer remains alive – it is not pasteurized, but refermented in a bottle. This means that even after filling, microbes ferment – saturating, protecting and changing beer character all the time. Kept in cellar temperatures, it can be aged for years, changing its flavor and aromatic profile. Who knows what it will look like in a few years?

We are curious ourselves!

• Style: Vintage Sour Ale refermented with Blackcurrant
• Parameters:
  • Extract: 15,0 %
  • Alcohol: 7,0  %
  • IBU: 2
• Ingredients:
• Malts: barley: Pils, wheat
• Hops: aromatic: Tettnanger (DE)
• Yeasts:
  • Primery fermentation: Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (british strain);
  • Second/Barrel fermentation: brettanomyces + lactobacillus house strains;
  • Refermentation/Bottle conditioned: Saccharomyces bayanus;
• Appearance: dark pink, cloudy, natural sediment
• Aromas: deep, changing over time – both in the bottle since the bottling and during the tasting (heating, oxidation): red and dark fruits – mainly cherries, currants, plums; horse rug, sour, slight, vinegar notes; tanning leather, herbs, phenolic – anise, clove, vanilla, white pepper; wood
• Mouthfeel:
  • 1 – intense, champagne saturation
  • 2 – sour
  • 3 – tannin, slightly astringent, fruit peels, acid finish
• Serving temperature: 5-7⁰C
• Glass: Tulip, Snifter, Stange or Flute (choose which ones you like best – Tulip and Snifter will intensify the aromatic sensations, while stange or flute will reduce them a bit)
• Foodpairing:
  •  Dishes: Lemon-rosemary chicken with baked potatoes, Moules-frites (shells with fries),  Flemish asparagus
  •  Cheese: Stilton, Roquefort
  •  Dessert: chocolate-licorice balls with nuts, raspberry cheesecake