364: Lambic is Science, Not Sorcery, for Thomas Vandelanotte of Timmermans
Mythmaking and superstition may play a role in others brewers\u2019 approaches to making lambic, but for Thomas Vandelanotte\u2014brewmaster for Belgian breweries Timmermans, Bourgogne de Flandres, and Waterloo\u2014science is a far better tool for achieving great-tasting beer that people want to drink over and over again.
\n\n\u201cI think it\u2019s important, first of all, to not talk about lambic as a wonder of nature, but it\u2019s something that can be completely scientifically followed-up,\u201d Vandelanotte says.
\n\nTo that end, he and his team have engaged in deep study of their own brewery environment, the dynamics at play through fermentation and aging, and every barrel or foeder that finds its way into an oude gueuze blend. Their goal is balanced beer\u2014flavorful, citric, not too acidic\u2014and they\u2019re intentional in both adhering to the historical parameters of lambic brewing while also using all the modern abalyticak tools at their disposal.
\n\nIn this episode, Vandelanotte discusses:
\n\n- \n
- the 118 different yeasts they\u2019ve found in their environment and fermenting beer \n
- growth dynamics over time of different yeasts in lambic \n
- the similarity of young fermenting lambic to New England IPA \n
- using oxidized hop pellets without destroying what\u2019s good about the hops themselves, because \u201clambic is not the [trash] bin of the hops industry\u201d \n
- avoiding low-oil hop varieties and embracing hops of various origins, including U.S. hops \n
- the origin of barnyard character in lambic \n
- using a variety of barrel sizes and foeders for different fermentation and wood impacts \n
- analysis of foeders and barrels to build statistical basis for a theoretical blend that\u2019s confirmed or adjusted through sensory \n
- flavor differences in types of acid that don\u2019t track to titrations \n
- open fermentation at Bourgogne de Flandres to drive ester production \n
- fermentation dynamics in oud bruin \n
And more.
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