Better Drinking

By funky beers I mean that broad category of malt beverages that truly push the limit of what is considered "beer". The most easily recognized "funky" beers are lambics, the Lindemans label/brewery being the most accessible and popularly enjoyed.

To be sure, this is a good start but most of these beers are artificially sweetened, which removes the edge that these beers have in their rawer form. Lambics are joined by Oud Bruin, Flemish Red, Berliner Weisse, and the newest addition, American Wild Ale. All of these have several common characteristics, though each are unique enough to describe individually.

First things first - what makes these categories similar?

All of these elements are considered Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is the technical name for ale yeasts, that class of living organisms that produce beer at warmer temperatures. Before refrigeration, these were the main beer yeasts used, though their categorization as such did not occur widely until Louis Pasteur's work.

Dominion has enabled brewers to isolate certain characteristics unique to country, region, even brewery. (Related but slightly different is Saccharomyces uvarum, lager yeast, which likes colder temperatures, and is generally not responsible for "funky" beers.)

As for the specific beasties to make such beers, there are two:

Brettanomyces bruxellensis - "brett" for short, this is a strain of yeast that produces the bulk of the "funk", including flavors and aromas described as "leathery", "sweaty horse hair", "barnyard", and even "wet dog in a phone booth". Usually considered a contaminant, it operates after regular fermentation (when Saccharomyces cerevisiae goes dormant), consuming the residual sugars, producing it's unique flavor and aromas. Various strains have been isolated including Brettanomyces lambicus and Brettanomyces claussenii, which are used in lambics and some old ales, respectively.

Lactobacillus - "lacto" for short, is actually a bacteria that converts sugar to lactic acid. If like sourdough bread, pickles, kimchi, cheese, or sauerkraut, then in principle, you know what the lacto produces in beer. Generally speaking beers with lactobacillus tend to be very refreshing in warm weather and make great aperitifs because they get your saliva glands working.

But enough of the technical...what about the great beers made with these creatures?

Starting with the least "offensive" to the taste buds try:

Lindemans Framboise, Kriek, Cassis, Peche, and Pomme (Raspberry, Cherry, Peach, and Apple) - these are artificially sweetened lambics with just a tinge of funk, and a favorite of the ladies even though you men can enjoy them as well. (Don't let your pride dictate what flavors you enjoy.)

But these may be too sweet for your palate; if so, move up to:

Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof Gose - a unique style of German beer flavored with coriander, salt, and slight lacto presence

Dogfish Head Festina Pêche - an excellent American version of the Berliner Weisse style, with peach flavor to boot

Weihenstephan 1809 Berliner Weisse - a very light, crisp, sharp beer without a significant malt or hop flavor. But is it beer? Sure is, and Napoleon called it the "champagne of the north".

A step up the ladder would be Oud Bruins (old browns), produced primarily in East Flanders, sweeter and more beer like because of the malty character:

Monk's Café Flemish Sour Red Ale - not a red ale (see below), but a bit sweeter than others in this category

Petrus Oud Bruin - slightly funkier oud bruin

Liefmans Goudenbond - crème de la crème of oud bruin - sweet, sour, malty, and very drinkable

Liefmans Kriekbier - the Goudenbond base, but with a healthy dose of cherries - excellent

Liefmans Frambozenbier - the Goudenbond base, but with a healthy dose of raspberries - even more excellent

One more step up (or down) the funk ladder is the Belgian Red Beer, acidic and sour, a specialty from West Flanders that can be aged as long as 3 years in huge oak barrels before going into bottles. The most wine-like beer in the larger group.

Duchesse De Bourgogne - a great example of a Flanders Red, slightly sweet, with a milder acid character than Rodenbach

Rodenbach Classic - the "brand name" of the Flanders Red style, a blend of aged and new ales - sharp and refreshing

Rodenbach Grand Cru - an aged ale, particularly good and slightly more mellow than the classic version

One of the best classic fruit lambics I'd had is Cantillon Rosé De Gambrinus, which is incredibly sour and nothing like the sweetened versions listed up top.

The American Wild Ale category was invented (more or less) to accommodate brewers who were intentionally using Brett and funky yeasts, but were not doing so in the traditional Belgian way. Lambics, strictly speaking, can only be produced in the Senne Valley. I have only had one, Jolly Pumpkin's La Roja, which Michelle and I both enjoy, though its a bit tangy even for Michelle. Most of these are being produced on the West coast, so I'm just waiting for Russian River brews to come to GA.

Finally, the top rung of funky beers is the gueuze, the driest, harshest version of funky beer available. These are extremely carbonated, are unblended with any fruit, and absolutely must consumed at a relatively warm temperatures to fully appreciate. Try both the Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait and Lindemans Cuvee Rene Gueuze, both of which are exquisite and, unfortunately, expensive.

Consider this your starting point - go forth and experiment.