Mythmaking and superstition may play a role in others brewers’ approaches to making lambic, but for Thomas Vandelanotte—brewmaster for Belgian breweries Timmermans, Bourgogne de Flandres, and Waterloo—science is a far better tool for achieving great-tasting beer that people want to drink over and over again.

“I think it’s important, first of all, to not talk about lambic as a wonder of nature, but it’s something that can be completely scientifically followed-up,” Vandelanotte says.

To 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—flavorful, citric, not too acidic—and they’re intentional in both adhering to the historical parameters of lambic brewing while also using all the modern abalyticak tools at their disposal.

In this episode, Vandelanotte discusses:

the 118 different yeasts they’ve found in their environment and fermenting beer
growth dynamics over time of different yeasts in lambic
the similarity of young fermenting lambic to New England IPA
using oxidized hop pellets without destroying what’s good about the hops themselves, because “lambic is not the [trash] bin of the hops industry”
avoiding low-oil hop varieties and embracing hops of various origins, including U.S. hops
the origin of barnyard character in lambic
using a variety of barrel sizes and foeders for different fermentation and wood impacts
analysis of foeders and barrels to build statistical basis for a theoretical blend that’s confirmed or adjusted through sensory
flavor differences in types of acid that don’t track to titrations
open fermentation at Bourgogne de Flandres to drive ester production
fermentation dynamics in oud bruin

And more.

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364: Lambic is Science, Not Sorcery, for Thomas Vandelanotte of Timmermans

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast