Wild Brews: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: original gravity, boiling time, mash schedule, United States, West Flanders, Frank Boon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Explores the world of Lambics, Flanders red and Flanders brown beers as well as the many new American beers produced in the similar style.

About the Author

Jeff Sparrow

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Brewers Publications (July 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937381861
• ISBN-13: 978-0937381861
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #117,607 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wild Brews, June 26, 2005

By	Jeff Stearns - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wild Brews covers those beer styles of Belgium that depend upon fermentation by wild yeast and bacteria, specifically East Flanders brown, West Flanders red and lambic. Although you may be under the impression, as I was, that a lambic brew could occur only in the Brussels and Payottenland areas and inside cobweb infested barns with leaky roofs, Sparrow contends that wild yeast can occur anywhere. It is the cultivation and control of the right microorganisms that create a quality brew.

The book looks at the history, brewers and brews of the area and includes many photographs, but of particular interest to advanced brewers are the sections on the nature of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Saccharomyces and other microorganisms that ferment and acidify wild beers. Temperatures and other environmental factors can enhance or inhibit their activity.

An infusion mash is commonly used for Flanders red and Flanders brown and a turbid mash for lambic. The methods are detailed in the book, plus specifics on how to control the fermentation process to balance the yeasts and bacteria by allowing dominant stages and adjusting temperatures. The addition of fruit would amplify the complication. This is not a book for a beginning home brewer.

Brewers will find it nearly impossible to copy a style because of the unpredictability of wild yeasts and bacteria. Two brewers using the same recipe are likely to come up with brews quite different. Wild brews are often blended to change the character of a beer or achieve consistency. Blending is an art that requires trial and error to learn.

Sparrow provides ten recipes, including options to experiment with the brews at different stages. The recipes and information in this book provide a wonderful challenge to create a unique brew while aspiring to the standards set by the Belgium brewers.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't try this at home. . . ., October 30, 2008

By	Lynn Hoffman, author:The Short Course in Beer (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is one of a series of books about Belgian beer that takes a look at style that seems to have survived from the past. Wild brews is a discussion of beers that are fermented with wild yeasts and with (gasp!) bacteria.

Most beer lovers have had an encounter with these beers: they are shocking, original and-to our tastes-most unbeerlike. They tend to be either distinctly sour or sweet and sour. Their effect in the mouth is thirst-quenching in the manner of a tart lemonade and they are often surprisingly aromatic.

Jeff Sparrow has provided an introduction to the history and brewing techniques of these beers that seems to grow out of a deep knowledge of the biochemistry involved and a major involvement in the Belgian brewing community. As a beer-lover, I find this book to be a revelation and it has led me back to some beers that I haven't tasted in years.
As a brewer, it scares the daylights out of me. Letting organisms like pediococcus and brettanomyces loose in your brewhouse or kitchen is risky. Outcomes with these organisms are always uncertain and aging can involve super-attenuation and unusual mouth-feel.
However.
The wild beer tradition is one of blending, and I can't help but think that a growler of my farmhouse ale could stand to be cut with a bottle of, let's say a lambic. Hmmm.


Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANGBang Bang

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wild Brews, April 21, 2008

By	Andrew Graham (Western Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I understood the basic styles of belgian beer before, but not the specific details of the styles, particularly the wild fermented beers.My one and only lambic was brewed in 2000.I drank the last bottle in 2007. A great beer with 7 years maturation.This book has spurred me on to brew more wild brews with greater control of targeted styles.Many thanks for a great book. Still have brew like a monk, farmhouse ales and extreme brewing to read. Just started Brew like a monk.Most informative and well written. Thanks,
Andy in Western Australia