New Belgium and Lost Abbey’s Brett Beer reportedly “accidentally pasteurized”

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by pixieskid, Aug 7, 2012.

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  1. pixieskid

    pixieskid Initiate (0) Jun 4, 2009 Germany

    Saw this on Beer Pulse and thought it was worth sharing because I remember reading reviews of people saying they wanted to age it with the hope that the Brett would come through more...
    Note: this is the version of Brett Beer brewed at New Belgium with Lost Abbey (not Mo’ Betta Bretta). If I recall correctly, however, all of the Lips of Faith beers are intentionally pasteurized for quality control reasons (keeping that wiley Brettanomyces at bay!).

    via San Diego Reader.
     
  2. riotinmyskull

    riotinmyskull Initiate (0) Dec 15, 2011 Virginia

    oh wow thanks for the info - guess i'll drink my bottle this evening
     
  3. F2brewers

    F2brewers Maven (1,378) Mar 12, 2005 Massachusetts
    Society Trader

    As noted in the comments below the story, the "accidental" part (and even the pasteurization part) appears to be incorrect (although the end result of proper filtration is the same):

    ETF- Let’s talk for a second about the NB/Lost Abbey collaboration “Brett Beer”. Was Brett Beer pasteurized and can you give an idea on the Brett used?
    Lauren- The Lost Abbey is fermented with bretta then filtered, not bottle conditioned. When I talk about pasteurization, I am talking about sour beers- locking a blend in and keeping our stainless cellar clean- this is a different process- we ferment with Brett, then filter the yeast out like other regular beers- we achieve a specific flavor profile and alcohol content and we’re done. The bretta used was a combination of ours and Lost Abbey’s bretta cultures.

    http://embracethefunk.com/2012/06/26/lauren-salazar-of-new-belgium-qa/

    The full article also explains why NB now pasteurizes La Folie. A great read (IMO).

    -K.
     
  4. Levitation

    Levitation Initiate (0) Aug 7, 2009 California

    pretty cool link, thanks! this answers my questions about bottle variation too:

    "Sure we added yeast in, but when you would taste those C&C bottles (even if you bought 5 bottles like numbers 101, 102, 103, 104, 105) you might get 5 different flavors. All because of the oxygen and that cork. To the cork people that bottle says “cellar me” or “age me” and that was the worst thing you could do with those bottles because of the air."

    from what i've heard of eclipse, it seems 50/50 could learn a thing from lauren.
     
  5. leedorham

    leedorham Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2006 Washington

    I hope someone got their bike taken away over this.
     
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  6. SHODriver

    SHODriver Pooh-Bah (2,341) Aug 13, 2010 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    this kinda explains why the beer is so cheap.
     
  7. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah Society

    What? Why? They don't cork...
     
  8. PaulQuinn

    PaulQuinn Initiate (0) May 27, 2011 Canada (BC)

    Can someone illuminate me on how can a beer be accidentally pasteurized?
     
  9. leedorham

    leedorham Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2006 Washington

    They pasteurize many of their special releases and it's likely this one was conditioned and packaged in the same section of their brewery.

    I can see it happening very easily if someone familiar with the process on all the other beers was just chugging along doing their job like they normally do.
     
  10. PaulQuinn

    PaulQuinn Initiate (0) May 27, 2011 Canada (BC)

    If that's the case then it's possible, but one would think they'd have some kind of warning, protection system or something to stop that thing from happening. Guess they didn't...

    ps: Are you a Tom Zé fan or just liked the image and what it shows?
     
  11. leedorham

    leedorham Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2006 Washington

    sshhhhh!
     
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  12. SHODriver

    SHODriver Pooh-Bah (2,341) Aug 13, 2010 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    with the scale that New Belgium brews at it's an automated system with minimal human involvement. I'm sure it's possible for them to not pasteurize it but since the beer was also filtered a lot of the yeast wouldn't have made it into the bottles anyway.

    I gave one of these away to a buddy of mine and told him not to expect much other than a decent belgian pale ale. so now I have two more of these to either pawn off or drink since they won't age like I want them to.
     
  13. Levitation

    Levitation Initiate (0) Aug 7, 2009 California

    huh? the part i bolded specifically refers to bottle variation from oxygen.
     
  14. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah Society

    It sounded to me like the cork was the problem, though, and what does that have to do with 50-50 even if it wasn't? Are they known for having more oxygen in bottles than any other brewer?
     
  15. Levitation

    Levitation Initiate (0) Aug 7, 2009 California

    to spell it out, cork => oxygen => variation.

    back when i asked if bottle variation existed, the brewer sent me a message about a mobile bottling operation. they are not known for having more oxygen, but i suspect that's the cause of their variability, and that's why i said they could learn something from lauren.
     
  16. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I'm really not sure why you would single out 50-50 though, as I think 95% of craft breweries could learn from NB and bigger guy's experience/knowledge.
     
  17. mikecharley

    mikecharley Savant (1,140) Nov 6, 2008 Pennsylvania
    Trader

    I think that Levi is trying to point out the fact that 5050 has experienced significant bottle variation. I'm not sure of the link with the cork and oxygen, but eclipse has had reports of great bottles, and awful bottles from the same batch. Most speculated it was due to the bottling operation.
     
  18. superspak

    superspak Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,336) May 5, 2010 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Well darn I had no idea they pasteurized La Folie. I guess I should throw my 2012 in the fridge
     
  19. Humulus85

    Humulus85 Zealot (607) Jul 23, 2011 Minnesota

    So why does my bottle of Brett have a bunch of yeast/sediment at the bottom?
     
  20. jtmartino

    jtmartino Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2010 California

    I'm confused about her permeable cork comments. If a cork was permeable to air you would lose all carbonation. How often does that happen?

    I've had beers (and champagne) that are many years old that are still carbonated. I would assume that the pressure gradient keeps the oxygen at bay, right? A little digging confirms my assumption.

    This article asserts that "the explanation of the oxygen barrier properties of cork stoppers is largely speculative....the performance of cork stoppers as long-term oxygen barriers has been established by more than a hundred years of practical experience, and their effectiveness when used correctly remains unaffected by the plausibility or otherwise of attempts to account for it."

    According to Wiki referencing The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia, "While most wines can benefit from lying on their side, Champagne and other sparkling wines tend to age better if they are kept upright.[1][2] This is because the internal pressure caused by the trapped carbonic gas provides enough humidity and protection from oxygen.[1] The preference for upright storage of Champagne is shared by the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) who conducted an extensive study of Champagnes that were stored in various conditions and orientations. This study found that Champagne stored on its side aged more quickly because oxygen was allowed to seep in after the Champagne corks lost their elasticity due to contact with the moist wine.[9]"

    References can be found on wiki's site.


    So it seems that if proper humidity and other storage conditions are maintained (to prevent drying out or lost of elasticity of the cork), the likelihood of oxidation due to cork seepage is very small. And if corks were susceptible to air permeation, your beer would go flat before it became oxidized.
     
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