Flemish Red Brown Beers - Craft Brewers Conference...Rodenbach Brewery – Production Plant Maturation (details) 1. Closed manhole 2. Numbering of the staves 3. View in an open vat

Palm Breweries

Flemish Red Brown Beers

“CBC” San Diego US 2012 Rudi Ghequire

Brewmaster - Brewery Rodenbach Belgium

Belgium = rich in regional beer styles based on 4 types of fermentation: spontaneous, mixed, top and bottom fermented beers

Flemish Red Brown Beer Area of mixed fermentation

Flemish Red Brown Beer area

BELGIUM

Roots and production philosophy of the Flemish Red Brown Beers (1)

In the county of Flanders:

Availability of hops in the early Middle Ages

Lack of knowledge of beer preservation by hops

Genetic disaffection for bitterness

Brewers used herbs and spices to flavor their beers

in our county

To preserve and stabilize their beers, the beer

matured constantly a long period in oak wooden

vats to realize a natural acidification.

Roots and production philosophy of the Flemish Red Brown Beers (2)

Brewers used only kiln colored malts based on the reduction

capacity for aging their beers on wood.

Brewers made a blend of old matured beers and young mild

beers to obtain a longer shelf life =>

“Flemish Red Brown”

pH reduction in the blend back to pH 3.5 =>

protection against bad beer bacteria

ensure a stable consumable beer with a longer shelf life

obtaining a more refreshing taste in the beer

Definition of Mixed Fermentation:

“Mixed fermentation is the beer production proces in which differents micro-organisms (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae; Lactobaccilus sp.; Brettanomyces sp.) realize the taste and flavor of the beer, in symbiosis during the fermentation and maturation proces of the beer on wooden vats. “Definition Professor Doctor F. Delvaux KU - Leuven”

Tasting notes:

Arome: Complexe fruitiness of appel & red currant/ winy / caramel

Taste: soft up to sharp acidity/ some sweetness/ winy/ no hopbitterness

Mouth feel: no hopbitterness/ soft up to sharp acidity / low carbon dioxide.

After taste: refreshing/ midsize up to long after taste

Four Regional Brewers of mixed fermented Flemisch Red Brown Beers

Brouwerij Rodenbach: Owner of the Flemisch regional label “Streekproduct.be” - Regio en Traditie

Brouwerij Verhaeghe: Owner “Streekproduct.be”

Brouwerij Bockor: Owner “Streekproduct.be”

Brouwerij Bavik: application request pending

The different brands of Flemish red brown beers:

Petrus Oud Bruin

VanderGhinste Oud Bruin

COMPARISON LAMBIC & GUEUZE FLEMISCH RED BROWN FLEMISCH OLD BROWN

Fermentation spontaneous mixed top fermented

Raw materials Pils malt colored malts colored malts

wheat unmalted cereals unmalted cereals or sugar

old hops local hops hops

herbs & spices herbs & spices

Wort production brewhouse brewhouse brewhouse

Wort cooling cool ship heat exchanger heat exchanger

Fermentation spontaneous fermentation mixed yeast culture top fermented yeast

Oak barrels fermentation tanks fermentation tanks

Maturation wood aging > 2 year wood aging +/- 2 year no

oak laying barrels wooden stading up vats no

top up no top up no

Target making Geuze or Kriek making red brown making old brown

oxidative aging oxidative aging no

longer shelf life longer shelf life no

refreshing refreshing no

Taste brettanomyces karamel malt flavors karamel malt flavors

horse blanket apple tart fruitiness yeast flavors

fruity tobaco, red currant tobaco , coffee

natural lactic acid natural lactic acid x

natural little acetic natural acetic x

ethyl acetate ethyl acetate no

pH: less than +/- 3,7 pH: less than 3.5 pH: more than 4

little hopbitterness no hopbitter

Specifications of Flemisch Red Brown beer:

Original gravity > 11°PL

Colour of the beer 50EBC < x < 80EBC

Alcohol > 4.5 Vol% Alc

Bitterness < 15 IBU

CO2 Content

4.0 < x < 7,0 g/l

Acidity

Total Acidity : > 40milli-equivalent NaOH/L Volatile acids: > 10 milli-equivalent NaOH/L

Sweetness < 35g saccharose equivalent / Liter in the beer.

Esters

> 50 ppm Ethylacetaat

Colored malts > 70% of the malt has a coloration between 7-8 EBC till 160 EBC

Hops and herbs Regional hops and typical herbs

Maturation on wood

The Flemisch red brown beer of mixed fermentation is totaly or partial matured on standing up oak wooden vats

Specifications of Flemisch Old brown beer:

Original gravity 11°PL < x < 14°PL

Colour of the beer 50EBC < x < 80EBC

Alcohol 4.8 % Alc by Vol.< x < 6,4 % Alc by Vol.

Bitterness 15 IBU < x < 25 IBU

CO2 Content

4.0 < x < 7,0 g/l

Acidity

No natural aciditifcation on wood

Sweetness Varies with style

Esters

No definition of esters

Colored malts Using of colored malts

Aging

No maturation of the beer on wooden vats !

History of the Rodenbach Brewery

Brewers of the world’s most famous Red Brown sweet-sour beer made by Mixed Fermentation.

294 oak vats in 10 vat cellars, some of them are more then 150 years old

Owner of the Label:

Vlaams

“STREEKPRODUCT.be” Regio & Traditie

Protected industrial patrimony: Malt Kiln and Entry, Vat rooms, Old Brew House, Rodenbach Castle

Tourist attraction, museum about the history of the extraordinary Rodenbach family: more than 20000 visitors/year

Unique Flemish Red Brown is a unique beer brewed by the method of mixed fermentation since more than 200 years combined with state-of-the-art equipment

Rodenbach Brewery – Production Plant

Rodenbach’s new brew house


Rodenbach’s new brew house

Ultra-modern new brew house

Capacity: 250hl/brew, up to 12

brews/day

Equipment:

Hydromill

Mashtun

Cereal Cooker

Meura Filter 2001

Wort buffer tank

Cooking vessel

Whirlpool

Wort cooler


Primary Fermentation

Primary

fermentation in

Cylindroconical

fermentation tanks

Capacity: 10 CCT’s

x 1128hl

Storage Rodenbach

mixed yeast culture

for more than 150

years


Secondary fermentation

Secondary fermentation

4 weeks in horizontal

tanks of 330hl

Reduction of the yeast

flavors

Sedimentation of the

yeast cells

Development of the lactic

acid bacteria

Maturation

Without wooden vats

Rodenbach wouldn’t exist!

2 years of

maturation and patience


Maturation (1)

Maturation of the

beer during +/-

2 years in

standing up

wooden vats

294 oak wooden

vats between

120hl and 650hl

in 10 different

vat cellars with a

total storage

capacity of

65000hl on wood


Maturation (2)

Vat room 4

18 vats of 650hl built in

1936

At that time the biggest

wooden maturation vats in

the world

Not the ideal size for beer

maturation

Maturation takes more

than 2 years


Maturation (3)

Vat room 5 & 6

33 vats in each

cellar of 180hl

built in 1955


Maturation (4)

Vat room 7 & 8:

33 vats in each

of 180hl built in

1960


Maturation (5)

Vat room 10:

51 vats content

between 140hl

and 210hl

Purchased from

other breweries in

the neighborhood

of Roeselare and

rebuilt at the

Rodenbach

brewery in 1982


Maturation (details)

1. Closed manhole

2. Numbering of the staves

3. View in an open vat

4. Bacteria and yeast culture

on the top of the beer in

maturation

5. View on the bottom of the

vat

6. View on the top of the

closed vats


Blending and Filtration (1)

Beer blending and filtration:

Beer blender

Beer cooler

Centrifuge to separate the cold

haze


Blending and Filtration (2)

Carbonization with CO2

Flash pasteurization

=> Bright Beer RODENBACH

Filtered beer storage in

bright beer tanks


Rodenbach Cooperage (historical pictures)


Rodenbach Cooperage today

Two Rodenbach

coopers

wood processing

machines


Rodenbach Cooperage

Cooper Pol at work

in the cooperage

Building up a

Rodenbach foeder

Wood storage:

French oak

Reeds for the

foeders


Keg filling line

External keg cleaning and

internal pre-washer

Double keg filling line

capacity of 120 kegs/hour


One Way Bottle filler

Bottle filler : capacity of

1200 bottles 75cl/hour

Labeling

Rinsing

Filling double vacuum

Corking with TCA free corks

Wire hood capper

Rodenbach Brewery

Showing respect for ENVIRONMENT & SAFETY

Good management of the human being and of

the environment

ISO 22000

OHSAS 18001

= Social acceptance

of the brewery

= Continuity

Rodenbach Brewery

All our beers are brewed with deep respect for beer culture and craftsmanship

Use of only carefully selected ingredients of the largest possible quality

Only local hops (Poperinge region) for Rodenbach beers

Label of regional authenticity “STREEKPRODUCT.be” -Regio en Traditie

Brewed by century old Belgian brewing technologies and recipes, using modern, state-of-the-art equipment

Brand Variants: Rodenbach, Rodenbach Grand Cru & Rodenbach Vintage (ltd.ed.)

Rodenbach brewery – Products

Brand Variant: Rodenbach

A beer so unique, that is hard to classify! It’s a category on its own

Made by mixed fermentation

Red Brown Beer of 5.2% alcohol by volume.

Fruity, soft-sour taste

Rodenbach is a blend of 75% young

beer and 25% old matured beer, aged

+/- 2 years on oak wooden vats

Called “The most refreshing

beer in the world” by beer guru Michael Jackson


Brand Variant: Rodenbach Grand Cru

Rodenbach Grand Cru is an exceptional Red

Brown beer of mixed fermentation

6% alcohol by volume

Exceptional fruity bouquet, sour sweet taste

with a very long aftertaste

It is a 100% natural matured beer aged for

at least 18 months on oak wooden vats, just

like wine

Golden medal : World Beer Cup 2006 Seattle

(USA) category “Belgian Style Sour Ales”

Golden medal: World Beer Awards (GB) 2011

World Best Ale


Brand Variant: Rodenbach Vintage

Rodenbach Vintage is an exceptional Red

Brown Beer of 100% unblended beer, wood

aged for 24 months

Color of an old oloroso Sherry wine

Taste and aroma: very complex flavor of

caramel, green apple, oak wood, wild honey, …

7% alcohol by volume

Silver medal on the World Beer Cup 2010 in

Chicago in the category “Wood and Barrel

Aged Sour Ale ”

LIMITED EDITION


AWARDS FOR RODENBACH BEERS (1)

1894 Exposition Universelle à Anvers

“Le Diplôme de Medaille D’Or”

1897 Exposition Universelle à Bruxelles “

“Le Diplôme d’Honneur”

1900 Exposition Universelle à Paris

“Le Diplôme de Medaille D’Or”

1905 Exposition Universelle à Liège

“Le Diplôme de Grand Prix » en Economie

« Diplômes de Medaille de Bronze » en Sociale

1958 Exposition Universelle à Bruxelles “Grand Prix”



1996 AAB Magazine Gold Medal - Rodenbach Grand Cru

1996 AAB Mag. USA Platinum Medal - Rodenbach Alexander

1997 AAB Mag. Chicago USA Gold Medal - Rodenbach 94ptn

1998 AAB Mag. Chicago USA Silver Medal - Rodenbach 86ptn

1998 AAB Mag. Chicago USA Gold Medal – Rod. Grand Cru 92ptn

1998 ABB Mag. Chicago USA Platinum – Rod. Alexander 96ptn

1999 ABB Mag. Chicago USA Highly Recommended Rodenbach 85ptn

1999 ABB Mag. Chicago USA Exceptional Rod. Grand Cru 94ptn

1999 AAB Mag. Chicago USA Superlative – Rod. Alexander 97ptn



2006 World Beer Cup Seattle USA Gold Award - Rodenbach Grand Cru (Belgian Style Sour Ale)

2006 World Beer Cup Seattle USA Gold Award - Redbach (Fruit and Vegetable Beer)

2009 Stockholm Bierfestival Gold Medal – Rodenbach

2010 World Beer Cup Chicago USA Silver Award - Rodenbach Vintage 2007 (Wood and Barrel Aged Sour Beer)

2010 World Beer Awards Tasting Beer.com (Great Britain) World’s Best Flavoured Ale - Rodenbach Grand Cru (Dark Ale Flavoured )

2010 Stockholm Beerfestival Gold Medal – Rodenbach

2011 Stockholm Beerfestival Gold Medal – Rodenbach Grand cru

2011 World Beer Awards Rodenbach Vintage 2008 - Europe’s Best Speciality Dark Ale

2011 World Beer Awards Rodenbach Grand Cru - World Best Ale –World’s and Europe’s Best Dark Ale

Rodenbach brewery

THANK YOU

Documents

Flemish Red Brown Beers - Craft Brewers Conference...Rodenbach Brewery – Production Plant Maturation (details) 1. Closed manhole 2. Numbering of the staves 3. View in an open vat