Wild ales sometimes come with descriptions like funky or sour. Few brewers attempt them. In fact, most brewers go to great lengths to avoid situations which could result in a random or unexpected result. But what exactly are wild ales, and why would anyone want to brew one?
Wild Ale Defined
In the simplest terms, a wild ale is a beer that has been produced using no cultivated yeast strains. The wort is exposed to open air and allowed to ferment spontaneously. The process leaves the brewer and the beer at Mother Nature's mercy. There are literally thousands of types of yeast and bacteria that could be floating through the air at any given time, and there's no guarantee that the "right" one will land in the brew. The result could be spectacularly good, spectacularly bad, or anywhere in between.
A beer can be a sour ale without being a wild ale. Beer can be brewed with yeast and bacteria like Brettanomyces or Lactobacillus that have been cultivated in a laboratory, or aged in barrels inoculated with them. The results will be similar, but these are not technically wild beers.
Traditional Wild Ales
Beer styles often overlap, but probably the Holy Grail of beer styles is the BJCP Style Guidelines, written by the Beer Judge Certification Program. BJCP Style Guidelines recognize six sour ales, which includes three wild ales. All three of the wild ales are beers that originated in the area in and around Brussels.
Straight, or unblended, lambics are single-batch, unblended beers. Young lambics are often sour, and all lambics should be tart, but they should never be vinegary or cidery. Lambics dry with age, and are bottled only after the sugars have completely fermented. They're served uncarbonated, and should have little hop bitterness and no hop flavor. Don't plan on picking up a six-pack at the corner store; there are few, if any, commercial straight lambics available in bottles.
Gueuze could be considered a blended lambic, and is traditionally produced by mixing one, two, and three-year old lambic. This blending creates a more of a balance between the sour character and the wheat and malt flavors. Gueuze is still tart and mouth-puckering, but not astringent. While lambic is uncarbonated, gueuze should be effervescent.
As might be expected from the name, fruit lambics have had fruit added to the beer. They are usually blended, like gueuze. To be true to the style, the fruit should be the dominant aroma, and the fruit flavor should be evident. While some lambics age well, fruit lambics are not intended for long aging, because as the beer ages, the lambic sourness will overwhelm the fruit flavor.
Related reading:
- What's an IPA? Explore the beer style created in the 1700s to help take beer around the world.
- How to Taste a Beer Learn basic tips to go beyond just drinking a beer to truly tasting and experiencing it.
- Ales and Lager 101 There may be hundreds of bottles at the local store, but they still break down into two categories - ales and lagers.
Angie Rayfield - Angie is a self-taught beer aficionado, who cheerfully confesses, "I didn't always love beer. In fact, I hated it. I only learned to drink ...
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