Ommegang Zuur and Goose Island Matilda
The Brewery Ommegang sour beer mentioned in the previous post now has a name: Ommegang Zuur. Larry Bennett, the minister of propaganda, provides some details abut the beer brewed in collaboration with Liefmans in Belgium:
“It’s a blended Flemish Sour brown. It’s a blend of two Liefmans beers: Oud Bruin, which is open fermented and then aged 6-8 months, and Liefmans Cuvee Brut, a new, fairly dry, kriek-style beer coming from Liefmans. The Cuvee Brut begins with Oud Bruin, then sits on cherries and is aged for a year. It’s then blended with more Oud Bruin and Goudenband.”
The beers are blended to Ommegang’s specs. “The big difference is that Liefmans beers are aged in stainless steel, not wood,” Bennett explained in a email. “So there is less of the acidification caused by the many bugs living in the wood. Though it is still definitely a sour beer.”
Brewmaster Phil Leinhart went to Belgium last October to taste potential blends. The beer will be available on draft and in 750ml bottles beginning in July and likely for four months. “We recently received some of the first trial bottling and it’s pretty damn fantastic. We’re pretty jazzed up to get it out there,” Bennett wrote.
- Goose Island’s highly coveted Matilda will be available in eight western markets this month. The beer’s name pays tribute to the legend of Matilda — the story being that Countess Matilda of Tuscany (c1046-1115) lost a gold ring in the lake. When it was brought to the surface by a trout, she thanked God by endowing Orval Trappist monastery.
The Chicago-brewed beer has won numerous awards since it was introduced in 2005, at both the Great American Beer Festival and in the World Beer Cup. New markets include Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado and New Mexico.
