Liefmans - 300 years of Sour Beers

Flanders red-brown ales are some of the world’s most interesting beers. Red-colored and quite tart beers like Rodenbach, Cuvee de Jacobins and Duchesse du Bourgogne are the hallmarks of West Flanders. Maltier brown beers with less tartness are typical of East Flanders. Often overlooked in the shadow of their western cousins, Flanders Brown ales are seriously good and worthy of your attention.

The Standout

If there is one brewer of this particular style of red-brown ale that stands above the rest, it is Brouwerij Liefmans. The original brewery dates back to 1679. In 1750, brewer Jacobus Liefmans acquired it and founded the Liefmans brewery – which was family owned for two centuries. After changing hands a few times, Duvel Moortgat bought the enterprise in 2008.

Brewery Liefmans is located in the Flemish city of Oudenaarde on the river Scheldt. The environment for microflora in the river’s vicinity, is considered perfect for the fermentation of Liefmans beers.

Belgium’s First Female Master Brewer

The driving force behind Liefmans for over 45 years has been Brewmaster Rosa Merckx. While stepping back recently from head brewer responsibilities, she is still a formidable presence at the brewery. She was the first female master brewery in Belgium, in an industry dominated by men, and brought creativity, refinement and finesse to the beers, especially the cherry beers that are some of the brewery’s best products. Despite this success, her favorite beer is the brewery’s iconic Goudenband – the epitome of a Flanders Brown ale. Rosa has been a true inspiration at Liefmans and within the Belgian beer industry as a whole.

Brewing, Aging and Blending Liefmans Beers

At Liefmans, perfection is the primary focus – and it is this focus that determines the beers’ unique personalities and flavors. The processes at Liefmans are complex and time-consuming, but worth the effort. The beer starts with water rich in iron and calcium, to which pale and roasted Belgian malts and cane sugar are added. The calcium in the water contributes to the beer’s brown color and brings out bitter caramel and sour flavors. The light touch of hops is from Poperinge in West Flanders and the cherries are sourced from the province of Limburg.

All of the beers are spontaneously fermented, and the brewery’s location next to the river Scheldt provides an optimal balance of airborne wild yeasts, bacteria and other microflora. The beers are fermented in large open fermenters, then develop over time in stainless steel tanks. The only time the beer is exposed to oxygen is in the open fermenters; this produces only a light sourness from lactic bacteria. After that, the beers are aged in stainless tanks. Flanders Red ales and Lambics, by contrast, have a good bit more ascetic acid from long aging in oak fouders and casks.

Perfecting Cherry Beers

One of Rosa Merckx’s many great contributions to Liefmans was the perfection of its cherry beers, which have been a huge success. The Lindemans Kriek-Brut was named “The World’s Best Kriek Beer” at the World Beer Awards in 2009. Belgian tart cherries, or “krieken” are used exclusively, and local sourcing gives the beer an exceptional fruit freshness. The practice of adding cherries started in the early 1900s, when farmers would bring their surplus cherries to the brewery and trade them for beer. The cherries were added directly into the aging beer, infusing it with fresh cherry aroma and flavor while maintaining a dry finish. Rosa Merckx did a lot to refine this process and gain international attention for Liefmans’ cherry beers. Today, the cherries are aged in a base beer (Kriekbasisbeer) for from two to four years, depending on their maturation. This Kriek base beer is then blended with other sour beers to produce the Kriek-Brut and Liefmans’ Fruitesse beer.

Pouring Blending Samples

Blending – The Master Brewer’s Art

As with Lambics and Flanders Red ales, Liefmans beer are blends of several beers. The process of blending different beers started several hundred years ago, when breweries blended older, more complex beers with younger fresher beers to extend their shelf life. This is important for sour beers, since each tank ages differently. To achieve consistency, as many as 20 different beers may be blended to achieve the desired flavor profile.

Liefmans typically brews three beers for blending. Their Oud Bruin beer is part of Liefmans Oud Bruin and the Kriek-Brut. Their Goudenband (stronger than the Oud Bruin) is the basis for Liefmans Goudenband. The third beer is Kriekbasisbeer, which provide the cherry element for Kriek-Brut and Fruitesse beers. Each of these base beers is aged for six to eighteen months and a blend may consist of different ages of each. The variance of the beers is apparent once you smell and taste the beers in your glass. The blending process is truly the master brewer’s art.

Liefmans Beers

Liefmans does not make a broad range of beers (just five), but they are all exceptional.

• Liefmans Oud Bruin (5.0% ABV) is a classic Flanders Brown ale is a blend of young and mature beers with aromas of roasted malt, caramel, fruit and spice. Its flavor profile enhanced the malt roastiness with hints of caramel and a refreshingly light sourness.

• Liefmans Goudenband (8.0% ABV) is Oud Bruin’s big brother and is one of the more unique beers in Belgium. Aromas of caramel, apple, rhubarb and cherry lead you into a pleasant tartness highlighted by flavors of lightly caramelized malt, dark fruits, nuts and dried fruit. This reddish-brown ale finishes dry and complex.

• Liefmans Kriek-Brut (6.0% ABV) is aged for more than a year and a half and delivers a burst of fresh Belgian cherries, along with notes of malt, caramel and a pleasant sourness.

• Liefmans Glühkriek (6.0% ABV) is a winter specialty beer designed to be drunk at room temperature. With a mild flavor and fruity finish, it is slightly sweet and brewed with cherries, cloves, star anise and cinnamon.

• Liefmans Fruitesse (3.8% ABV) is the newest Liefmans beer – introduced in 2009, after the Duvel-Moortgat takeover. It is intended to be consumed chilled or over ice. It is intended to be an aperitif beer for casual sipping. It is a pale red color and bursting with flavors of cherries, strawberries, raspberries, elderberries and bilberries. It is also available in a non-alcoholic version. The brewery also recently released Fruitesse Yell’Oh On the Rocks, which is yellow and features flavors of apple, lemon, pineapple and peach.

Liefmans beers are of the highest quality and perfectly capture the spirit of East Flanders.