Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/402796
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m N o v - D e c 2 014 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 8 3 hen Vinnie Cilurzo, co-owner and brewmas- ter at Russian River Brewing Co., decided to put an Americanized spin on Belgium's tra- ditional Lambic ales, he looked to the wineries sur- rounding his Sonoma County brewhouse to inject a bit of local flavor. Lambic-style beers, brewed for centuries in and around Brussels, rely on localized colonies of wild yeast and bacteria to give the beer its defining tart character. Cilurzo surmised that if he aged a beer in used wine barrels along with wild yeast and bacteria, the yeast would thrive on the residual sugars from the grapes as well as pick up complementary flavors from the wine. "The idea was to take my favorite part of a Lambic beer, which is the Brettanomyces component, and use it in a beer that also incorporates local wine bar- rels," he said. Cilurzo sourced two used chardonnay barrels from a friend at a nearby winery, filled them with blonde ale and inoculated the beer with Brettanomyces bruxellensis, a hearty strain of yeast, as well as Lac- tobacillus and Pediococcus. He aged the beer for nearly a year, and then bottle-conditioned the brew along with added Brettanomyoces and wine yeast, which creates a robust carbonation and is more toler- ant of the beer's elevated acidity. The result, dubbed Temptation, was a wild suc- cess. More than a decade later, the beer is a corner- stone in Russian River Brewing's celebrated lineup of barrel-aged sour ales, which also includes Supplica- tion, a brown ale aged in pinot noir barrels with sour cherries added; and Consecration, a dark ale aged in cabernet sauvignon barrels along with currants. Cilurzo's barrel-aged sour beers account for 10% of his 14,000-barrel annual production, he said, and the brewery's program has grown to include a stock of about 600 used wine barrels. Cilurzo cherry-picks + Craft brewers are using wine yeasts, used wine barrels and other vinous ingredients to make innovative beers. + Barrel-aged and sour beers are a particularly hot area for experimentation. + Michigan's Chateau Grand Traverse winery worked with Goose Island Brewing Co. to provide riesling juice for a collaborative beer project. + Brewers are seeking to develop relationships with wineries to source quality ingredients. AT A GLANCE Brewers look to the wine world for inspiration and materials kristin@rackandmaintenance.com robertsmith2001@charter.net steven.neisner@gmail.com www.wehaveracks.com Celebrating 15 Years of Business