Tilquin, Lambic and Gueuze.

We are very excited to have acquired bottles of Oude Mûre Tilquin à l’Ancienne from Gueuzerie Tilquin.

Gueuzerie Tilquin is based in the Senne Valley, Belgium. The only gueuze blendery in the French speaking region of Wallonia. 

A Gueuzerie is not a brewery, but rather a blending and ageing operation. 

Tilquin and others take from breweries and blend and age lambic beer to make there own trademark Gueuze, in this case, Gueuze à l’Ancienne.

At Tilquin, freshly brewed worts, the liquid extracted from the mashing of wheat and barley malt at the very beginning of making beer, are purchased from different producers in the regions of Payottenland and Brussels, then pumped into oak barrels for fermentation with wild yeasts to produce lambic style beer. 

It is worth pointing out that beer can only be called Lambic when produced in the area of Payottenland and at Cantillon in Brussels. 

The way the yeast reacts is known as spontaneous fermentation, meaning the yeast culture is present in the air, the barrels or is uncultured. Most importantly, the yeast is not deliberately introduced by brewers to ferment at a particular time or temperature. 

This process creates a complex varied, tart and vinous pallet. 

The lambic beer created is then used in one of two ways, aged over fruit to create Kriek, Mùre etc or aged for several years without fruit to be blended to create a Gueuze.

Blenders create Gueuze by taking the lambic at 1, 2 and 3 years of age and blending together, before being bottled. Secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle over a period of six months and the beer continues to develop as with all bottle conditioned beers. 

In the case of Mùre and other fruit lambic, a lambic is brewed and the beer is aged over fruit before being bottled and going through secondary fermentation.

Many breweries, like Cantillon, brew, blend and age there own beers, but there is a great skill and focus by Gueuzeries like Tilquin.

The Gueuzerie Tilquin began operations in February 2009. Director Pierre Tilquin is a former bio-engineer who took an intensive course in brewing science and has experience at the legendary lambic breweries 3 Fonteinen and Cantillon.

Oude Mûre Tilquin à l’Ancienne is made from the fermentation of 350g of blackberries per litre. 

A wonderful tart blackberry and citric taste. Complex and fruity with woody notes and a long finish. Medium carbonation and rich mouthfeel. 

Rate Beer

99/91style

Evil Twin

The Evil Twin story started in 1997.
In a country dominated by the Carlsberg Brewery, Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø started a beer club to find quality beer and share bottles.
It was not long until the group, including Jeppe’s twin brother Mikel (the man behind Mikkeller), were home brewing and entering their beers into competitions. 
In 2005, while still working as a school teacher, Jeppe opened the now renowned Ølbutikken bottle shop in Copenhagen, importing from the US and abroad as well as distributing other breweries including his brothers.
There is some playful rivalry between the two, and with Mikkeller already established Jeppe was keen to be an independent force in the beer world. 
In 2012, ignoring any drawn comparisons, he started brewing professionally as the “Evil Twin” to brother Mikkel. The pair are both "Gypsy Brewers" perfecting recipes at home then visiting commercial brewerys to create a release.
Evil Twin's ethos avoids being tied down to the brewing process but focuses on how it turns out. Producing beers with creativity and spontaneity. 
With Brews like: Even More Jesus, Xmas Eve in a New York City Hotel Room and Ryan and the Gosling, Jeppe states that another criteria for an Evil Twin beer must be a weird name. 
Always influenced by US brewers, Jeppe moved with his family in 2012 to a permanent head quarters in Brooklyn, New York and is now brewing across America. 

At Brew Cavern we are proud to stock:

Ron And The Beast Ryan 

7% 

Limited version of Saison Ryan and the Beaster Bunny with wild yeast, brettanomyces. 

Complex Tropical Fruits and citrus with farmhouse funk and yeast presence. 

Rate Beer 96 Overall

Imperial Doughnut Break

11.5%

Version of Imperial Biscotti Break that’s been “Dry-Doughnutted”. 

Coffee, Bitter Sweet Almonds and Chocolate. 

Rate Beer 100 Overall 

Molotov Cocktail Heavy

17.2%

Heavy Version of an Imperial IPA. 

Caramel malt, dried fruit, with citrus, alcohol and heavily hopped. 

Low Life

5.5%

“Young unacknowledged hoppy Pilsner”

Crisp citrus taste, light maltiness and good bitterness. 

Even More Jesus

12% 

“Thick fudge-like body, pitch black color, amazingly overwhelming aromas of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits and muscovado sugar”

A Classic

Rate Beer 100

Falco
7%

“What makes a great leader? First of all a perfectly balanced blend of qualities, the ability to stand out,be authoritative without overpowering. Show courage and endurance, you will lead the way and set the standards. Very important, be appealing and refreshing to the people. This stereotypical portrait applies whether referring to politics, religion or maybe even this outstanding IPA.”

Wet Dream

6%

“Brown ale boosted with a delightful aroma of citrus, spice and gourmet Keini, Kenya Beans from The Coffee Collective, Copenhagen”

Retro IPA

6%

Moreish bitterness and sharp citrus and pine hops.  

“1985 style IPA. Perhaps you remember the hip hop times. Enjoy a full on hoppy beer infused with everything you loved about the 80’s” 

From Tennessee with Smoke

6.3%

Collaboration with Blackberry Farm with malt and hops smoked by Benton’s Ham’s

“With a rich, earthy hickory smoke character, and a nod to traditional European smoked beers and finished with a Belgian yeast strain, this beer straddles both the Old and New World as interpreted through inspired collaboration.”

Rate Beer 99 Overall

Justin Blåbær 
4.5%

Collaboration with Westbrook and Charleston. Blueberry Berliner Weisse. 

“If you have Blåbær fever this is the only cure for you. We stuffed so many blueberries into this beer its going to make you shout Oh Baby!"

http://eviltwin.dk/

Brekeriet - Swedish sour masters

Brekeriet is a small craft brewery based since 2015 in Landskrona, Sweden.

The brewery was started in Djurslöv, a small village outside of Malmö, in 2012 by brothers Fredrik, Christian and André Ek. 

Brekeriet are currently the only brewery in Sweden to ferment solely with wild yeast and/or bacteria, the brothers also utilise secondary fermentation over fruit and berries.

With a background in business and food engineering, the trio originally owned and ran a beer import firm always with the goal to start there own brewery.

Brekeriet state their aim is to create complex, authentic and rustic farmhouse ales with a handcrafted nature that permeates the beers. 

Much of the fermentation and limited brews are still done at the Djurslöv premises including: use of wild yeasts, brettanomyces and saccharomyces, and lactic acid bacteria cultures. While the "Sour Patch" range are produced in Landskrona.

At Brew Cavern we are proud to stock Brekeriet and the beers below:

Sour Patch Range - Cassis - ''An elegant and fruity sour ale, fermented with loads of blackcurrants. Brettanomyces yeast and lactic acid add a great complexity to the beer."

A staff favourite, this beer is full of complexity and depth with blackcurrant and a long tart, moreish finish.

Specials - Raudhetta - "An elegant and complex red sour ale spontaneously fermented in four different oak barrels for eight months."

This red ale in the Flemish style has a light balsamic and oak flavour with dark fruits and subtle acidity and wood.

Specials - Blondette - "An elegant, rustic and complex sour ale spontaneously fermented and blended from several oak barrels."

Similar to a traditional Gueuze this beer has a hoppier nature and citrus undertones, balanced with oak and light fruitiness.

Specials - Lilac - "In this beautiful sour ale we've added fresh lilac flowers to the secondary fermentation, giving the beer it's elegant lilac notes."

A smooth tart beer with lilac and sweet apple flavours.

Specials - Maschusch - "This lovely sour wheat ale gets its special flower notes from fermentation with fresh elderflowers. Multiple strains of wild yeast and bacteria adds a nice complexity to the beer."

A truly complex beer with elderflower on the nose and through out the beer. Balanced along side oak, citrusy lemon and apple tartness, hay and wheat.

EKG Sour - "A sour ale fermented with several wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria strains. The beer is dry hopped with East Kent Goldings hops."

Farmhouse yeast and funk with light malt character, gooseberry and grapefruit.

Specials - Picnic Sour Ale - "A very special low alcohol beer with a nice and fruity rhubarb flavour. The fermentation with lactobacillus bacteria adds a crisp and refreshing taste."

Extremely complex for a low alcohol beer with a farmhouse feel, citrus and rhubarb with a sweet-sour finish. 

Cascade Brewing

Cascade Brewing was founded in 1998 by owner Art Larrance and brewmaster Ron Gansberg. 

Larrance (a spry 72) and Gansberg (formally of Bridgeport Brewing) have both worked in the industry for 40 years. They designed and installed a 10-barrel brewing system in Southwest Portland, creating and distributing flavourful ales in classic styles.

Having grown tired of Americas “hops arms race” they both wanted to focus on beers that offered an intense and interesting taste that wasn't reliant on hops.

Larrance and Gansberg considered what was available locally: wine barrels and fruit. Purposefully staying away from simply copying Belgian styles they began experimenting and perfecting complex sour beers.

By 2006 Cascade were producing their base beers, golden and wheat ales, to blend and age in wine, port and whiskey oak barrels. 

In 2008, the brewery released Kriek, Apricot and Cuvee du Jongleur. Oak barrel-aged, Northwest sour ales fermented with lactobacillus, a bacteria that produces moderate levels of acidity and a sour complexity.

Cascade Kriek won a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival, and the brewery went on to win Gold and Silver in 2009. These wins propelled the obscure brewery into the forefront.

In September 2010, the Cascade Brewing Barrel House was opened, their “House of Sour” containing production, a barrel room, cooler as well as a tasting room.

In 2014, they moved to The Cascade Blending House a bigger premises holding all of the blending, ageing, packaging and distribution. All of the beers continue to be brewed at the original brewery.

Currently beers are aged in oak barrels; a mixture of Bourbon, Wine and Whiskey and aged over locally sourced fruit for between 12 and 24 months.

We’re really happy to have Cascade in stock at Brew Cavern. Matt says: “We are extremely proud, and a little lucky, to have Cascade at Brew Cavern. Only a very limited number of bottles make it to these shores. Having tasted a few of these rare sour masterpieces I can vouch for their high RateBeer scores."

Fancy seeing what the fuss is all about?

We stock:

Blackcap Raspberry - wheat and blond ales blended and aged for 14 months on raspberries in barrels

Strawberry - wheat and blond ales blended and aged for 12 months on strawberries and vanilla pod in oak barrels

Cranberry - a blend of wheat ales aged for 14 months on cranberries with orange peel and cinnamon in oak barrels

Sang Noir - a blend of select red ales aged for 2 Years on Bing cherries in Bourbon and wine barrels. Vintage 2014