Beer is one of the oldest and most popular alcoholic beverages in the world, with many countries brewing their own unique styles. Whether it's , stout, or , there's a type out there for almost every taste bud. Belgium is a country that's known for its beer culture, with unique fermentation methods and over 250 breweries.
The topic recently came up in a conversation between the Takeout team and LJ Whirley, certified cicerone and associate director of culinary arts at in Indianapolis. As the conversation turned to Belgian beer, Whirley specifically mentioned a traditionally blended variety called geueze beer (pronounced "gooze"). This is a type of sour beer which Whirley describes as "golden in color and acidic to drink –- an excellent companion to a big stinky cheese.
" The funky taste comes from the three different batches of lambic beer, according to Whirley, "a 1-year old, 2-year old, and 3-year old, blended together by the blendmaster." As Whirley explains it, " The reasoning behind the blending of the beers is to offer the funk and acid of the 3-year tamed by the youth of the 'yet to get too funky' 1-year and the stability of the 2-year." Its readiness is determined by taste by the blendmaster.
Geueze's unique preparation method So, geueze beer is essentially a blend of lambic beer at different stages of fermentation. For those who don't know, lambic beer is also prepared in a unique way. After boiling the pale malt and unmalted wheat, it is exposed overnight to yeast an.