Oud bruin
Encyclopedia
Oud Bruin, also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of beer
originating from the Flemish
region of Belgium
. The name literally translates as "old brown", referring to the long aging process which can take up to a year. It undergoes a secondary fermentation, which takes several weeks to a month, and is followed by bottle aging for several more months. The extended aging allows residual yeast
and bacteria
to develop a sour flavor characteristic for this style. While some examples of an Oud Bruin may be aged in oak, typical beers in this style are not, and this is what helps Flanders Brown ales distinguish themselves from the more sour Flanders Red
ales.
This style of beer is medium bodied, reddish-brown, and has a gentle malty flavor and no hop bitterness. The aroma is a complex mixture of fruits and estery smells of plum, raisin and cherry. The flavor is sweet, caramel, fruity, tart, and slightly acidic, caused by various bacteria in the maturation process. In a good example, the tartness is often balanced with a malty character, tasting of toffee and a giving a "sweet-and-sour" impression. Commercial versions may mix aged beer with younger, sweeter beer to temper the acidity and create a more complex flavor.
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
originating from the Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
region of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The name literally translates as "old brown", referring to the long aging process which can take up to a year. It undergoes a secondary fermentation, which takes several weeks to a month, and is followed by bottle aging for several more months. The extended aging allows residual yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
and bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
to develop a sour flavor characteristic for this style. While some examples of an Oud Bruin may be aged in oak, typical beers in this style are not, and this is what helps Flanders Brown ales distinguish themselves from the more sour Flanders Red
Flanders red ale
Flanders red ale is a style of sour ale usually brewed in Belgium. Although sharing a common ancestor with English porters of the 17th century, the Flanders red ale has evolved along a different track: the beer is often fermented with organisms other than Saccharomyces cerevisiae, especially...
ales.
This style of beer is medium bodied, reddish-brown, and has a gentle malty flavor and no hop bitterness. The aroma is a complex mixture of fruits and estery smells of plum, raisin and cherry. The flavor is sweet, caramel, fruity, tart, and slightly acidic, caused by various bacteria in the maturation process. In a good example, the tartness is often balanced with a malty character, tasting of toffee and a giving a "sweet-and-sour" impression. Commercial versions may mix aged beer with younger, sweeter beer to temper the acidity and create a more complex flavor.