Oud Bruin (Old Brown), also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

originating from the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

region of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The Dutch name refers to the long aging process, up to a year. It undergoes a secondary

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

, which takes several weeks to a month, and is followed by bottle aging for several more months. The extended aging allows residual

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

and

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

to develop a

sour The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

flavor characteristic for this style. Usually, cultured yeast and bacteria are used, as stainless steel equipment does not harbor wild organisms as wood does.

History

These beers were kept as so called ''provision beers'', to be stored and allow the flavour to develop.

Liefmans Brewery Liefmans is a Belgian brewery which produces oud bruin Oud Bruin (Old Brown), also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of beer originating from the Flemish region of Belgium. The Dutch name refers to the long aging process, up to a year. It unde ...

has been brewing the style since the 17th century. Historical examples tended to be more sour than modern commercial products. ''Brouwerij De Brabandere'' in

Bavikhove Bavikhove is a village ('' deelgemeente'') in the Belgian municipality of Harelbeke within the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is located between Harelbeke-centre and Hulste, along the Leie river. It is known for the Bavik Brewery which br ...

still produces a traditionally barrel-aged oud bruin under the ''Petrus'' brand.

Characteristics

This style of beer is medium bodied, reddish-brown, and has a gentle

malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, wh ...

y flavor and no

hop A hop is a type of jump. Hop or hops may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hop'' (film), a 2011 film * Hop! Channel, an Israeli TV channel * ''House of Payne'', or ''HOP'', an American sitcom * Lindy Hop, a swing dance of the 1920s and ...

bitterness. Commercial versions may mix aged beer with younger, sweeter beer to temper the acidity and allow for further fermentation.Michael Jackson "The Great Beers of Belgium" Because of the reddish-brown colour, the

Flanders red ale Flanders red ale or Flemish red-brown, is a style of sour ale brewed in West Flanders, Belgium. Flanders red ale is fermented with organisms other than ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'', especially ''Lactobacillus'', which produces a sour character ...

could be confused with Flanders browns, but the differences include different brewing techniques & aging processes resulting in different taste characteristics.

Examples

*'t Verzet Oud Bruin (Anzegem, Belgium) *Ichtegem Oud Bruin (Ichtegem, Belgium) *Liefmans Goudenband (Oudenaarde, Belgium) *Petrus Oud Bruin (Bavikhove, Belgium) *Queue de charreu brune (Comines-Warneton, Belgium)

References

External links

* {{Beer Styles Beer styles Beer in Belgium