Does anyone else have a problem with the Zymatore Project?

Did B. United hire someone? I am not trying to be a jerk, I just did not see any information on B. United's website about how they chose what to do with the beers they received.

Matthias may be (and is) a world-class importer of utterly fantastic beer, but that does not mean he knows how to barrel age a beer.

Why he thought it was a great idea to age a Schlenkerla beer in white wine barrels makes me question the direction of the project in general.

 

I'm glad people like the hat - I designed it myself and had it made some years ago.

 

So is it meant to be a kind of "blend" of a straw boater and a fedora? I do not have a problem with that.... Certainly more to my tastes than Schlenkerla Helles in a wine barrel.

 

Ha! It's actually technically a pork-pie, but it has some boater elements to it. And it's very well aged!

 

Damn, how did I miss the pork (pie)? So in keeping with the Schlenkerla theme.... Prost!

 

I actually like the idea, I mean the best gueuzes are blends, and my favorite FW beers also. Why not do it with these beers? Is OP's objection that it offends a sense of continuity, or seems to be a symbol of something else that he disagrees with in a more general way?

 

No problem with the Zymatore project. I have tried 4 of the Zymatore "projects". All four of the beers were sour to some extent. Two were fantastic, 1 good, and 1 poor. The best was the "Gale's Conquest Ale Zymatore". Quote from my notes - "Complex and interesting. Taste starts pure English Old Ale, then is quickly followed with a solid sour presence, then a wine sweetness and finished with a hint of whiskey. Normally my palate is not good enough to pick up such clean breaks between flavors but with this beer it is all right there".

I also really liked the "Glazen Toren Ondineke Zymatore". I ordered two of these back to back, something I rarely do when at a good beer bar.

 

from what i can gather, the brewers are giving permission for this... I have no problem with it. If you don't like the finished product then don't buy it or drink it. I actually think this idea is kind of cool and innovative.

 

I think it boils down to simple answers here people. If you dont like the practicies, dont spend money on the project and hopefully it will discourage this practice in the future.

If the funds dry up and the product sits, maybe the brewers will think twice about sending their hard worked on product to sit on a washed up project.

Just my .02

Cheers!

 

It all depends on if the product that comes out of the barrel is better than the product that went into it. Blending whiskey or bourbon may produce a better product from multiple batches than any one of the batches on their own, but small batch and single barrel premium bourbons still seem to command the highest prices.

 

I was hoping that these shipping containers would be used to bring in fresh unpastuerized beer that otherwise would get stale on the voyage - like kolsch, helles, altbier, hefeweizen, etc. But instead they seem they would rather create rarez for the tickers to tick. I won't be buying those ill conceived bbl flavoring experiments, so as long as the brewer knows how his beer is being corrupted, I don't care.

 

The spirits released as single barrel/small batch are usually the from the best barrel determined by rigorous tasting... it's not like they choose any random barrel and put it in bottles at a higher price.

 

This is exactly the point. I am a homebrewer, I plan on using Syrah, Zinfandel, many other used wine casks as they are available to me and I would learn from it one result, or another. I would welcome anyone taking something I'd considered as finished, and trying to spin it into something better. Of course, were I or you a professional brewer, we would have the opportunity to tell B. United not to do this. IIRC, those in this thread chose to do this.

 

I had a chance to try the Harvieston Bitter & Twist aged in Gin and Pinot Noir Barrels. This beer was qonderful in its complexity and the fact that I was drinking it on a warm spring day got me thinking about how Zymatore could have a great idea on thier hands if they are able to compliment good beers with barrel aging characteristics and release them at times based on weather-based enjoyment.(Heavier beers in winter, lighter in the summer) One of my favorite parts of enjoying, say, a bourbon-barrel aged beer is to be able to taste the bourbon thru the canvas of the beer. Sipping straight bourbon is great, but the heat of the straight spirit keeps me from being able to taste as much of the subtle notes. However, being able to use the beer to cut the heat of the spirit and allow for the oak, peat, and other wonderful notes is a real work of alchemy IMO. I am not a big gin fan, but the way the gin complimented the Bitter and Twisted was true art.

 

I've only had the Glazen Toren Saison d'Erpe Mere Zymatore. It was delicious.

 

I am curious I not seen any of these what are they charging per bottle?

 

"Currently we are only releasing Zymatore products in kegs & casks. We are planning to add bottles in late 2012."

--- http://www.bunitedint.com/zymatore/production/packaging/​