Why can't most American breweries master Belgian styles?

Don't want to get into a wine discussion on a beer forum but you missed my point. Yes they are all very good. But due to all of the things I posted about they will never be the same. So many times people equate first with best. When you create a style then you are the benchmark. People will say Belgian beers from Belgium taste best which equates to "original" That is where all of the time and effort and error come into play. Like New World vintners "new world" brewers cannot replicate the conditions that make the old world beers or wines unique to those areas. It's not a matter of better or worse. Terroir is key and cannot be duplicated.

 

I would probably classify it more as 'taking shortcuts' rather than 'adding their own spin' in most cases. Developing the recipe/ingredients, getting the balance just right, managing the yeast properly, etc., all will make significant contributions to the final product in a lot of Continental or Belgian beer styles, yet it seems that many brewers just aren't taking the time required to do it right.

 

Chemistry costs money....

 

Not very much money.

You might be surprised at the number of breweries that adjust the water.

 

I think that decades (or rarely a century+) of perfecting their process on the part of Belgians is probably the most important reason. I suspect people are undervaluing the role the actual brewing process has and overvaluing the recipes. Beyond that, an aversion to adjuncts on the part of American brewers, despite these being necessary ingredients to a lot of Belgian beer. They are certainly needed for the appropriate texture. Speaking of texture and mouthfeel, I'm not sure if this is the case for a lot of Belgian beer, but I know in the case of Allagash they individually bottle condition using the Champagne method, which, if common for Belgian brewers, would pose a significant obstacle for a larger brewery.

Also, Belgian beer generally isn't hoppy and tastes either gross or grotesquely un-Belgian when people try to make it hoppy, so that is an obstacle for American brewers. And for a lot of American consumers as well, unfortunately.

This would require having direct access to the wells these breweries use though, right? Somehow I doubt the breweries are too keen on letting that happen.

I liked Allagash Odyssey on draft. Aging my only bottle, will open soon. Their Four is also good but too expensive for my tastes. I realize there is massive batch variation, but the 2011 version of Boulevard BBQ was great and tasted authentically Belgian when fresh. The yeast had that unmistakable "Fig Newton and dates" aroma so many quads/strong dark ales have, with the bourbon, cherries and wood playing supporting roles. Prominent supporting roles, but it was very much quad-like. They blend it with a small amount of sour beer at bottling time though and it gets very sour even with a single year of age.

 

Not in the hops but the water and yeast is huge. The yeast and its living and fermenting conditions are unique to that brewery. That is the same as Terroir. You can analyze water all you want but you can't replicate yeast unless you get a bit of the original strain. And that yeast will only do what it does in that particular environment. Water sources contribute to flavor as well. Mineral content can be replicated but the interplay between yeast flavors and water flavors can compliment, enhance, contrast, or cancel each other out. An off flavor in the water you're brewing with might be made an asset when paired with the right yeast. Yeast flavors are Belium Beers. They environment in which they live is key. I'm not trying to argue about what is best. Just point out why it's not easily replicated.

 

"Pils" makes up about 70% of the Belgian market (although that stat is a few years old) and the best selling one, Jupiler, is not exported to the US. Jupiler outsells the #2 Belgian beer, Stella Artois, by a wide margin, though both are owned by ABInBev. Also, ABInBev has a larger share of the Belgian market than they do of the US market.

 

They don't want to?? Why not just stick to your trusted Belgian brewers, and let the Americans continue to experiment with better liked varieties?

 

Same reason they can't master American styles

 

Because, being Belgian styles, breweries can't mega hops to disguise bad brewing.

 

Feels like there are much more American beers brewed in Belgian styles than German and (un-Americanized) English.

 

How about we appreciate our brewers efforts. If they try a Belgian or for that matter German or British style for the first time and its doesn't match the best you've had cut them some slack. Offer your opinion. Don't denigrate. Would you rather have one making the effort to improve your local beer scene where only through time and effort it will get better or instead brew only those that are guaranteed to sell? Or worse close up shop and leave you to a "suitcase" of the big three at your nearest gas station? Great styles and beers are great for a reason. It takes time, effort, and some luck to get it just right. Only the first two are controllable.

 

To be honest from what I had I do not consider Unibroue and Ommegang as having mastered Belgian styles. Don’t get me wrong – I have had some really good Unibroue but they are ridiculously far away from Belgian styles made in Belgium which frankly makes them all the better and more exiting. American Saison’s taste nothing like Belgian ones but many of them are phenomenal. I see no reason why USA breweries cannot do for dubbels etc. what they did for saisons.

If you want an answer – it is the yeast. Belgian breweries have unique special yeast strains. Belgian yeast strains used by American breweries appear to be quite dreadful and not all that unique.

Besides for every world-class, phenomenal beer in every traditional Belgian beer style in Belgium there are 50 terrible examples. Only a handful Belgian breweries are churning out phenomenal examples of any given style.

 

I think it's more of a challenge and there are not enough brewers that are versed in the nuances of making great Belgian style beer. Societe in San Diego is doing a nice job as a new brewer started by brew masters that worked at The Bruery and RR and they seem to be equally good at producing good Belgian styled beers and IPA's, and I saw the stacked wooden barrels aging the "sours" that will be their next offering. The "Harlot' was such a fresh and delightful beer and I have been a big fan of Belgians for a long time but having a good belgian style that fresh and tasty was a real revelation for me. I love Ommegang Abbey Ale and it reminds me a lot of St. Bernardus but it's just a little less complex and can't be beat for the price and availability.

 

drink some of this
http://www.breweryvivant.com/

The water and the yeast make the biggest difference. I get that you can add minerals and salts to the water to try to mimmick what might be coming out of a natural spring, but theory and practice can differ greatly. For the yeast, you can usually just appropriate some out of the bottom of any beligian beer bottle. I have seen breweries adverstise their beers with belgian yeast strains (for some reason Westmalle seems to be popular). From a brewing perspective, IIRC, some of the bigger beligian beers take more effort because of multiple stages of fermentation. looking up some recipes, dubbel recommended time from boil to bottle, 2 months including secondary fermentation; tripel, 3 months including secondary; beligian strong golden ale, 4 months including secondary. Compare this to about 6 weeks for your typical IPA with no secondary fermentation required, you're going to be devoting a lot more tank time to brew a belgian beer tieing up too many resources for smaller breweries.

 

every single one of these variables can be built into your brewery and processes.

Experience? Hire a brewmaster from over there.... it's been done
Yeast strains? Buy some. We've been shipping packages between our country and theirs for quite some time. International travel by people is also not unheard of.
Pure water sources? Water is easy to manipulate to match other regions. It's done often, already.
Temp? hello? Thermostat anyone?
Humidity? Pretty sure one can maintain a desired level of humidity with humidifiers and dehumidifiers.
equipment? Buy some. Anyone can buy equipment.
KNOWLEDGE? See my comment on "Experience"
Time and money to get one right? Well good thing you hired the guy who already did that with the "Experience" variable.
Time and effort to get the conditions just right? How much time are we talking here? If you mean a few days to get the temp and humidity constant, then sure. Otherwise you bought everything you need to get the conditions right, so should be no problem.

 

I don't think it's as difficult as you think it is. A well taps into an underground water supply. Anyone in the immediate region would be using the same water. Pretty sure you could probably get the brewery's neighbor to get you a bucket of the same well water if you gave them $5.

 

As for the water, having the well information is on thing. Knowing how the brewers treat the water before brewing, or if they do an acid rest in the mash is another. Water is not the mystery that many make it to be. Many waters sources are not suited for the beer being brewed, so the water is adjusted. It is not that hard.

 

I agree, most American breweries that try to make a Belgian style miss the mark. I would love to find an American tripel that has the spicyness and dryness of a Westmalle or Chimay. A lot I've had are a bit sweet and have too much bubblegum character and not enough clove. But that's just my own personal taste. Nonetheless, I would love to see more breweries like Ommegang produce traditional Belgian styles that aren't Americanized. On a side note, I wish an American brewery would start making high quality German beers like altbiers and Munich dunkelss as well.